Home purchase advice

[Berto]

Well dudes. The fiancee and I have been looking for a home for a while now (~ a year) never finding the right one. Here recently we've had some good hits. There is one we really like but need advice from some folks in the biz.

 

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/9906-W-50-N-Columbus-IN-47201/2143061137_zpid/

 

The location/land is amazing. Its about 6-11 mins to work/town for both of us, but its still 'country living'. Has 12 acres, sits way off the main road.

 

Pros -

- Huge lot: 12 acres great view.

- House is physically appealing

- Has big detached garage and 36x60 pole barn with electric/conrete floors.

- In the school system we want (I know the grading on zillow isn't so hot, don't judge me!)

 

Cons

- Modular construction. Not sure if this is all so bad, some people say they are built better. I don't know enough.

- Inside is dated, needs new appliances. Not a big deal, barely a con.

- Looks like it was a single story house, upstairs was added later. One room is still being finished. There are no central air/heat vents upstairs, weren't added. Looking closely I could see the line in the wall where the stairs were added. It looks like the owner does his own work. I wouldn't have noticed the addition unless I looked very carefully. I am curious if this kind of work requires any permits or code. I don't know if the original trusses were change/modified to allow for living space? structurally worries me. This is our 'forever home' so I don't want to be fixing someone else's problems until the day I die.

- Fiancee loves the house but wants a bathroom upstairs, coincidentally the room still being finished is directly above the bathroom downstairs, so the connections should theoretically be easy-ish. or is this too much of a PITA and not worth it?

- They can't call it a 4 bedroom house because of the septic system. So the second room upstairs is a bonus room. Not sure I understand this. May be a red-tape BS thing because you could cram 4 kids to each bedroom and the load on the septic system wouldn't be dependent on the number of bedrooms.

 

thoughts?

[Mallard]

That work should be permitted, especially if all that living space was added. Call the city and check for permits and have a thorough inspection.

 

Is this built on a slab or is there a basememt? That would be the only thing to deter me, if the work upstairs checks out. Other than that, I say go for it. We looked at houses for over 2 years until we found one we liked.

[Berto]

crawl space.

[Sully]

6 years ago I bought a house with good bones, but needed updating inside. I regret it. I am still doing updates to the house. I am finally on the last room, but then have touch-ups to do throughout the entire house. It has consumed a large portion of time and money trying to "fix" what the previous owners didn't want to do.

 

My advice, walk away. Do not pick up where someone else is not wanting to finish off. You're just going to inherit someone else's problems. Keep looking for something that is already finished so that you and your fiancee can spend time having fun together; not trying to finish building a house.

[JaSSon]

I live in a slab home, and i HATE it. So, on that point alone I vote pass. I'm also weary of the modular construction, and the fact that there's no HVAC upstairs is a huuuuuge red flag to me.

 

It's a nice lot of land, but sounds like you'd be buying someone's problem house. Pass.

[AngryBMW]

Well dudes. The fiancee and I have been looking for a home for a while now (~ a year) never finding the right one. Here recently we've had some good hits. There is one we really like but need advice from some folks in the biz.

 

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/9906-W-50-N-Columbus-IN-47201/2143061137_zpid/

 

The location/land is amazing. Its about 6-11 mins to work/town for both of us, but its still 'country living'. Has 12 acres, sits way off the main road.

 

Pros -

- Huge lot: 12 acres great view.

- House is physically appealing

- Has big detached garage and 36x60 pole barn with electric/conrete floors.

- In the school system we want (I know the grading on zillow isn't so hot, don't judge me!)

 

Cons

- Modular construction. Not sure if this is all so bad, some people say they are built better. I don't know enough.

- Inside is dated, needs new appliances. Not a big deal, barely a con.

- Looks like it was a single story house, upstairs was added later. One room is still being finished. There are no central air/heat vents upstairs, weren't added. Looking closely I could see the line in the wall where the stairs were added. It looks like the owner does his own work. I wouldn't have noticed the addition unless I looked very carefully. I am curious if this kind of work requires any permits or code. I don't know if the original trusses were change/modified to allow for living space? structurally worries me. This is our 'forever home' so I don't want to be fixing someone else's problems until the day I die.

