So the wife and I finally did it......

Congrats!

I never even lived in a house until we bought ours, it was all apartments before that. We were lucky to find one that was remodeled before we bought it, so it had a brand new roof and flooring. I’d heard so many horror stories about people having a shitty inspector not catching mold or roof issues and then getting stuck with something they basically couldn’t live in. Thankfully, our inspector is a friend of the family so he really got nitpicky and for the most part, we were in the clear.

Get ready to learn lots of repair projects!
 
RevDrucifer said:
Congrats!

I never even lived in a house until we bought ours, it was all apartments before that. We were lucky to find one that was remodeled before we bought it, so it had a brand new roof and flooring. I’d heard so many horror stories about people having a shitty inspector not catching mold or roof issues and then getting stuck with something they basically couldn’t live in. Thankfully, our inspector is a friend of the family so he really got nitpicky and for the most part, we were in the clear.

Get ready to learn lots of repair projects!
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The agony and the ectasy of home ownership in a nutshell, really.
 
Very good time to buy a house. Lock in historically low interest rates, and pay the loan off after historic inflation caused by COVID quantitative easing. I paid off my mortgage last year like an idiot.
 
It's the best thing you will ever do. Your money is going to something that you own...not that someone else owns. (Don't look too closely at the interest rates over time...most of those checks will be going to interest early.)

And I will go against the grain, and look at every page put in front of you. Most times the notary/whoever will explain every page, but I still give them all a cursory look over. Even if there are mistakes, you still sign a paper authorizing them to fix misspellings/etc.

I think I've closed over 12 times in my life. The process is all about 'do the one thing in front of you', and it will get done. Patience (or a full liquor cabinet) is your friend.

Congrats! It's a 'I'm a real boy now' moment!

Ron
 
Thank you guys for all of your encouraging words. It's definitely long overdue for the two of us. We have well outgrown our 2 bedroom apartment, and are looking forward to having the extra space.
 
Well we got through the inspection process, which I have to say was a little scary. Being the first time ever going through that process I was a bit overwhelmed as we were walking through and he was telling us things he was finding.
Then my realtor, who happens to be a very good friend of the family, reminded me, the inspector is going to point out every single thing he finds no matter how minor it may be, that is his job and what you are paying him for.

In the end the inspector said all in all the house is in great shape, with only some minor repairs that we may consider down the road. but nothing earth shattering. Which was a huge relief.

So once we get the report back today or tomorrow we may request one or two things be repaired by the current owner, or at least a concession be made to us for the repairs.

Appraisal scheduled for Tuesday, and then we get closer to our closing date, currently scheduled for the 16th of November. Until then, just packing, packing, and more packing!
 
Pwrmac7600 said:
...the inspector is going to point out every single thing he finds no matter how minor it may be, that is his job and what you are paying him for.
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I'm not sure what the laws are in the U.S., but I believe here in Canada...Ontario at least, they've been coming down really hard on inspectors and holding them liable for anything they missed or 'lied' about. Too many people were getting screwed buying homes that were supposedly inspected and passed with no issues, only to find out the home was full of asbestos or had other serious issues. Realtors and previous home owners can also be held liable for not divulging information....like a leaking basement.

Electrical inspections is another area they really clamped down on. Anyone who does not get permits. which means the home is inspected by the ESA (Electrical Safety Authority) can be held financially and criminally liable. They have gone after crooked contractors who do work without permits and have been fined and in some cases, jailed. There was one example where the new homeowners were doing some renovations and the electrician noticed the tag on the meter was cut. Sure enough, the previous homeowner hired a contractor who did not get an electrical permit. The ESA could have demanded that the current homeowner rip open all the walls to inspect the wiring...luckily, the legit electrician was able to convince them he would make sure everything was up to code. The ESA fined the previous contractor.

Sounds like you got a good inspector...worth every penny and it should help put your mind at ease!

