Is it good to be a picky buyer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you can do whatever you want but you’ll never find a perfect house. So maybe tell the realtors about this requirement up front so they can cut you loose.

I’m op. I know I’ll never find the perfect house. But if certain major items are not disclosed up front like flooding issues or foundational issues, is it so wrong to raise a red flag? Are people just supposed to take anything?

Of course not, but there are “flooding issues” and “foundational issues” and then there are real problems. We don’t know what you’re talking about or how dire it is in context. If it’s just like, a basement from 1940 and the inspection shows signs of moisture? Or is it a major flood in the last few years? Joists that need sistering or a house that is sinking? You come across as being the kind of person who overreacts. But maybe you’re reasonable, we just don’t know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I’m built differently, but when it comes to a home, I want to make sure that things are correct. Such as foundation, walls, plumbing, electrical, drywall, flooring. I want everything to be as right as can be or I don’t want the house.

I’m about a year in with the home building process. Looking in either Montgomery County or in NOVA (Fairfax/McLean)Recently we really liked a house that met all the checkboxes, but there was an issue with drainage and flooding that the seller didn’t care to disclose…they always tried to avoid the subject. So I walked. My realtor got upset with us to the point where she isn’t speaking to us and said we should’ve taken it anyway. But if I find one red flag, I’m out. The way I see it, this is my biggest purchase of 1.5 million+ dollars, I want it to be right and not run into a trap that’ll costs time and money down the road. Now I know I’ll never find the PERFECT house without doing a custom build, but I just expect the quality to be on par with the price.

But is my realtor right? Am I too picky? I’m just patient in making sure we find the right place for the right fit. Am I asking too much to want a quality home?

Depends on where you are looking. In closer in areas there are almost no $1.5M new builds done by small builders.

If you are farther out and paying $1.5 M for house it is probably being built by Toll Brothers, Stanley Martin or similar. If you want as close to perfect as possible, write in your contract the following inspections: foundation inspection when the foundation is completed, drywall inspection before the drywall is installed and final blue tape inspection. You will be involved in every step of the process with a professional who can help you identify problems. The company will likely push back but be persistent. You can correct problems before they become serious with due diligence.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by correct plumbing, electrical, drywall and flooring? Those can all be fixed by you. I wouldn’t pass up an otherwise perfect house because of holes in drywall or carpet when I want wood flooring. Foundation issues and drainage problems I get, but just avoid homes with yards below the neighbors and watch out for large cracks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you can do whatever you want but you’ll never find a perfect house. So maybe tell the realtors about this requirement up front so they can cut you loose.

I’m op. I know I’ll never find the perfect house. But if certain major items are not disclosed up front like flooding issues or foundational issues, is it so wrong to raise a red flag? Are people just supposed to take anything?

Of course not, but there are “flooding issues” and “foundational issues” and then there are real problems. We don’t know what you’re talking about or how dire it is in context. If it’s just like, a basement from 1940 and the inspection shows signs of moisture? Or is it a major flood in the last few years? Joists that need sistering or a house that is sinking? You come across as being the kind of person who overreacts. But maybe you’re reasonable, we just don’t know.

Op here. I mean major issues. Not small stupid stuff like colors or things you can easily fix.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am in a similar boat to you. What is working of for me is finding a quality builder and being involved as much as I can in the process. Obviously more time and $$$, but the end product is worth it. So many of the spec homes out there are mediocre to crap, even in the high-end range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I’m built differently, but when it comes to a home, I want to make sure that things are correct. Such as foundation, walls, plumbing, electrical, drywall, flooring. I want everything to be as right as can be or I don’t want the house.

I’m about a year in with the home building process. Looking in either Montgomery County or in NOVA (Fairfax/McLean)Recently we really liked a house that met all the checkboxes, but there was an issue with drainage and flooding that the seller didn’t care to disclose…they always tried to avoid the subject. So I walked. My realtor got upset with us to the point where she isn’t speaking to us and said we should’ve taken it anyway. But if I find one red flag, I’m out. The way I see it, this is my biggest purchase of 1.5 million+ dollars, I want it to be right and not run into a trap that’ll costs time and money down the road. Now I know I’ll never find the PERFECT house without doing a custom build, but I just expect the quality to be on par with the price.

