10 Things First Time Home Buyers Should Know – But Usually Don’t
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irst time home buyers are faced with a lot of decisions in a short amount of time. Once you own the house, however, you’re often faced with even more: do I remodel the kitchen first, or convert the garage? Do I need multiple home inspections, or is one sufficient?
to pay a little more and have a builder / contractor walk through the house with home inspection agency you hire before purchasing as well. The experience and Knowledge a Builder / Contractor brings to the table can save you thousands, and we mean That’s why we’ve created this list of 10 things thousands first time home buyers should know – bein the long fore, during, and after their purchase – to run. Buy with help you make your new home your own. Power and proper repFrom Home Inspections through Home resentation, Renovations, Here’s What You Need to hire a home Know inspection agency as well If you’re just starting out in the home buying as a Builder / process, there are some important things to Contractor. remember. Did you know? Here at Center Island Contracting Inc. we have helped new • Home inspections aren’t required – homebuyers to buy with confidence. but you want one anyway. Almost all first time home buyers look for ways to lower • You may be stuck with (or without) the initial costs of buying a home. But cutappliances. When you buy a home, your ting out home inspections is a bad idea. An contract should list which appliances will insured and experienced inspector can find be left with the house – but sometimes, potential problems that may not be noticesellers will leave more than expected. Make able to a buyer, such as roof damage, hidden sure your contract is specific about which mold or weakened support beams. A proper appliances you’re willing to keep, so you’re inspection could be the difference between a not stuck with a faulty fridge or a bunch of fresh coat of paint and thousands of dollars broken small appliances. in home renovation costs. It’s extremely wise
• Your roof and windows matter. If possible, find out how long the windows and the roof have been in place. You could find yourself with “hidden” home renovation costs if the lifespan of your roof or windows is near its end. • Pools require separate inspections. If you dream of summer pool parties but you’re buying your home in the winter, you could find yourself with more hidden home renovation costs. If you can find someone who does pool and home inspections (as opposed to one or the other), you may save yourself time and money. • Think carefully before you buy an “as is” house. An “as is” house can be a home remodeling dream – or a nightmare. Make sure you’ve looked at the structure of the home before you purchase it, lest your home renovation costs skyrocket unexpectedly.
homeowner’s insurance. • New windows and a new roof will also lower your premiums. Call some contractors for estimates for a new roof, new windows or new siding. You may get a discount if you do some of them together, and you may see another drop in your insurance rates. • Landscape design increases your property value. It also increases your ROI if you decide to sell your home in a few years. • Solar power = tax credits. Installing solar panels may increase your home renovation costs, yes, but you’ll get that money back in the end. Most solar panels end up paying for themselves because of electricity refunds, too.
• Start a slush fund for pet projects. After your pool and home inspections are done, figure out which projects can wait and which need to be finished first. Start a fund Once you’ve signed on the dotted line, it’s for the projects that can wait, so that you time to start looking at which home remodcan afford to buy what you want once your eling projects are at the top of your list. Many renovations are finished. You’ll save time and first-time home buyers make the mistake money if you do. of working on the “visible” projects first, such as fresh paint or buying new furniture. First time home owners have a wide learnThose things are important, but here are a ing curve, and that’s okay. At Center Island few things you should know first: Contracting, we can help you plan out your projects so you end up with the home of • New locks lower your insurance your dreams. Give us a call at 516-481-4707 premiums. Replace all your locks first, even for an estimate on your home improvement if you can’t replace your doors. Install deadprojects. bolts, too, and you’ll see a nice dip in your