c/buying-a-home

14

the_anna•57m ago

Fought with city permits for 6 weeks over a fence setback

I just wanted to put up a simple 6 foot privacy fence in my backyard in Austin. Turns out my property line is 3 feet closer than I thought because of an old survey error. It took 6 weeks of back and forth at the permit office to get them to accept the new survey. Has anyone else dealt with a surprise setback rule that made your project take forever?

25

craig.parker•1d ago

Talked with a loan officer last week that totally changed my timeline

I was at an open house in Austin and got chatting with the loan officer hosting it. She told me she sees people all the time who think they're ready to buy but haven't actually saved for closing costs, which can run like 3-5% of the loan on top of a down payment. She said one couple had $30k saved but only $2k of it was for closing costs so they got stuck. It hit me differently because I was planning to offer in maybe 2 months and now I realize I'm probably 4 months out minimum. Has anyone else miscalculated how much they need for closing costs and had to push back their offer date?

11

price.alice•1d ago

Inspector missed a cracked pipe and I paid the price 3 days after closing

We closed on our first house in Portland last month and I was SO excited. Day three I go down to the basement to check the water heater and there's water EVERYWHERE. The inspection report said plumbing was fine but the main drain pipe had a hairline crack that was slowly leaking. I called the inspector and he basically said "not my problem" because it wasn't dripping during the walkthrough. Cost me $1,200 to have a plumber come out and replace a 4 foot section of cast iron. Now I'm wondering if I should have gotten a separate plumber to look at the pipes before closing. Has anyone else had an inspector miss something huge like this? What did you do?

5

paige870•2d ago

Update: That leak I found during the home inspection turned into a $6,000 mess

I closed on a house in Denver two weeks ago and the inspector spotted a small water stain in the basement ceiling. I figured it was a minor fix, maybe a hundred bucks. Turns out the previous owner patched a pipe leak with duct tape and it finally let go last night. The water damage ruined the drywall and part of the subfloor, so now I'm dealing with a contractor and a claim. Has anyone else had a home inspector miss something that blew up later?

25

coleman.jade•3d ago

Bought a house in Phoenix last summer and I still can't get used to how fast the market moves here

I grew up in Ohio where you could look at a house on Tuesday, think about it for a week, and make an offer on Sunday. Out here in Phoenix, we put in an offer on a house less than 24 hours after it listed and still lost to someone who did a sight-unseen cash deal. My realtor told me I need to have my pre-approval letter ready and be willing to make decisions in hours, not days. It's a totally different world from what I grew up with. Has anyone else had to completely change how they approach buying a house when moving to a hot market?

8

angela_coleman•4d ago

That Saturday where my offer got rejected 3 times in one day

I was looking at a house in Austin that seemed perfect, 3 bedrooms with a big yard. First offer got beat by cash, second one they countered way too high, third one I just walked away from. Real estate agent told me “this market is brutal right now, you gotta move faster.” Has anyone else had a day where nothing goes right with offers?

34

the_seth•4d ago

Hot take: Your credit score isn't as important as your debt-to-income ratio when getting a mortgage

I just got pre-approved last week with a 720 score, but my buddy with a 780 was denied. Turns out the lender in Denver cared way more that his car payment and student loans ate up 52% of his monthly income. Mine was at 38% and they barely asked about the score. Has anyone else run into this where the DTI ratio mattered more than the number on your credit report?

25

grant_palmer•5d ago

Overheard a realtor say something at an open house that made me rethink pre-approvals

This agent told a couple they shouldn't get pre-approved until they've actually found a house they like, because the credit pull expires in 90 days. That kind of advice seems backwards to me, has anyone else heard agents pushing that approach?

14

ruby_grant•5d ago

Is buying a fixer-upper really worth it or just a money pit? My friend changed my mind.

