Lets compile a list of things to look for. Being that I am a technophile, quite naturally I have a lot of electronics, I just noticed a few places that I was checking out did not have a lot of electrical outlets. I think the standard is one every 10ft or you should be within 6ft of an outlet no matter where you are standing (correct me if I am wrong please) or something like that. So, please contribute!

1. Check for the number of electrical outlets and how many are in each room

12/11/2007 12:11:10 PM

There are so many things I could list but for now I'll go with

2. Check HOA fees - you could easily buy 10K more house considering the fees some places charge and you don't want to buy a place out of your budget b/c you forgot to factor in monthly dues

[Edited on December 11, 2007 at 12:16 PM. Reason : ]

12/11/2007 12:15:55 PM

Yeah thats a good suggestion. I really don't think I want to be part of an HOA, but sometimes, depending on the price and what is included in that price, its worth it.

12/11/2007 12:40:19 PM

^Unless you buy a house (not in a subdivision), there will be some sort of covenants. It all depends on who control/enforces the covenants.

1) Another thing to look for is closet/storage space. Lack of storage space is one thing I regret having in my current house.
2) Check surrounding property for future development options. If you do not want to live next door to a huge shopping center, make sure the area immediately surrounding your future home is "built out". (there was a thread in the lounge about this recently) http://imaps.co.wake.nc.us/imaps/
3) Pay close attention to the inspection for integrity of the structure, water/mold problems, quality construction, etc. Unforseen conditions can be costly.

There are tons of other things to look for, but the best advise I can give you is to know exactly what you want and need and know what you can afford. In today's market, you do not want to bite off more than you can chew so to speak. I forsee it being very difficult to sell a home in the future.

12/11/2007 12:57:56 PM

Yeah, that why I have decided to go with an affordable townhouse so I won't get in a fix with money and problems. Storage space is important also!

12/11/2007 1:04:09 PM

^^^ Depending on the type of townhouse, you may not have a choice with regards to HOA fees. Like a condo, there are going to be community areas that you'll be required to pay to maintain as well as maintenance of the property exteriors.

With regards to things to look for, check out the type of wiring as well. My buddy owned a townhouse which we found out had aluminum wiring. The way the circuit was laid out, we had unknowingly plugged six computers, a 42" projection TV, another 22" television, an audio/video receiver, massive subwoofer, and a couple other high powered pieces of electronics. We had a little arching situation that by luck we caught before burning the entire place down.

A ton of other things that could be mentioned as well; be damn sure you have a good home inspector.

[Edited on December 11, 2007 at 1:08 PM. Reason : Wrong number of ^]

12/11/2007 1:07:32 PM

About how would an inspector/appraiser look at a townhouse for you think?

12/11/2007 1:10:43 PM

What?

12/11/2007 1:11:41 PM

I think my inspection was about $200. If you need more details, PM me. I'll have to look up the company name, but I was extremely pleased with the service.

12/11/2007 3:00:49 PM

Well, I don't have any prospects as of yet, but as soon as I do I will shoot you a PM! Thanks!

12/11/2007 3:02:41 PM

Quote :

"I think the standard is one every 10ft or you should be within 6ft of an outlet no matter where you are standing"

I think code requires there be an outlet every 12ft. So, yes, you should be able to stand at any place along a wall and be no more than 6 ft from an outlet.

12/11/2007 5:41:08 PM

Go to the house when you're not being shown the house, and during different times of the day if you can. See what's going on in your future neighborhood.

I say this b/c of my brother's horror story when he bought a home in Charlotte--the realtor and owner kindly asked their next door neighbor to keep their FIVE barking-at-all-hours-of-the-day-and-at-anything-that-moves dogs inside while they were being shown the house. They had no clue the neighbor even had dogs. Skip to move in day and the next year that they lived there--nightmare.

12/11/2007 6:07:50 PM

This might not be in your budget, but 2 bedroom townhomes are a dime a dozen, three bedrooms will be much better for resale.

Well, just realized this has nothing to do with technical stuff, but it is still good advice nonetheless.

[Edited on December 11, 2007 at 6:36 PM. Reason : reading is fundamental]

12/11/2007 6:34:42 PM

The one that has caught my eye is a 3 br, and it was built in 1973, but has been fully reconditioned, literally.

12/11/2007 6:40:00 PM

Check the heck out of the A/C unit, drainlines for the condensation should be visible on the exterior too... I've known of two townhouses in the area that had drainage issues with the A/C that resulted in the A/C freezing up, and flooding of the place. At least one of them could have been avoided by making sure the line was clear.

12/11/2007 7:12:59 PM

cable and phone outlets....I have one on each floor, but none in the spare bedroom

12/17/2007 3:38:20 PM

ron coddington is the best inspector i've dealt with. tell him that chris moody recommended you if you call because he's always been very accommodating to me (i've used him for two inspections and several followups).

