Anyone have real estate tips for finding a new house?
 

We don't expect to move until next year, but I am already scouting out areas for us (we will be moving about an hour away). My biggest problem is trying to reconcile the needs and wants of 3 people -- me, my husband, and my twenty-something daughter. Finding a house that can accommodate two generations with adequate separation is more difficult!

A lot of real estate agents will email you listings based on what you need. Find a couple online and ask them. Also try the website http://www.zillow.com/

When you buy, tell the agent you will give her the full amount of commission no matter how much you pay for the house. If she saves you thousands you might pay hundreds but she is more likely to be willing to get the price down for you - it is win - win.

Hire the home inspector and appraiser yourself. Do not use someone recommedned by the seller or the agent. Then the inspectors and appraisers are working for YOU not someone else.

If there are big trees in the yard ask a tree place to look at the condition and estimate the cost of having to take them out if needed. Appraisers don't usually include trees and they can be costly. If it has Bradford pear type trees of any size figure on it falling in a storm. There is/was one in front of every house in the neighborhood here and many of them have cracked in half and fallen. Another expense.

Get a hotel room near where you think you will go and drive the route to work your usual time to see how traffic flows in the morning.

Park nearby and see what the neighborhood is like on Friday evenings.

We had our adult daughter living with us for a while when she was in grad school. Our house happens to have a bedroom with private full bath and closet, plus separate entrance, over the garage. It also has access to under the eves storage space and we have a basement, so room to store her furniture. That arrangement worked reasonably well for us. She had no kitchen, but wasn't home for many meals, anyway. Now my husband has that room for his office at home, and he loves it. I wanted it for a sewing room, but....that will never happen!
Best of luck with your house hunt. You are wise to start early.

You need a Mother in Law house with a separate apartment but attached. A garage apartment is even better.

I'm going to be moving in with my son shortly and I told him I didn't want to be underfoot. We get along great but, still, he needs his own space as do I. So we searched online for homes with 2 living spaces and bedrooms away from each other. We found the perfect match. The lower level was built up as an in-laws suite. I'll have my own space, own door, laundry, kitchen, etc. Better yet -- nice space for my sewing area. But I'm sure I'll be cooking upstairs for him LOL

There are secondary considerations that very few people consider when buying. I have had good luck with energy saving even when there is no infrastructure to help with that. The secret is passive solar. You try to find a house that meets your needs that has the least lived in spaces on the north side (bedrooms, more formal areas) and the active spaces (family room, studio, kitchen) on the south side with, hopefully lots of windows on that side and few on the north. Ideally the house aligns east to west. I have built one and bought two. The one I built had 11 windows on the south side and only 4 on the north. With a single fireplace insert, one winter I had a January bill for $78 electric (heat pump) for 2500 sq ft in piedmont North Carolina. The sun alignment with all those south side windows in January flooded the house with solar energy during the day! In summer, the sun was then overhead and didn't heat the house like it did in winter. Win-win. I have saved thousands of dollars over the years in energy costs by focusing on passive energy gain in my homes.

Landscaping is also a very important factor in this. On my south side i had deciduous trees to let that sun through in winter but shade in summer. On the north there were evergreens to be a windbreak for cold winds from the north.

I won't go into all the ramifications of passive solar buildings. There should be plenty of information on the internet. Good luck with your search!

Another thing - is it possible daughter will have a roommate - and still be living with you?
Or - eventually have a child? That does happen, sometimes.

I think Realtor.com is a wonderful search engine. You can pick price range, number of bedrooms, and many other options to zero in on a search. Most realtors will have photographed the homes they are trying to sell, so you will be able to see what the inside looks like. Good luck.

1) Start shopping for a helpful real estate agent by going to open houses. Test for helpfulness by asking questions that require effort to answer. 2) Make your agent a prioritized list of what you need in a house/yard plus extras that you would really also like. Revise this list as you start looking. 3) Consider what you would like in a neighborhood such as a safe environment for walking your dogs, a park for grandkids, and nearby shops for groceries. 4) Go back several times with a common sense friend who can help balance strengths and weaknesses. 5) Keep an open mind about feasible changes which can convert an OK house into a dream home.