We’re going this coming week! We finally have flights booked for our house hunting trip. As well, we have a rental car with two car seats and all our mortgage paper work in order. Down payment is ready to be used too. We’ve also been offered three wonderful options for leaving Oscar.
We have good friends in Prince Rupert already and they’ve been checking out houses for us and even going to an open house or two. It’s nice to have an early insight into what we’re dealing with.
I’m so excited! There are a lot of options on the market right now and we know what we are looking for. I’m wondering if there could be a better time to buy? OUr realtor has even been in touch with a few homeowners thinking about selling but their houses aren’t on the market yet. They may consider letting us look at their houses anyway.
I always like to be prepared so I’m going with a list of things I want to look at in each prospective house. I don’t want to get caught up in the moment and forget all the things we need to know before putting in an offer. We’re going to be taking our kids with us which can be enough of a distraction! We just don’t have a lot of time to get the deal done.
Here are some of the things I want to make note of when looking at houses:
- Where is the sun throughout the day?
- Where is the master bedroom in relation to the other bedrooms?
- Will our bed fit up stairs and in a bedroom?
- What is the heating situation? Electric baseboard heat, Gas, Woodstove…
- Mildew on windows? Double paned? Moisture issues?
- Age of appliances? Included or not?
- What’s the water pressure like?
- Yard Drainage/Water in basements?
- Look at roof condition.
- Look at electrical panel and wiring.
- Does it have adequate insulation?
- Do we have room to park a trailer?
- How far from downtown?
- What are the neighbours like?
- Will we be able to resell in 4 years?
Things are going to move quickly so I’d like to have some idea of the things above even though we will be getting a home inspection done. It’s so helpful that Cam’s a journeyman carpenter and has worked enough in the world of building to be able to spot a lot of the specifics we’re looking at.
I’m so interested in any advice or thoughts anyone might have for helping us at this busy time!
Hurray, Annie. You’re on your way. Congratulations for being so organized, having your down payment and mortgage paperwork ready, and having a wish list drawn up.
If you look at a house during the day, it’s a good idea to return and walk around the neighbourhood independently in the evening. That’s when kids might be out playing sports, people might be out walking their dogs, etc. You get a sense of the neighbourhood’s vibe.
If I was buying, I’d make the Offer to Purchase subject to a satisfactory report from a building inspector. Perhaps your other half knows enough to be his own building inspector. But I don’t know if he’ll have enough time to do everything a building inspector does.
It’s also helpful to ask to see the utility bills for the last year.
Hope that helps. Fingers crossed for a productive trip.
Well, here we always like to check the water situation – is it on the mains or a private supply, where is the septic tank – those questions don’t apply if you live on the water grid! Sounds very exciting. I hope you enjoy it.
good luck on the hunt.
always an exciting time when you are getting ready for such a big step.
thanks for stopping by my little blog :)
cheers!
I think you’ll feel it when you find the one, your gut’s a really good helper.
I am so excited for you, hope you have a great time ;)
Looking forward to the update on what you find! Happy hunting and safe travels! :)
Oh yes, building inspection is a must. Even if Cam can point out everything, which I doubt possible, it’s an important step in the buying process.
The water situation in Prince Rupert is real. There are many houses that have water in the basement and a few other common problems. We’ll have to be careful about that.
I can’t tell you all how excited I am! I’ll be taking my computer and blogging as I go…
Wow — I didn’t know you were moving! I grew up in Ketchikan, Alaska, and always remember Prince Rupert as our ferry stop to the “mainland.” We took many driving camping trips through Canada, too, when I was growing up.
Good luck with everything!