Buying a House

Buying a house a house can be a long, tedious process with a surprising number of fees and paperwork. Get a clear idea of whom you'd like to deal with before embarking on the process. For instance, you don't know a homeowner from Adam. So how do you know he could or even would sell you the house in way that won't come back to bite you?

When we bought a house we went through a real estate agent. We also went through an agency that had a national brand. If anything goes wrong you want some recourse. If you take on a real estate agent who is working out of the back of his pickup, and everything goes south the moment he gets his commission, what are you going to do if he has split for parts unknown?

Pick a real estate agent that you can deal with. If they are always sloppy or late or wrong or bringing along pets or family members who interfere with the process, you may be stuck with that nonsense at a crucial time.

You don't necessarily want someone who has the same tastes as you, but they should be able to convert spoken or unspoken requirements into a prospective house. For instance, if you and your spouse have trouble walking or climbing stairs, you don't want someone who thinks showing you a million dollar five story monstrosity would be a good idea.

Examine the lawn of the house you are thinking about buying carefully. If possible, inspect the house more than once so you can see changes over time. If every time you come to the house, there are fresh dog droppings, but the seller claims not to have a dog, do not buy the house. The neighborhood dogs are already using the yard for their toilet. You do not want to fight that battle.

You do not want a pool.

You do not want a pool.

You do not want a pool.

A pool requires constant maintenance, cleaning and attention. It will be up to you to make sure that the water is free of contaminants and is maintained at the proper PH level. If you don't do it you must pay someone else to do it. Unless you are some kind of Olympic swimmer in training, a pool is just like a boat in that it costs money and you will use it much, much, much less than you think.

When leaves fall in the pool you must take them out. The pool can crack. Algae can grow in it. Taking care of a pool yourself means messing with chemicals like chlorine.

Don't buy a pool.

It might seem nice to live next to nature by a lake, but a lake does mean mosquitoes and all those nasty chemicals that are required to repel mosquitoes.

If you live near nature prepare to see what rabbit droppings look like up close and personal.

Your oak tree does not belong to you. It belongs to the squirrels. Squirrels will bury their nuts everywhere. Your lawn and maybe even your garden will have the holes to prove it.

Get all your documents and finances ready before you start buying a house. You don't need the hassle of trying to get some document you forgot on an emergency basis.

If you have a spotty work history you might want to consider working a few years in a row so that your work history will not harm you

Make sure that you spend a few years paying off your bills promptly before buying your house. Try to never carry a credit card balance. Pay it off at the end of the month. Try to earn a high credit rating before buying a house.

If you have the cash and if you are of a mind to do so, pay off the house early. If you are going to live there for 30 years you should certainly do this. If you only want to live their 5 years or less it is probably not work the hassle to pay off the house early.

When you make extra house payments, make sure that the payments go to principle only.