Inexperienced homebuyers – please be gentle 🙂
My husband and I recently bought a home built in the 1960s. Walking through the home, we knew it was an older home but it seemed updated and fine to live in, with hopes to update over time. Inspection report came back worse than we expected but we were told by other parties that the issues were all standard old home things that could be easily rectified. Houses don’t pop up in this area often so we decided to proceed with the purchase. We’ve now lived in the house for several months and already several unexpected things have popped up. The electric fence broke immediately – we found out it had not been inspected as the clicker wasn’t available at the time of inspection. The roof leaked after the first big storm – in an area that was not flagged as problematic on the inspection report. We met a neighbor who has since informed us that the previous owner did not take good care of the home.
We can afford to live in the house but we are feeling really discouraged by these unexpected issues and wondering if maybe the house isn’t worth making upgrades to. We are wondering if we should just live in the house for 3-4 years and then try to sell, but then will we be able to sell in the state the house is in?
We have 2 young kids so it’s just feeling so overwhelming. The feelings of regret and not knowing the right way to proceed. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any advice/thoughts?
Posted by srachellov
4 Comments
An electric fence like you’d put around a garden? I wouldn’t expect that to be inspected since it’s not a permanent fixture.
If your house isn’t in good condition now, what do you think will happen when you let these problems simmer for 3-4 years? You’re going to need to fix the major stuff, like roofing, because water damage will cause way more issues and you can’t get home insurance with a bad roof.
Houses can suck and break at the worst possible time and that’s kinda part of the deal of owning one. If you aren’t prepared for standard repairs and upkeep, maybe renting is a better fit?
Any home is going to need repairs. If you like the house it’s worth proceeding with those repairs, typically. Only you can know if it’s worth it to you to do so.
“inspection came back worse, but we still proceeded”
LOL
You can have the exact same issue, and more, with a new home. Our home was built in 1959 and is better built than most of the new homes today. No house is without maintenance and repairs.