Ronald C. Coddington
Coddington Home Inspections
6993 Ogburn Farm Drive
Willow Springs, NC 27592
919-557-6322
RonCodd@nc.rr.com

12/17/2007 4:18:31 PM

Check the caulking/grout around tubs and sinks.
check the water heater.

find out what kind of a/c system you have.
(gas heat dx unit or heat pump etc.)

turn on the a/c & see how loud it is in the living room (sometimes town homes and condos have either a main return or an actual unit right in your living room which sucks cause they can be loud.)

12/17/2007 4:43:08 PM

Quote :

"I say this b/c of my brother's horror story when he bought a home in Charlotte--the realtor and owner kindly asked their next door neighbor to keep their FIVE barking-at-all-hours-of-the-day-and-at-anything-that-moves dogs inside while they were being shown the house. They had no clue the neighbor even had dogs. Skip to move in day and the next year that they lived there--nightmare."

It seems like a noise issue like that would be covered by a city ordinance? I'd call the po'lice.

12/17/2007 6:33:54 PM

This is probably a dumb question but what is the best way to determine the thickness of the walls between your unit and your neighbor's? The biggest problem I have with moving into a townhouse is not being able to turn the receiver up to watch a DVD from fear of a noise complaint.

12/17/2007 8:18:07 PM

you can find out the insulation rating used inbetween the walls as well as if the builder did anything specific to deaden the noise

but to be honest the only real way to tell is to do a real test

12/17/2007 9:36:07 PM

^^^they've long moved by now. but their situation aside--going to a neighborhood when you're not there to specifically look at the house isn't a bad idea.

12/17/2007 10:42:05 PM

since you're looking for a townhome, look at the parking areas. A friend of mine bought a nice townhome but the parking is free for all yet some of the neighbors think that certain spots are theirs. They are not nice when someone parks in their spots.

12/17/2007 11:36:06 PM

expect neighbors in HOA's to report every violation they can, so dont have a junky yard, an extra car, etc.

2/18/2008 4:02:10 PM

check out trash disposal areas too...make sure it's easy to access and there isn't trash all over the place.

2/18/2008 4:17:43 PM

One thing that I always looked for was the outer appearance.

There are a lot of townhouses that you can tell will look really crappy in a short amount of time, for instance Alexander Place out at Brier Creek on the Ale House side. They are great on the inside, but the low grade exteriors are already looking dated and worn and they are only a few years old.

Look for something that at the very least has brick, hardiplank, or stonework. There are some very nice townhomes that are completely brick on all sides being constructed in the West Cary area.

[Edited on February 18, 2008 at 7:41 PM. Reason : .]

2/18/2008 7:40:32 PM

WATER PRESSURE

2/19/2008 1:22:52 PM

Whats the best website to view properties in Raleigh?

3/27/2008 10:29:13 AM

What are some tactics on negotiating price?

3/27/2008 10:47:13 AM

I like the tool at HPW.com I think there were a few others listed in the real estate thread and maybe in another thread rjr made.

3/27/2008 10:47:43 AM

I'd have your realtor get a listing of what all the surrounding houses sold for comparison purposes. I'd probably lowball 10%. You want to have room to negotiate but you don't want to insult the seller either.

3/27/2008 10:49:02 AM

just fyi for the townhouse hunters, i bought a th at the townes at umstead and in five months my appraisal went up by $24,000

3/27/2008 10:54:44 AM

I still can't ever see myself shelling out $$$$$ for a place where I have to share walls with someone.

3/27/2008 10:58:03 AM

i'd imagine you could if you moved to a city where your current house cost 100k+ more to be in a decent location - but i agree with the way the real estate market is in the raleigh area

or if you were considering turning it into a rental property down the road

3/27/2008 11:01:48 AM

Oh most def. My statement was just in regards to this area.

3/27/2008 11:03:38 AM

1. Covenants & HOA fees
2. Radon inspection
3. Lead paint check, depending on age
4. Termite inspection
5. Duct work for mold/mildew
6. Distance from Bojangles
7. Ceilling for past water damage
8. Roof quality
9. Projected area development
10. Neighborhood safety

3/27/2008 3:59:36 PM

Quote :

"6. Distance from Bojangles"

very legitimate concern

3/27/2008 5:03:01 PM

Make sure you can stand to live with a homeowner's association and the oppressiveness it often brings. Also, even if the rules are OK with you now, they'll likely change for the worse. Our HOA was trying to tell everyone to let their dogs pee only in designated areas, to protect the grass. I say fuck them, my dog pees on the sidewalk and poops in the pinestraw right outside the house. I'm too lazy to walk her that far, she's too lazy to walk that far, and in the heat of summer it's dangerous for her to walk that far.

Then they might start hacking up attractive landscaping. The bushes outside our house look like shit now.

Adding decorative touches to your house are usually out of the question. We can't even have an American flag outside our door.

Don't expect to be safer in a townhouse. We've had several burglaries in the last few months, and my car was burgled last night.

3/28/2008 2:00:28 PM

^ i'm on the HOA board because i don't trust other ppl to not fuck it up - maybe you should do the same...