- Fiancee loves the house but wants a bathroom upstairs, coincidentally the room still being finished is directly above the bathroom downstairs, so the connections should theoretically be easy-ish. or is this too much of a PITA and not worth it?

- They can't call it a 4 bedroom house because of the septic system. So the second room upstairs is a bonus room. Not sure I understand this. May be a red-tape BS thing because you could cram 4 kids to each bedroom and the load on the septic system wouldn't be dependent on the number of bedrooms.

 

thoughts?

 

That looks pretty sweet to me! There is nothing like that on the market around Columbus OH right now or I would be in contract already!

 

As you mentioned, you will get a lot of mixed reviews on modular homes vs. your traditional stick builds. I can tell you from my experience and after speaking with a lot of appraisers/inspectors/builders that you should have no issues buying a modular. The way they are built takes out a lot of variables you get with builders and, a lot of the time, you will end up with a better built home than most.

 

Updating and appliances should be a non-issue. These are not huge items to deter you from making a great purchase. For the money you can buy that home/property you can update it as you wish.

 

There should be permits on record for the addition to the home. These are public record so you can do your due diligence and look them up to make sure the addition is up to code. This is very important and I would certainly do this prior to making an offer.

 

You are correct on the septic system requirements. They are built and certified based on the number of bedrooms in the home, assuming how many people would live there. As you said, you can cram 9 kids into one room and still have a 2 bedroom place. I would suggest having a professional inspect the system and make sure it can handle your current and prospective family’s needs. Again, this shouldn't be a huge issue.

 

I would consider all options Berto. You can hire a contractor to make the changes to the home that you want and get it done without dragging it out. You can also decide you want to do the work yourself which in my experience always turns into a very long process. The property is beautiful and sounds like it meets the majority of your needs/wants so I would seriously discuss with the wife and go from there!

 

Also, I lend in Indiana and would be happy to work for you and help get you financed . Let me know if I can help!

-Marc

[JaSSon]

Also, I lend in Indiana and would be happy to work for you and help get you financed . Let me know if I can help!

-Marc

 

This. A big +1 for Marc. :marc2:

[350pandaz]

nice lot, if you decide to buy it. have fun mowing the lawn.....haha good luck

[Not Brian]

Sounds like the location and awesome lot size would be worth it to me.

[coltboostin]

Very cool lot, but try and find out whom the builder was, and do some research before making the commitment.

[Jewtoys]

That would be my rally course

[Farkas]

No.

[Mallard]

I would hate to inherit someone else's headache, and no basement would be tough, but at least it's not a slab. At the same time, there is nothing like that around here, so the land and pole barn would be enough to make it worth it for me.

 

Around here for that price I could get a total gut job on a quarter acre (if lucky). At least here you have a partial gut job on 12 acres with a giant pole barn.

[copperhead]

I have a modular that was built in the 90s. I'm very disappointed in the build quality. It's an ok starter home, but I wouldn't want to raise kids here, I feel like it would fall apart.

[Not Brian]

I'm 50/50 on owning a slab. I don't have room to store shit, but that means I don't have a bunch of shit sitting around I don't use.

[RS69]

I would pass. You will miss the basement space and the big question on the issues of the second floor.

[Green Bastard]

I'm 50/50 on owning a slab. I don't have room to store shit, but that means I don't have a bunch of shit sitting around I don't use.

 

You also dont have to worry about a flooded basement when it rains really hard or when a drain backs up. Therefore you also dont have to worry about your shit getting fucked up.

[Tractor]

Check that the septic is up to code. Not sure how it is over there, but in Ohio a few years back the septic laws got updated and created a bit of trouble for people out on acreage. Systems can now cost as much as $25K to build to code.

[bdhill]

Get it inspected...have contactors come out to let you know their costs to make it right...

[01sentrase2.0]

My dad does home inspections if you end up wanting it inspected before buying. Let me know if you want his info.

[Berto]

6 years ago I bought a house with good bones, but needed updating inside. I regret it. I am still doing updates to the house. I am finally on the last room, but then have touch-ups to do throughout the entire house. It has consumed a large portion of time and money trying to "fix" what the previous owners didn't want to do.

