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Thread: House Hunting Tips

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    Member verified Feedback Score 2 (100%) sergechronos's Avatar
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    House Hunting Tips

    So, the lease at my current apartment runs out at the end of July and I'm trying to find some other places to rent from. I am a college student, and I work (plus sell used parts :P.) I'm hoping to rent a small 2br house with a garage so that I can tow my car and tools up to where I am and work on them in my free time, however I have never looked at renting a house before. While I know that I'd be more likely to get a place with a garage if I looked for something with more bedrooms and just took on room mates, I don't particularly like the idea of trusting other people to pay their share when I've been burned in the past. Does suck cause I could rent a 5br, 3ba place with a 3 car garage/man cave for like 1200 a month and rent the rooms out for cheap as fuck, but still wouldn't trust people to pay.

    At any rate, curious what feed back others have on things to look out for/check for. Thoughts on duplexes and such (for the few that have garages.) Suggestions on resources to find places? I've been using Craigslist and a few other web services, seems most of the Apartment Guides at grocery stores are just apartments, not many rental houses listed.
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    Southernmost 3S Owner supporter Feedback Score 0 93STLTH's Avatar
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    I've had good luck with Craigslist, the last 2 places I rented when I was in California I found on CL. When I moved to Miami, I was using Craigslist to find a house to buy. I didn't find my house there, but it directed me to the agent who wound up finding the right house for me.


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    How long are you planning on living there? For renting, Craigslist isn't a bad resource to leverage. Can't remember if you can sort by rentals, but if you can, try Trulia. Found my house on there, great app/website.

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    Member verified Feedback Score 2 (100%) sergechronos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 93STLTH View Post
    I've had good luck with Craigslist, the last 2 places I rented when I was in California I found on CL. When I moved to Miami, I was using Craigslist to find a house to buy. I didn't find my house there, but it directed me to the agent who wound up finding the right house for me.
    That's actually where I landed this sublease for $300 a month from, as well as my last apartment in NY so I've had good luck with it.

    Quote Originally Posted by onebadmollafolla View Post
    How long are you planning on living there? For renting, Craigslist isn't a bad resource to leverage. Can't remember if you can sort by rentals, but if you can, try Trulia. Found my house on there, great app/website.
    At least a year, possibly up to 3. Basically till I'm done with school, which is at least 2 years out.

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    Now with more poop-smear Not Verified Feedback Score 8 (100%) IPD's Avatar
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    I'm not a huge fan of slab-foundation houses unless you're living in an area that almost never sees snow. Central-Air is a huge $$$ saver. Make sure the property is graded AWAY from the house (sounds elementary, but you'd be surprised). Blown-in insulation (cellulose) is prone to losing its R-rating over time--batts are usually better. Trees--especially willows--can wreak havoc on plumbing, ideally the sewer should be routed away from them by a wide berth. Decks/fences are easy to build & fairly cheap--but if you want hassle-free, you need to use composite decking/fencing (Trex, etc); it does cost more, but you'll never have to touch it--EVER. Same goes with siding; hardi-backer is more $$$, but WAY better.

    Genuine wood floors aren't necessarily the best option; there are composites that come from the factory with finishes that are FAR superior to polyurethane that is traditionally used on wood-floor finishing. Check how the house is plumbed; good houses won't feature water-temp-changes in the shower when the toilet is flushed or the sink is turned on. Spend a bit more for good air-filters; the cheapies aren't worth diddly, and the micron-HEPA filters will amaze you with what they can trap. Double-pane windows are minimum-standard; triple-pane xenon-filled, etc--are much better; better still would be European-style dual-function windows (if that's your thing). Check the ISP options before you buy; I know it sounds silly, but ISP restrictions/availability can really put a crimp in things--even if everything else in the house is great.

