Chronicles of a First-Time Home Buyer - Vol. 1: Jitters.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

So it's come to be the time in my life where I start thinking about buying a backyard for the doodles (and a corresponding house of some sort too). Yes that's right, I'm investing in real estate for the doodles. Ok, that's not entirely true, they say owning a home is a good investment, and it would be really nice to have a garden and a barbeque, and a little more space. However, the idea of being responsible for a house is scary business to me. Who do I call when something breaks? Who's going to shovel the snow and mow the lawn? What am I going to do with 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms? Who's going to clean them? Do houses come with little elves that do all of this for you?

What if I hear creepy noises coming from the basement at night??

 

What if something goes wrong with the house and something goes wrong with a doodle all at once I can't afford to fix both??

See? Scary!

 

What I'm really worried about is the commute. I currently live in a two bedroom apartment that is less than 20 minutes from work on foot. I love the walk, unless the weather is crummy, and if so there's a bus at my front door, or I can splurge for a parking spot for the day. I often come home at lunch time to visit the doodles and take them out for a quickie walk. Doing so is the best part of my day. It gets me away from my computer, saves me money because I grab some food at home, and seeing my doodles halfway through the day always lightens my mood. This is also useful when Sophie's tummy is on the fritz.

 

The neighbourhood ain't bad either. Hundred year old homes; pubs, restaurants, and shops (some dog friendly ones too) all just blocks away; multiple daily walks along the beautiful rideau canal, lots of parks close by, lots of friends who live in the area (some I even met at the dog park).

The down side of apartment living? NO backyard, which means standing in the dog park everydayeven in snow storms, because the doodles can't stay cooped up in an apartment all day long. Having to get dressed at midnight, 2am, 4am, 6am, to take Sophie out for a walk when she has an IBS flare up (especially not fun when it's -30 outside). Lazy landlords who keep raising rent and don't do anything for you. Not being allowed to paint. The world's smallest kitchen. Oh, and don't let me get started on the crazy lady who lives below me who's always complaining about something, and telling me how to train my dogs when hers is a total disaster. And worst of all, the 87 year old lady who lived there for 45 years, lost her marbles, and passed away alone a few weeks ago. Is this my future if I stay here??

(Picture this with doodles instead of cats)

I have to get out of this apartment!!

 

After meeting some potential real estate agents, and doing some browsing through the online listings, I've basically narrowed down my options for home ownership to this:

• A highrise or lowrise condo downtown within walking distance to work (can visit doodles at lunch time but there will be no backyard)
• A very old home that will need a lot of upgrades that I likely can't afford but is a very short drive/bus ride to work (could do a lunch time doodle run in a pinch, and the commute is shorter which means more time for doodles).
• A much nicer/newer/bigger house in the burbs, that would require an approximately 30-45 minute commute - and no lunch time doodle fixes. (Leaving me doodle-less for at 9-10 hours/day and the doodles are cooped up too long). Plus, the driving and parking expenses would sort of add to the cost of moving to the burbs, and living in the burbs might be a bit isolating for me.

 

So, I am getting jittery about the whole thing and I have already considered packing it in and looking for a place to rent that has a back yard - but even that will be next to impossible with two big dogs. All I know is if I put it off I will thoroughly regret it once winter starts rolling around next year. I just don't want to do another winter without a backyard.

 

I am really only at beginning stages of thinking about this right now. I still need to get a pre-approval for a mortgage, and really start narrowing down the neighbourhoods I could live in. It's also early in the season, listings usually peak in the summer months so there is lots of time.

 

Stay tuned for Volumes 2 and 3 of the Chronicles of a First-Time Home Buyer- "Indecision" and "Cold Feet". In the meantime, all home ownership advice, include doodle-friendly house features, are welcome.

 

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Great hint Donna, however, when we were looking the first time we wanted to spend this amount because we did the math and knew we did not want to be house poor, saw those homes and raised it to the next amount, saw those home and then the next amount. We were approved for way more than we spent but I think those times have changed.

Anyway back on subject. You know what you want to spend, don't look at homes that you know you can afford but you already know what you want to spend and if it's more you will surely never look back.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Ooops, I almost forgot my most important piece of advice. Do not look at homes you cannot afford, it ruins the appeal of the ones you can.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Talk to the bank and get pre approved for a mortgage, sometimes having the pre approval will get an offer accepted faster, most people will accept a slightly lower offer when they know the financing won't fall through and they have to start over looking for another buyer. Get as much as you can included with the house as that means less stuff you will have to buy.