 

My advice, walk away. Do not pick up where someone else is not wanting to finish off. You're just going to inherit someone else's problems. Keep looking for something that is already finished so that you and your fiancee can spend time having fun together; not trying to finish building a house.

I hear you I keep going back and forth on this. The more we talk the more shit she wants to do. Adding doors and stuff upstairs. I think she feels like this is legos that doors, walls and bathrooms just magically appear. I am thrilled to have a huge shop but what's the point if i'll be buried in the house with dumb work.

That looks pretty sweet to me! There is nothing like that on the market around Columbus OH right now or I would be in contract already!

 

As you mentioned, you will get a lot of mixed reviews on modular homes vs. your traditional stick builds. I can tell you from my experience and after speaking with a lot of appraisers/inspectors/builders that you should have no issues buying a modular. The way they are built takes out a lot of variables you get with builders and, a lot of the time, you will end up with a better built home than most.

 

Updating and appliances should be a non-issue. These are not huge items to deter you from making a great purchase. For the money you can buy that home/property you can update it as you wish.

 

There should be permits on record for the addition to the home. These are public record so you can do your due diligence and look them up to make sure the addition is up to code. This is very important and I would certainly do this prior to making an offer.

 

You are correct on the septic system requirements. They are built and certified based on the number of bedrooms in the home, assuming how many people would live there. As you said, you can cram 9 kids into one room and still have a 2 bedroom place. I would suggest having a professional inspect the system and make sure it can handle your current and prospective family’s needs. Again, this shouldn't be a huge issue.

 

I would consider all options Berto. You can hire a contractor to make the changes to the home that you want and get it done without dragging it out. You can also decide you want to do the work yourself which in my experience always turns into a very long process. The property is beautiful and sounds like it meets the majority of your needs/wants so I would seriously discuss with the wife and go from there!

 

Also, I lend in Indiana and would be happy to work for you and help get you financed . Let me know if I can help!

-Marc

Thanks for the input. The location and the land really is what keeps me. Its beautiful, its close to town. Most places this size I have to drive 45 mins to get to work and the school is some remote system. I still get creature comforts like cable (yay interwebs) which again is a pain out in the country.

 

I totally forgot you were in the biz, been working with your bank, Jay Morris. Sounds like everyone here works with him.

Very cool lot, but try and find out whom the builder was, and do some research before making the commitment.

I will ask about the builder. I can't seem to find any public records. What things should I be looking into?

Check that the septic is up to code. Not sure how it is over there, but in Ohio a few years back the septic laws got updated and created a bit of trouble for people out on acreage. Systems can now cost as much as $25K to build to code.

 

Is the septic tank something an inspector would do when the home is purchased? Or is that something I would have to hire out separately?

 

My dad does home inspections if you end up wanting it inspected before buying. Let me know if you want his info.

 

Place is in Indiana, thats one heck of a haul!

 

 

 

So turns out it sounds like the house was designed as a 2 story, just not finished. So structurally and everything it should be fine. One of my buddies that used to be a contractor is coming with me tomorrow, we're going to look at the place again and look a bit more closely. He wasn't too concerned with adding the bathroom and said he would help. Maybe just hire out the plumbing to make sure its ok. He's on the page that the location/lot/barn is a huge plus, if everything else lines up its worth it.

 

We'll see what we dig up tomorrow. Keep the ideas coming!

[Berto]

Here is some info I found. Mostly just tax assessor stuff. Looks like the advertised taxes are based on a lot of it qualified as farm land. Do I have to be a farmer to do the same or am I going to get reamed on taxes?

 

http://egis.39dn.com/egisbartholomewin/prc/2013/03-94-24-000-001.802-011.pdf?CFID=2346921&CFTOKEN=79851a50d659fb7b-AD0A5EE3-0825-0881-B264A1D70256EB57

[Tractor]

Health dept could have a record of the approval for a three bedroom. This will be for the original construction permit. Our laws changed 2007/2008 here making things annoying but doing some good.

[caseyctsv]

Just a note - many try to use the term "modular" on a doublewide manufactured home. They are NOT the same thing. That home definitely appears to be a true modular. Modulars can be financed the same as a stick built home - doublewides cannot.