    Check the water-table, check if your house is in a potential flood zone, check if the local sewage system is tied to the storm-sewer (bad ju-ju); all of these can impact the feasibility of a finished basement). The Standard Champion is the only toilet that a REAL MAN would buy; and for that matter, never settle for contractor-grade plumbing fixtures. On-Demand water-heaters can save you a METRIC SHITTON of money; they are standard fare in most places in Europe with natural-gas; if you do go conventional, insulate the everliving shit out of it. Seek out a garage that is at least 6" deeper than the longest vehicle you will ever park in it; that leaves room for appliances, motorcycles, work-benches, lawn-mowers, etc. Landscaping can be beautiful but also a PITA; weed-blocker is a must for everything; consider gravel/lava-rock instead of mulch; wall-stones make nice boundaries for keeping stuff in/out and for mowing. Slab patios are cheap and easy, but paver-stones can be even better--just make sure you put down the proper underlay to prevent weeds as much as possible. Pick plants that fit with the climate, but plants that bear fruit have an added bonus for the homeowner (berry bushes, apple trees, etc). Wood fences need to be assembled with SCREWS; ones nailed together are just waiting to fall apart. Dryer vent plumbing should ideally be straight-shot; it reduces the build-up of lint & potential fire-hazard. Check the electrical-circuits in the house; they should make sense; if half the outlets in the house are on one circuit, you'll be tripping it every other day. Vaulted ceilings can be a huge waste of $$$ when it comes to climate control. Don't underestimate the power of fans for assisting with cooling needs or circulating air. Lack of central ceiling lights in a room is not a deal-breaker; a strategically positioned floor-lamp & a battery-operated remote-light-switch can fix that nicely. Plant grass that makes sense in the climate; Kentucky Bluegrass doesn't work in Florida.

    I can probably think of more, but I'll stop there.

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    Member verified Feedback Score 2 (100%) sergechronos's Avatar
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    Well looked at a couple more properties today..I've got an application submitted for a duplex with a garage, won't hear back on that for a few days though.

    Property 1 was at $700 a month..They're redoing the kitchen and bath, not sure if they're redoing everything else but it looks like they tried to redo the floor..Only really highlighted where there were uneven spots on the floor. 3 bedroom (small bedrooms though), 1 bath. Garage isn't really sealed well from the outside (backdoor is kind of ghetto rigged on there), no thermal insulation around the door between the house and garage. Yard is full of clover and needs a bit of work. Trees need trimmed back from the roof. There's trash alongside the fence where brush has grown up (which needs to be cutback to reclaim the yard. In short...You're paying for the "3" bedrooms but it's not worth $700 a month as is.

    Property 2 was at $600 a month. Lady who lived there for the last 30 years was disabled (allegedly) so all the lighting fixtures are on pull strings rather than light switches. Corners aren't exact 90s, door frames are not standard size, no interior doors. So not sure on the quality of the building..per local utility company, average cost of electrical usage there was around 120-150 a month last year (which is pretty good for the area.) The rental company didn't seem phased by my offer of $550 a month, but it needs some work as well..Neighborhood is also a bit rougher, and I don't know I'd feel comfortable having all 3 vehicles there, particularly as only 1 can fit in the detached garage, and 1 on the drive way in the fenced in yard. So the other would have to be parked by the road or literally in the yard.

    Have a couple more that I liked the looks of online but haven't heard back from the property management company for either of them. One looks fantastic but is up a short steep unpaved driveway..I may be able to get the car up there, but I don't htink I'd ever get it down :P At any rate, playing the waiting game. The duplex I put an application in at is so far the front runner I think, but it is at $680 a month and won't know for a bit more.

    Found a very very nice 2br 1 ba for 780 with a 2 car garage but 1) that'd require taking on a room mate to afford realistically, and 2) isn't available till August 12th which isn't any good for me since I need to be moved by July 31st unless I'm going to temporarily go to a like an extended stay or some shit at like $200 a week.

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    Member verified Feedback Score 2 (100%) sergechronos's Avatar
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    Ended up getting that duplex I put the application in for. New carpets, landlord lives right up the road, mostly elderly and retired inthe neighborhood (so should be quiet.) Just a good all around package I think

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    Congrats, man! Having your own place is such a great feeling.

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    Member verified Feedback Score 2 (100%) sergechronos's Avatar
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    Thanks, I agree it's already a great feeling..And this duplex is a nice intermediate step from an apartment to full fledged house rental/ownership down the road. Landlord lives right up the road and handles all maintenance and does the yard work (so I don't have to buy lawn equipment yet.) Throw in lots of storage room and I was pretty much sold. Compiling a list of what all I will need to get now for this move. Have quite a bit of stuff from this apartment, but still some other stuff on the list to get eventually (pots and pans, washer and drier, vacuum, etc etc.)

    Just making a list now and going to see what I can find at thrift shops and on craigslist for the bigger items.

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    Southernmost 3S Owner supporter Feedback Score 0 93STLTH's Avatar
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    That kitchen looks so much like mine.

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