Enjoy your new home!! :)
 
Congratulations

Such a great feeling have your own home.

I love the thought of paying a bit more of it off each month, by now I own my downstairs toilet. Tis a proud feeling
 
Toopy14 said:
I'm not sure what the laws are in the U.S., but I believe here in Canada...Ontario at least, they've been coming down really hard on inspectors and holding them liable for anything they missed or 'lied' about. Too many people were getting screwed buying homes that were supposedly inspected and passed with no issues, only to find out the home was full of asbestos or had other serious issues. Realtors and previous home owners can also be held liable for not divulging information....like a leaking basement.

Electrical inspections is another area they really clamped down on. Anyone who does not get permits. which means the home is inspected by the ESA (Electrical Safety Authority) can be held financially and criminally liable. They have gone after crooked contractors who do work without permits and have been fined and in some cases, jailed. There was one example where the new homeowners were doing some renovations and the electrician noticed the tag on the meter was cut. Sure enough, the previous homeowner hired a contractor who did not get an electrical permit. The ESA could have demanded that the current homeowner rip open all the walls to inspect the wiring...luckily, the legit electrician was able to convince them he would make sure everything was up to code. The ESA fined the previous contractor.

Sounds like you got a good inspector...worth every penny and it should help put your mind at ease!

Enjoy your new home!! :)
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Well this was our inspector, the sellers still have to get a Certificate of Occupancy, which will require someone from the township coming out to inspect the home to ensure it is habitable for the next owners. Anything the township finds the sellers will have to fix before they can receive a certificate and be able to sell the home. So we should be more than covered.
 
Pwrmac7600 said:
Well this was our inspector, the sellers still have to get a Certificate of Occupancy, which will require someone from the township coming out to inspect the home to ensure it is habitable for the next owners. Anything the township finds the sellers will have to fix before they can receive a certificate and be able to sell the home. So we should be more than covered.
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That's how it works here as well. You are allowed to occupy your home without a final inspection, if you built it or were the GC, as long as you have valid insurance. However, you can't sell it until you have the final inspection, ie. receive the occupancy permit. So let's say the house was built 10 years ago, the final inspection from the township would be done according to current building codes, not the codes in effect when the house was built.

My neighbour had to do that when he sold his home. The deck codes had changed since he built the house, so he had to have the deck all re-structured before he could sell the home. My other neighbour contracted his house as well, and added bathrooms and other plumbing fixtures. Before he could get the final to sell it, he had to spend, I believe it was nearly 30k to bring the septic system up to code to account for all the extra plumbing fixtures he added. There's a formula they use to calculate the size of the tank and the bed and the bed depth.

In your case, you'll know that once the owner gets the final inspection and the deal can close, your newly purchased home will be up to today's building codes.
 
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Well, yesterday was our closing!
The wife and I are now officially home owners!
We don't move until next weekend, but we spent most of last night at the new house walking around and looking at all of the projects we now have for the foreseeable future. It's a bit overwhelming, but exciting at the same time.
now it's crunch time to finish packing up our apartment, and split our time between here and the new house, getting things ready for move in day!
Super excited!
 
Pwrmac7600 said:
Well, yesterday was our closing!
The wife and I are now officially home owners!
We don't move until next weekend, but we spent most of last night at the new house walking around and looking at all of the projects we now have for the foreseeable future. It's a bit overwhelming, but exciting at the same time.
now it's crunch time to finish packing up our apartment, and split our time between here and the new house, getting things ready for move in day!
Super excited!
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Whooooo! Congrats!
 
Well moving day was Saturday, we are slowly getting things unpacked. Thank god that is over. Moving is really the worst!
Threw out a lot of things, found things I forgot I had.
The Axe Fx is all setup in the new place, so I consider that officially moved in:D
My wife disagrees, but after 2 weeks of all my gear being packed up, I needed to make some noise.
Really looking forward to getting a studio space all setup.
 
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