3/28/2008 2:09:22 PM

Quote :

"Our HOA was trying to tell everyone to let their dogs pee only in designated areas, to protect the grass. I say fuck them, my dog pees on the sidewalk and poops in the pinestraw right outside the house. I'm too lazy to walk her that far, she's too lazy to walk that far, and in the heat of summer it's dangerous for her to walk that far. "

i'd say those rules are pretty fair. most people don't like to have dog piss and shit all over the place in their neighborhood.

3/28/2008 2:50:01 PM

^before we just had a rule that people pick up poop in a plastic bag. We live in an end unit and I'm fine with kicking the poop into the pinestraw along the side of the building. No one's complained, no one walks there anyway. I'm also courteous enough to douse the sidewalk with water to wash the pee away.

3/28/2008 4:24:10 PM

Quote :

"2. Check HOA fees - you could easily buy 10K more house considering the fees some places charge and you don't want to buy a place out of your budget b/c you forgot to factor in monthly dues"

this is the truth.. and even tho it has been said several times i figured it should be said again.

since i bought my townhouse i've only had 2 problems with the HOA
1. they decided to add new screens to everyone's units after i paid $$$ to have new windows installed.. then they send out a letter telling us to not pierce the [also new] vinyl siding or we'll void the warranty.. but the new screen guy put those little tabs down (that the bottom of the screen clips to) and now i have what appears to be some water damage to the drywall inside. i need to get that looked at (noticed a few days ago, since it was behind a couch)

2. they had a car of mine towed. it had been there a few days with the tag in the window and i took the tag one friday to have it transferred.. well i came home and it was gone. called the towing company on the sign and they hadnt been there. come to find out, they had changed towing companies, and had not changed the sign. so i reported it stolen since it was 6pm friday and the prop. mgmt company was closed. when i finally got ahold of them the douchebag asked me if i expected him to investigate every complaint regarding an "abandoned" car. i said yes and he acted like i had just asked him if i could fuck his mother.... and everyone around me knew it was mine.. i was still stuck with the towing bill...

[Edited on April 11, 2008 at 4:13 PM. Reason : b]

4/11/2008 4:06:31 PM

i'm not going to say i flat-out won't do it, but i'm looking at buying a house when i get back to NC in a couple of months, and a HOA is a huge negative to me.

4/12/2008 4:07:35 PM

correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't every neighborhood being built in NC now have to have at least some sort of HOA? I thought I heard that somewhere.

4/12/2008 7:17:00 PM

i don't know...haven't lived in NC in almost 4 years

but if that's the case, i'll be leaning strongly towards not living in a neighborhood (i can't imagine that's true, though most places do have them)

4/12/2008 8:24:44 PM

i can't believe your first concern is the number of outlets.

my house is 0.5 miles from bojangles

anyway, to contribute (i didn't read everything so if it's been covered, sorry)...

check for cracks in the foundation. if it's a crawlspace with brick foundation, look for a gap between mortar and brick usually going in a "step" pattern. this probably means the ground is settling and is not good. if it's a slab, again look for cracks. moisture will work it's way up the crack and you'll eventually get mold in your carpet/padding.

make sure the lot is sloped to shed water away from the house or that other measures have been taken to address this problem. i am dealing with this now because i went on the word of the seller (duhh) when he said that water didn't pile up. i just spent $650 on gutters and will likely be putting in a french drain in my backyard soon.

if the house you have your eye on is in the 15-20 year old range, get ready to do some costly maintenance. this is the time when a lot of things break or need to be replaced: roof, HVAC, etc. personally i would look for something newer or something older that has recently been through those fixes.

ALWAYS get a home inspection. if you don't, you are asking for trouble.

one more thing... if you are looking at something even remotely close to the airport, you should check to see if the house is in the flight path. i was looking at a house off of leesville rd north of 540 and was worried about plane noise. i called the airport to ask about the busiest times and just parked in the neighborhood to listen. planes would fly by on takeoff very loud every 3-8 minutes during the 8'oclock hour. it was awful and even loud inside.

[Edited on April 13, 2008 at 2:06 AM. Reason : planes]

4/13/2008 2:01:13 AM

with older homes....

-sewer scope
-check duct insulation for asbestos
-check insulation (especially the attic)
-water heater / furnace age
-electrical wiring

make sure that the wiring is grounded, and by that i mean to an actual ground stake, not just grounded to the outlet box... you may want to look at the circuit breaker to see how updated the electrical might be....

4/13/2008 2:07:53 AM

check how much the other houses in the neighborhood are beings sold for (you can search for you house you are thinking of buying and there's a link showing the ones sold recently nearby)
http://services.wakegov.com/realestate/

check zillow for how much they think your house is worth
http://www.zillow.com/

4/27/2008 10:48:39 AM

heh, i just bought my place for <80% of what zillow projected as value

4/27/2008 2:56:59 PM

Quote :

"2. Check HOA fees - you could easily buy 10K more house considering the fees some places charge and you don't want to buy a place out of your budget b/c you forgot to factor in monthly dues""

yeah, i fucked up on this one

$300 HOA fees ftl

[Edited on April 27, 2008 at 3:09 PM. Reason : (monthly)]

4/27/2008 3:09:27 PM