I think an older home with a very, very thorough inspection sounds promising. One with the upgrades to the wiring already done is a must. Any other things that need doing, you can do as you can afford them barring an emergency of course. A condo doesn't sound like a good option if you still have no yard. 45mins away is too far if you need to go home in a hurry. I've always loved older home although ours was new when we bought it. Even new homes need work after a few years. Do not get into a mortgage that is too high and doesn't leave any wiggle room in your budget. A semi-detached or a house with an apt to help with the mortgage might also be something to consider. Someone you already know to rent the apt would be a bonus, especially is it was someone who was a bit of a Mr-fix-it. Good luck, it is a lot to think about and a big decision. 

If you do hear noise coming from the basement, stick a chair under the door and forget about it. :>)

I think whenever you do buy, there is always a minor state of panic when you sign on the dotted line. It usually passes after you make the first payment.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

I don't have a lot of good suggestions for you right off the top of my head, Sherri, but as a single multiple-doodle owner I can say that home ownership is terrifying ... and liberating. Problems will come, usually one at a time, and you deal with 'em.To me it's so worth it to have my own space and a back yard!

Hmmm ... advice. Lessee ... don't let the bank talk you into more house than you need. In fact, decide what you really need before you start looking. Seriously. Decide beforehand what you're willing to spend and absolutely, categorically refuse to look at anything more expensive. (For myself as a single person with pets I don't need much more than four walls, a roof, running water, and electricity. A spare bedroom is a bonus. A large back yard, not negotiable!)

Best advice I was given before I started looking for my first house - take your pencil and ruler, make three columns on a sheet of paper. Label your columns Absolutely Must Have, Would Be Nice, Absolutely Do Not Want. Fill out those columns, then when you start looking give a copy to your realtor. And carry a copy with you. (Examples from mine include "must be under x dollars and have at least two of three: Securely fenced yard, underground sprinkler system, central heat and air.")

Research the neighborhood. Be aware of potential problems. For example, close to a school? Surrounding streets covered with kids during certain times of the day. Decide ahead of time if you can live with those problems.

Doesn't hurt to look at older houses. You might find one that's been well cared-for. My current house was built in the 40's and is rock solid. I low-balled the offer because the roof needed doing and they accepted.

Once you've bought a house try to find a good general contractor who's reliable to help with stuff you don't want to tackle yourself. Don't hesitate to leverage the guys at work either. They love that! (I'm shameless!)

Get yourself a credit card but don't carry a balance on it so if you have a major emergency you can cover it.

If you buy a house with a basement and you hear a creepy noise down there - send the doodles first! LOL

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

My fiance and I purchased our first house about 2 years ago, so it's pretty freshly in my mind :)

When we started looking we wanted:

- Something sort of central (downtownish) that would make it easy for us to commute (I work in the West end, he works in the East end)

- Something with easy bus access (for me, I don't have a car)

- A semi-detached somewhat open-concept home, fairly new

What we ended up with:

- A semi-detached house way out in the suburbs in the South end

- I have a 1-1.5 hour bus commute

- We went about 60k over our original budget to buy a bigger, newer house

We LOVE our house despite the bus commute for me, it's a great neighborhood and the extra space is really nice. 

A few things to think about:

Location

- Do you enjoy living downtown?  Would you be willing to sacrifice having a bigger place for the convenience and the downtown "vibe"?  Buying inside the greenbelt is VERY expensive and you are almost guaranteed to need to buy an older home.  (I know someone who bought a 100+ year old home downtown and has since basically gutted the place.. still a work in progress)

- Do you want a doodle-friendly area?  The suburbs have more to offer in terms of wide-open spaces, but you would have to sacrifice the convenience of being very close to your work.  (Keep in mind, depending on WHICH bus route you are near to, your commute could be almost as short as it is now)

Age of house

If you are just beginning to look into things have you thought about buying a BRAND new house? (as in.. having one built in a new development)?  Usually people pick those out about a year ahead of time; most of the new developments in Ottawa right now are WAY out of downtown though.

If you're looking for a new-ish house, then you know that it likely won't have any major problems, but it will be more expensive than the built-to-suit brand new house.  We've only lived here 2 years (house was 7 years old when we got it and prices have risen about $20k+)

Older homes may have "hidden" problems (old copper wiring, mold, termites, water damage...) and are almost guaranteed to need some fixing.  Some people prefer the "charm" of an older home over the clean lines of a modern-built home though.

My best advice:  Go to a bunch of open houses (they're free and offer goodies most of the time!) and feel things out.  Try going to a few showrooms for the new developments too.  You may be surprised at what you actually want!