I had coffee with my buddy Mike last week, he just closed on a 1970s ranch house in Austin for $180k. He's all excited about ripping out the old carpet and painting everything white. But I told him he's crazy, my sister bought a fixer in Denver for $150k and after two years and $60k in repairs she's still not done. Mike said he got a home inspection and the foundation and roof are solid, so the big stuff is fine. He argues that with sweat equity he can add $50k of value for $20k of materials, just doing weekends himself. I've always been a turnkey buyer because I hate surprises, but now I'm wondering if his math makes sense or if hidden problems always pop up. What's your experience been, did the low price work out or did it bleed you dry?

9

kim.sandra•5d ago

I started driving by houses I liked on weeknights instead of Sundays

Noticed a cute house in Denver with no open house signs, so I drove by on a Tuesday at 7pm and saw the owners outside gardening. Chatted them up, found out they were planning to list in 3 weeks, and we made a deal before it ever hit Zillow. Has anyone else had luck just knocking on doors in neighborhoods you want to buy in?

26

wendy674•7d ago

Thought I was smart skipping the home inspection on a flip, now I'm paying for it

I bought a flipped house in Austin 6 months ago and the realtor said the flipper had a good rep, so I skipped the inspection to save $500. Then the AC died in July, cost me $3,200 to replace, and I found out the wiring is all wrong in the kitchen. On the other hand, my buddy paid for an inspection on his new build and it caught a foundation crack before closing. So what's worse, wasting money on a possible nothing-burger or getting burned like I did?

14

cameron_chen63•7d ago

The week I looked at 12 houses and only 1 was worth my time

Last month in Portland I scheduled showings for 7 days straight. One place had black mold in the basement, another had a cracked foundation the inspector found, and three others were listed way over what they were worth. The one decent house got an offer accepted before I could even write mine up. Has anyone else had a week where you just felt like you wasted a ton of time driving around?

27

betty_scott18•9d ago

That home inspection video I thought was a scare tactic was actually spot on

Last year when I was buying my first house in Columbus, the inspector pointed at a tiny crack in the foundation and started talking about water damage and mold. I figured he was just trying to justify his $400 fee with some dramatic warning. Six months after moving in, we got a heavy rain and I found a puddle in the basement right under that crack. Crawled back there with a flashlight and sure enough, there was black mold growing on the drywall behind some boxes. Cost me $1,200 to get it remediated and another $800 to fix the drainage outside. Now I tell everyone to take those inspection reports seriously, especially the parts that seem overblown. Has anyone else ignored a home inspector's warning and regretted it later?

19

richardfox•11d ago

Hot take: buying a fixer-upper is way overrated in this market

Everyone says to buy the worst house in the best neighborhood and fix it up, but after watching my buddy spend $45k on foundation work in Phoenix over 18 months, I think that advice is outdated. Materials and labor costs have jumped so much since 2020 that you're often better off paying more for a move-in ready place. Has anyone else regretted going the fixer-upper route lately?

5

carr.willow•11d ago

Inspector found a hidden water leak that took 6 weeks to fix

Our home inspector spotted a damp spot in the basement during the walkthrough, but the seller insisted it was old and dry. We hired a plumber anyway and they found a slow leak in a pipe behind the wall that took 6 weeks and $3,500 to fully repair. Would you trust a seller's word on something like this or always pay for a second look?

23

leo_campbell•11d ago

Vent: I used to always buy a home warranty... now I self-insure

When I bought my first house in Phoenix 8 years ago, the realtor pushed a $600 home warranty hard. I bought it, then spent 3 months fighting them over a busted AC compressor. They sent some guy who botched the repair twice. After that, I started putting that same $600 into a savings account each year instead. Last year my water heater failed and I paid $1,200 cash from that account in one day. Has anyone else dropped warranties and just saved the money?

2

margaretf40•12d ago

My realtor's advice on pre-inspections saved me $3,000

I was about to put an offer on a 1940s house in Portland. My realtor told me to get a pre-inspection before even making an offer, not after. I thought she was just trying to slow me down, but she said it would cost $400 and save me headaches. Well, the inspector found knob-and-tube wiring hidden behind some drywall that needed $3,000 in fixes right away. Because I knew upfront, I adjusted my offer and the seller covered half the cost. Has anyone else used pre-inspections to bargain better on older homes?

