Here's a couple of the top of my head.

1.) Ask for a year's worth of bills, electric, gas, water, sewage, trash, etc. You'll be surprised how fast those things add up and can totally throw off your budget.
2.) Make sure your downpayment will exclude you from PMI, if you can you don't want to pay PMI.

 

Originally Posted by ECUgirl

Find a good mortgage lender!! Get referrals from friends and family. Just went through a 4-month ordeal because of a mortgage broker (I guess that's what they're called) who overpromised and underdelivered and was just a nasty person to deal with. Getting a mortgage nowadays is much more difficult than in years past. Be prepared to document everything. If you need to do any credit repair, do that first and then get pre-qualified for a loan amount so you'll know what price range to shop in.

I gave ur boytoy a nice, honest lender who I used to work with. Ya shdve used him. If you need a # to a good one just shoot me a PM cmoney. 30yr fix right now is like 3.5 % which isi ridic .

 

Originally Posted by orgnalsooners

I gave ur boytoy a nice, honest lender who I used to work with. Ya shdve used him. If you need a # to a good one just shoot me a PM cmoney. 30yr fix right now is like 3.5 % which isi ridic .

Also, ECU, if you have USAA insurance, they do a good job on everything and are doing home lending. If you don't have USAA insurance, you should

i feel like this is going to be a long process.

we are trying to decide if we want new or existing. Can anyone recommend a good builder in the cincy area? or tell me who you used and I will see if they have them in my area. thanks

put down 15-20%

You can always renovate the house, you can't pick it up and move it to an awesome lot.

dont smoke crack

 

Originally Posted by Z-Fresh

What kind of mortgage you getting? I'm a first time buyer (soon!) and hear of so many different options. You know what the best are?

Straight up cash money homie!

1) compare taxes!! We made the mistake of buying a house in the highest tax paying area, and I figured out we could get a house for 125k more and pay the same annual bills
2) make sure it is updated electrical, we bought an old house with knob and tube electrical, had trouble getting home owners insurance...
3) plan for a long time, not just immediate needs...
4) if you find a place you like, drive through the neighborhood at morning time, before noon, afternoon evening and night time, to make sure there are no surprises... Had a friend that didn't know there was a loud whistle at 6am every morning in his area
5) if you are planning on having kids, check out the school ratings
6) do a lot of research into the perfect home for you... Not just what you want now...

 

Originally Posted by gmoneypzza

This.
Also, I would avoid Home Owmers Associations. Make the seller cover some repairs. When we bought our house, the couple was involved in a nasty divorce and pretty much had to sell to settle out. We had the seller cover: foundation drains and sump pump, mold abatement, crawlspace insulation replaced, two back doors replaced, subfloor and foundation band replaced at said backdoors. Been here about 9 years and the biggest repair was a water heater replacement a few years back ( did it myself so it wasn't terribly expensive). However, there is an endless list of odds and ends including reairing the refrigerator 4 times.

kill enough ozone? get a new one

Get the hell out of Cinci and move back to Cbus. That's all I got.

What exactly is a m/i type home? Put Jenna in her place! (Yeah, you're screwed getting what you want.)

 

Originally Posted by B_O_K_E

Agree on the Bus > Cincy. Woods in back of house is the nuts. While being b2b with neighbors is the nutlow. I got 3 houses on my street for sale atm. Get here now.

get us both jobs up there

dont be afraid to walk away when the seller doesnt want to come down anymore. if you tell your agent to communicate that you are a serious buyer, a lot of sellers will reconsider when you walk away, esp the ones that have been on the market more than 12 months. you can make a list of places that you would be happy with, and go down the list lowballing to see who wants to sell.

i just got a sick deal on a condo in breckenridge using this method.

good luck man, home ownership is great and a pain in the ass at the same time.

Find a good inspector and get a thorough inspection. Those guys will find everything you'll need to make sure it's in good shape if ya take the initiative to follow their advice. Or try to negotiate the previous owners into doing so before closing

Locate the nearest train tracks near prospective home and make sure trains won't bother you if too close.
Always test the water pressure in the bathroom farthest away from the water heater and height of shower head.
Drive by house at different times of day like stated above.
Check for sex offenders in said neighborhood on local sheriff website.
If there is gas fireplace, make sure there is a working fan connected.

If you are not putting down 20% and have to pay Mortgage insurance, you are much better off getting a second mortgage and paying that off as soon as possible.