old house

what should i look for tomm when i check this place out
http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1067015670?lnksrc=00045&gate=msn

 

Is it lived in now?

What you plan on doign with it?

 

not sure if its lived in and depending on conditon i plan to live in it

 

What I always look at when I walk into a house is the following...
Plumbing
heating system if it has one
bathroom fixtures
kitchen fixtures and counters
corners of ceilings
the outside of the house(is it leaning, the roof($$$$)
if there is a ba*****t....look for a horizontal line running around the ba*****t on the wall. you can tell a water mark from a flood real easy.
chimeys usually have a lining in them. if there is moisture in the brick or stone work then that means there is a leak($$$)


basiclly dont go into this house getting excited over little things. go in there thinking about what is gunna cost you an arm and leg to have fixed. if you feel something is wrong ask. if the realtor stumbles on the answer or if the owner is there and stumbles on the answer then look for another house.

Ive been looking for my first house for 4 years....and I have yet to come acorss one that is in my price range and doenst need to be gutted.

 

well im already in a house this is the house i want to redo soo im not in any hurry

 

ph yea......carpenter ant and termite damage....one house I looked at was in bad shape due to this.

 

yeah there bad here so im sure thats gonna be a big thing

 

this thread will get closed because its off topic, but also make sure the foundation is sound. Has the plumbing been updated? Is the electrical panel sufficient for modern times? Has it been re-wired with romex or is it the old knob&tube wiring? Condition of roof? That is a big *ss house for the money. just be sure you know what your getting yourself into as far as maintenance/repairs. If you are really interested after you see it you can also hire a licensed inspector or have a contractor or other qualified person go look at it for you too.

 

well i **** about where to put these things but yeah my buddy is a contracter so ill have him check it out reason its soo cheap is its in a town of 6000 median house price is 83000

 

Some that I'd take for granted in a house of this age -asbestos, peeling lead paint, old wiring w/ outdated receptacbles, galvanized piping, dry rot, moisture damage, cracked & separated plaster ceilings & walls, outdated furnace, termites & ***ociated vermin, more dry rot, mold, cracked foundation & rotted mortar, rotted septic tank w/ collapsed drain field, low water pressure etc. Hope you good luck -but be sure to get it professionally checked.

 

what are the chances it all fine...lol

 

I dont know if you have a family, but this could either be too much for one man to do or for one family to endure. Bigger for less$$ is often equivalent to more$$ & time for upkeep & maintennance if not a full renovation. If you end up taking a mortgage for even small and add the cost of loaning more money for repairs you could have a better, newer, yet smaller house for actually less. If you ever seen the movie 'the money pit' you'll know what we mean.That stuff really can happen.

 

http://www.c21richardson.com/index.asp?CONTENT=listdet&listid=2012123

go to the slide show some inside pics

 

i have a newer place and its way smaller...lol we love it but have always wanted a big old house...and this is in our price range soo thats why im looking

 

Looks good enough to be worth for you to check it out. Just like checking out a car -go over and under and over it again with a professional whos 'been around' and has the proper credentials (if your serious, dont skimp on a cheap inspector) expect him to sweat it out for you- there will be plenty to check. Hope it works out for you and best of luck.

 

Looks pretty workable to me. The price is unbelievable. If that house was in the "right" part of Austin, it would go for a million EASY---in the same condition.

 

The homes in Ohio have indeed been going up in price but after looking at that house, I would scoop it up in a minute.
Something doesnt seem right here, It great looking but too cheap....
Look it over good. Bad neighborhood? Haunted??? Check the foundation out real well. talk to the neighbors there and see if anything is being hiden. Water issues?? taxes going up??
Yea...off topic too. Good luck
A home like that would go for 150 to 200 in my area.

 

Hire yourself a certified home inspector from that area to go over the house. As someone else mentioned, that price is way too low for a house of that age. Or is that a typical price of homes selling in that area ?

 

What the guy above said. Hire a certified home inspector.

 

...is there a detached garage that has been closed for years?...with a pristine 20's or 30's or 40's car inside?? THAT would be icing on the cake....

 

Bring a pocket knife and a flashlite and poke every beam/floor joist in the ba*****t. Look for any soft spots from dryrot, ants or termites.

Your first concern should be the structural integrity, then worry about the envelope (windows, roof etc), then look at the systems (elec, plumb, heat etc)

You can pm me for info if you want.

By the way- that is a beautiful house! I hope you get it!

 

Get it appraised by a certified real estate appraiser BEFORE you make an offer. Realtors get paid commision so of course the house is worth tons according to them.

Appraisers and inspectors are supposed to be unbiased.

I'm a Certified Real Estate Appraiser. You can PM me too if you'd like some insight or have questions about the appraisal process.

 

I buy and sell repossessed homes here in Wisconsin. I do exactly what Nosurf says in that same order. Just remember bigger houses usually means ,higher taxes, higher insurance, higher utilities, higher maintenance. Good luck , looks like a nice property from the picture.
Steve

 

One thing that most of these old homes lack are closets. Back in the day every bedroom had an amore' instead. Look for evidence of fire around the kitchen. Being built in 1860 the original kitchen was probably detached and may no longer exist for this reason.

 

How old is the well? How old is the septic system and has it been mantained regularly? Both are fairly expensive if they need to be replaced.

 

Haha. Thats what I was thinking, probably some civil war ghosts running around at night! You can also go to the local police station and talk to them about crime in the area.
Thats a good suggestion about talking to the neighbors. That way you will get the real picture, the agents just want to make the sale and a lot of times they B.S. to seem like they know about things when they really dont. You should also be able to have the house inspected when you are in escrow also. The seller is required to disclose all the problems with the house at that time.
Your payments will probably only be like $500/mo. I would guess that the major expense would be upkeep/maintenance/repairs and furnishing the house and maintaining the landscaping on over an acre.
That house would be like 1.5-2 million in LA.

 

Termites are almost guaranteed, it is the Carolinas - I'd make sure there's no serious damage to the main structure. Remember, there may not be any live termites but there can be old, hidden damage. Get somebody who knows what they're doing structurally to look at it, not a termite inspector.

 

Year Built: 1860= I'd look for ghost.......

 

Pay to have a home inspector go through the house and ***es the condition.

Man 79k for a 4500sq foot house, cheapest house in vancouver right now is 500k, i am trying to get into a house but im slightly lacking the 275k down payment i need.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/06/14/bc_house-prices20060614.html

My advice go through it like it wants to date your daughter.