19

troyjackson•12d ago

That chat with the mortgage broker yesterday hit me hard

I was at a coffee shop last week and ran into my old mortgage broker from when I bought my first place 6 years ago. We started talking about the market and he told me straight up that he's seeing way more people get approved for loans than actually understand what they're signing. He said the big thing now is that adjustable rate mortgages are making a comeback and most buyers just see the low initial payment and don't realize they could be paying 3 or 4 percent more in 5 years. That really got me thinking because I almost went with an ARM myself back then and only ended up with a fixed rate because my dad pushed me. For anyone looking right now, are you all checking the fine print on those teaser rates or just going with what the lender suggests?

13

seth_green85•13d ago

My home inspection took 6 hours instead of the promised 2.5

I booked a home inspector for a 1950s ranch in Columbus and he found a hidden sump pump pit behind drywall in the basement. The extra time to check drainage and waterproofing pushed us past noon and I paid $425 instead of the $300 quote. Has anyone else had an inspection run way over schedule for a hidden issue?

10

eric_ramirez67•13d ago

Everyone keeps saying to buy the cheapest house you can afford

My buddy in Austin bought a fixer-upper for $180k three years ago and has already dropped $50k on foundation repairs alone. Has anyone here actually had the cheap house gamble pay off without major surprises?

19

alice_reed47•13d ago

Old mortgage rates still make me laugh when I see them

I was cleaning out my grandma's files last week, found her mortgage paperwork from 1972 in Dallas. She bought a 3 bedroom house for $24,000 with a 7.5% rate. I just locked in at 6.8% on a place that cost 15 times that. It's wild how the numbers flipped. Anyone else run across old housing costs that blew your mind?

25

thead44•14d ago

That home inspection saved me from a $15,000 headache in Phoenix

I was all set to close on a cute little house in Phoenix last month, but my inspector found this big crack in the foundation that the seller tried to hide with a fresh coat of paint. He said it was from poor drainage after monsoon rains, and the repair quote came in at $15,000. I walked away from the deal and lost just the inspection fee (like $400), which is way better than being stuck with that mess. Has anyone else caught a major problem during inspection that made you back out of a house?

7

charlie_fisher45•16d ago

The appraisal addendum fight that ate my whole weekend

I got my offer accepted on a townhouse in Phoenix back in March, and the home appraisal came back $8,000 under the sale price. My lender said I needed to submit a formal appraisal addendum with comps to contest it, so I spent three straight days digging through county records and MLS data. I found six comparable units within half a mile that sold for more than my asking price in the past 90 days. My realtor even had a local appraiser buddy review my work and say it looked solid. I submitted it on a Thursday and the lender's appraisal team took seven business days to respond. They basically ignored all my comps and just said "no change" with zero explanation. Has anyone else had their appraisal appeal just get brushed off like that?

13

nelson.finley•18d ago

Put an offer in on a tiny bungalow in Cleveland after 3 years of saving

Last Tuesday my realtor called and said they accepted my offer, which was $5,000 under asking, and now I'm sitting here staring at the keys wondering if I actually know how to handle a furnace or if I'm just fooling myself, anyone else feel like they made it to the closing table but forgot to read the instruction manual?

2

olivere30•18d ago

Our inspector missed a leaky pipe in the wall and we found out the hard way

We closed on a 1970s ranch house in Portland back in March and everything looked fine on the inspection report. Two weeks later I noticed the drywall in the laundry room starting to bubble and peel. Turns out there was a slow leak behind the wall where the copper pipe met the washing machine valve. The inspector never ran a full pressure test on the lines, just turned the water on for a minute and called it good. We had to cut out three feet of drywall and replace a rotted stud. Cost us $1,200 out of pocket and a weekend of sweat. Now I always ask the inspector to run every fixture and leave the water running for at least 10 minutes. Anybody else gotten burned by something the inspector totally skipped over?