But is my realtor right? Am I too picky? I’m just patient in making sure we find the right place for the right fit. Am I asking too much to want a quality home?

You are smart - we’re in Fairfax/McLean and were not picky about drainage and flooding and the seller didn’t disclose. Let me tell you, mopping up the basement and bailing out the window wells during downpours over the past decade or so has been no fun. Not to mention the fear every time it rains. We’ve made improvements so it isn’t so bad but when it comes time to sell, we are definitely disclosing and going as is. We figure the buyer will tear it down anyway, because that happens to about 50% of home sales in my neighborhood.

And when we move we are looking to buy a house WITHOUT a basement. I’m so over basement issues and it just gets crammed up with stuff we didn’t bother to get rid of because there was room for it in the basement.

Kills me when I see renovated properties where the sellers actually dug out the basement - OMG, NO…… if you visit on a rainy day, you can smell the potential issues…..

Total agreement. 2 years ago I bought a house built on slab, after 20 years battling issues with a musty 1920s rowhouse basement.

Sheer. Bliss. When it rains, I smile and enjoy the pitter-pat instead of tensing up and worrying about the basement. I know a lot of people would miss a basement, but I sure don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am in a similar boat to you. What is working of for me is finding a quality builder and being involved as much as I can in the process. Obviously more time and $$$, but the end product is worth it. So many of the spec homes out there are mediocre to crap, even in the high-end range.

Yeah I don’t understand how so many spec builders get away with such garbage. People truly don’t care anymore.

[Anonymous]

I bought a $400K ish waterfront home that had termite damage, flood damage, non-working HVAC, mold, multiple active roof leaks, failing windows...so basically everything.

Took about 120K to fix it up and now I have a beautiful, stable beach home that appreciated at least 250K in two years. There isn't anything that you can't fix. In the last 2 years only one home sold comparable in size and it sold for 750K. I would not have bought at that price point. So if I had passed on it, I would be out of the market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am in a similar boat to you. What is working of for me is finding a quality builder and being involved as much as I can in the process. Obviously more time and $$$, but the end product is worth it. So many of the spec homes out there are mediocre to crap, even in the high-end range.

Honestly, I don't think there are quality builders. They are all motivated to sell while cutting corners. I'd much rather buy an old home that was built right and fix it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am in a similar boat to you. What is working of for me is finding a quality builder and being involved as much as I can in the process. Obviously more time and $$$, but the end product is worth it. So many of the spec homes out there are mediocre to crap, even in the high-end range.

Honestly, I don't think there are quality builders. They are all motivated to sell while cutting corners. I'd much rather buy an old home that was built right and fix it up.

They are hard to find but out there; we had success looking for smaller builders than only do a couple houses a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am in a similar boat to you. What is working of for me is finding a quality builder and being involved as much as I can in the process. Obviously more time and $$$, but the end product is worth it. So many of the spec homes out there are mediocre to crap, even in the high-end range.

Yeah I don’t understand how so many spec builders get away with such garbage. People truly don’t care anymore.

They don’t know. People have no clue if they are getting crap windows, hvac, etc but they only care that it’s new.

[Anonymous]

Drainage and flooding issues are definitely something to be picky about. It’s only going to get worse and if there are issues, it’s very hard to fix them. Sounds smart to me!

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree with you 100%. The one caveat is that I wouldn't waste your agent's time on houses that you realistically won't like. If you're picky, you should almost always be able to tell from the photos if the house fits your criteria, and so you shouldn't be asking your agent to take you to very many showings. If I take 2 years to find a house, but only ask my agent to take me on a dozen showings during that entire time (and can monitor the MLS on my own), I can't imagine an agent would have any legitimate gripe with that.

[Anonymous]

I would enjoy meeting your spouse/partner, world's first perfect person!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bought a $400K ish waterfront home that had termite damage, flood damage, non-working HVAC, mold, multiple active roof leaks, failing windows...so basically everything.

Took about 120K to fix it up and now I have a beautiful, stable beach home that appreciated at least 250K in two years. There isn't anything that you can't fix. In the last 2 years only one home sold comparable in size and it sold for 750K. I would not have bought at that price point. So if I had passed on it, I would be out of the market.

I'm pretty impressed you managed to fix it all up for only 120k.