I'm in the market of a new house/townhouse.
All finance approved, now, I'm house hunting.
Have inspected a few houses/townhouses, but besides the price, what are the things that I should ask to the real estate agent about the house?
Like, who's the builder? warranty? materials used? stuffs like that?
Buying a house is a huge investment, so i want to make sure everything to go smoothly.
Thanks
Agents will only tell you what you want to hear. I would be cautious of relying only on what agents tell you.
Do you literally want to buy a brand new house or as you have stated in a way, to buy a house that is established?
yes
Your answer is clear as mud.
Do you want to buy brand new or established?
Brand New or established would be a preferred answer.
If you are after decent advice, then a succinct answer would be great.
Some posters have already gone off a tangent discussing Established so therefore a clear definition of what is required will save people wasted time discussing something that is not even relevant.
Lol
I meant yes to new and established,like home and land package
Ok. There are some great posts on Established. Please read a post from @guysmiley seems pretty good.
I have more experience on Brand New House & Land. Here are some of many tips.
Please note, due to timing and length, this is very basic advice. You have to really, really put in a lot of research as buying is new home is really draining.
I am not trying to put you off, but hard work at the start and throughout the process, is usually very rewarding.
The biggest advantage, apart from the new fresh smell, is that you can cater the house, rooms, colours, themes the way you like!
… and secondly, you have some (a very good) idea of how much it will cost.
Not like some Auction that has a forecast price and when you rock-up it's $140K above its reserve after bidding … LOL.
The negatives: Choosing a crappy builder and not researching. Changing your mind constantly on the inclusions which can lead to errors and will be costly. Not hiring independent Building lawyer/inspectors
1 - Go to an Estate - House & Land Sales area that you like.
2 - They will have independent builders there, E.g Metricon, Simmons, Carlisle … etc
3 - Visit the builder that you like and they can tee up a house & land price as they will liaise with the land sales office.
4 - Most importantly, the land has to accommodate the house you like (usually 70% house + 30% land ratio). No point buying small land and you want a 29SQ home that doesn't fit
5 - Allow $30 - $40K extra to spend, as the houses they offer have bling on display homes and not the basic. You can ask how much extras they have. Allow $20K for site costs (asks them if rocks are included). $10K for concrete, letter box, etc
6 - Developer requirements. This is very important as these are the minimum requirements per Estate and can cost heaps. E.g the developer wants Colour Bond Fencing, Water Tank, Exposed Aggregate concrete @ front driveway etc … that can alone cost $4 - $15K
7 - Seek a Building Contract Lawyer. When the contract is drawn, have it go over by a professional. It may cost $500.
8 - Make sure that the Slab is beefy IMO. They might give you M Class, but ask for H2 Class.
9 - Seek an indépendant Building Inspection throughout the WHOLE process. That is 4 stages + after 3 months. Many people skimp out on this for some reason. Don't you think a $2500 investment is worth it for a $300K home????
10 - Never trust a builder. Any changes, on contract read with a fine toothed comb. Make sure that everything matches the contract that is being built. Normally a contract hierarchy goes like this: 1 - Contract Tender, 2 - HIA contract, 3 - Contract Specifications, 4 - Drawings
Good luck
Here's a few to get you started.
Any known issues, major repairs, unapproved structures.
You should be provided building/pet report. Check for termite activity.
Depending on the age of the house, you may need to confirm if asbestos was used in construction.
What are the neighbourhood sound levels like?
How is the house positioned on the block? Do the rooms have adequate light (natural and electric)
Adequate power.
Access to internet (distance from exchange, if not NBN)
Planned developments nearby.
Check your boundaries (ensure that your fences or structures don't encroach your neighbours, is there a power pole/easement on your property? (Also check the state of your fences)
What title does the property fall under?
Agents won't tell you a lot of this information. You'll need a building inspection (like adequate Power, asbestos)
Just assume that any house built between 1945-1975 or which has has a bathroom reno between 1945- 1975 (e.g ye olde timber house) will have some asbestos in it.
There are many similar threads on this topic already.
Townhouses under strata or seperate title? If strata check the fees, responsibilities, rules etc.
Find a house that you like, (real estate agent only matter if you selling a house)
Find a Conveyancer (you need a good one, good to communicate with, not so busy), to check your legal obligation, under strata or separate title? etc?
Make a deposit (you have a cooling off period based on Building inspection and loan approval).
Find a building inspector, check the structure of the house.
If you happy with the report, go ahead.
Repeat !:)
Read some of the multiple guides online from Domain, Realestate, Banks, etc.
Talk to the neighbours and see if there are any unseemly people living in the area (you know the type).
ask the real estate agent what your after, they will take your name down and give you a ring if anything is coming up on their books. Other than that they don't tell you much, they always say they don't know especially if it's negative.
Ask if the house is haunted
As in if there has been any murder happening there?
Once you're at the offer stage, just beforehand, neighbour knock each side and behind the house to ask about the neighbourhood e.g. any issues with each other, does anyone play drums all the time etc. That's the one thing we didn't do and will now be the reason we're going to leave. Most neighbours have said if we'd come and asked them beforehand they would've given us the heads up.
We did patrol the neighbourhood at night and during the day to get an idea
So did we…
Ask if anyone had been murdered there, or whether it had been built on an American Indian burial ground. Poltergeists are a pain in the arse.