What to expect when buying first home

amother

Saddlebrown

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 7:41 pm

amother wrote:

True. I'm not so worried about the target stuff I'll need to purchase. most of that I have now and things that I will want to replace I'll obviously need to scatter the purchases so its not tons at once. but the lighting fixtures is definitely something to factor in

Usually the home comes with some sort of lighting fixture. Ask that they leave what they have or have the sellers replace it. Lighting fixtures can be really cheap to start. Flush mounted ones can be bought for $10.

Sometimes, but not too often, the owner will want their chandelier. You can get a temporary cheap replacement for less than $100.

amother

Chocolate

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 7:42 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

You definitely have propert taxes that need to be paid annually and most often in NJ it's semi annually. If you recently purchased that would make sense that you don't know about it yet. But if you've been living there for a while, you are definitely paying. The mortgage company may be doing it for you , and then it's implemented into your monthly mortgage payment.

Yes property taxes are rolled into the monthly mortgage payment (and very high at that!) I don't remember paying back taxes at the closing like another poster mentioned ...

thunderstorm

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 7:46 pm

amother wrote:

Yes property taxes are rolled into the monthly mortgage payment (and very high at that!) I don't remember paying back taxes at the closing like another poster mentioned ...

you may have not purchased your home within sixty days of when the next tax bill was to be due so it would not have been collected at closing then. I worked in title and prepared closing statements and had to figure out whether we needed to escrow for the upcoming taxes. Each case is different depending on when the closing takes place, when taxes are due and what the mortgage company requires.

amother

Chocolate

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 7:53 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

Ohhhh that make sense . I was thinking I would have remembered being slapped with a big tax bill... thanks for clarifying:)

amother

Oak

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 7:57 pm

amother wrote:

also, keep in mind things like cutting the grass, that is another monthly cost for about 7 months if u don't do that yourself.

That's right, but that would be included in our cheshbon of monthly mortgage payment and utilities etc.
In my OP I'm referring to actual cost prior to living in the home itself and upkeep etc.

amother

Oak

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 7:59 pm

OP here. so besides for closing costs and actual moving expenses and whatever renovations that will need to be done, the only thing extra someone here mentioned was mezuzahs. that's a good one!

so nothing else that I need to be prepared for that might crop up?

thunderstorm

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 8:01 pm

amother wrote:

You'll need trash cans with covers for the outdoors. It can be a few hundred dollars.

amother

Violet

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 8:03 pm

Depending on what you already own and what is included in the new house, you may have to buy additional furniture. For example, if there are very few closets, you will need storage of some sort. If there's an eat in kitchen that you'll be using and you only have a dining room set, you'll want to buy a kitchen set. You may want one couch in the living room and another in the playroom. If you have a guest room, you'll probably want guest room furniture.

None of these are necessarily urgent, just something to consider.

challahchallah

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 9:24 pm

Others have mentioned it, but window coverings were surprisingly expensive for us as well. Our house is not new construction but came with all of the windows totally bare. We ended up taping up towels and sheets for some privacy until we got actual blinds. Also, make sure you have some money set aside for random repairs that crop up. Even with an inspection, you may discover problems when you move in.

rovh613

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 9:35 pm

challahchallah wrote:

Instead of putting towels and sheets on the windows you can buy paper blinds. They are cheap.

amother

Salmon

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 9:40 pm

amother wrote:

also, keep in mind things like cutting the grass, that is another monthly cost for about 7 months if u don't do that yourself.

Do any frum people do it themselves?

simcha2

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 9:42 pm

If your not buying new construction and the are hardwood floors, definitely refinish them before you move in. (Or any flooring changes).
Once you're living there with furniture it's a major process to do them.

rachel6543

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 9:48 pm

A cost you may not have considered is fees for trash collection. When you rent you don't usually have to pay for that, but as a homeowner you may need to pay a monthly fee for trash collection from your city. That was something I didn't realize until I started house hunting.

When I moved into our house we didn't realize we needed to buy a shower curtain. The previous homeowners took theirs and I never needed one in my apartment. Had to send my husband to the store to pick one up the day we moved in.

If you don't own any tools, I'd definitely recommend buying some for home repairs. I just owned a hammer and maybe a screw driver when I lived in an apartment.

An unplanned cost when I moved in was replacing all the hinges in my kitchen cabinets. The day we moved in all the hinges just randomly started breaking. One hinge isn't too expense, just a few dollars. But multiple that by 4 to 6 hinges per cabinet by multiple cabinets the cost added up really quickly!!

amother

Navy

Thu, Dec 27 2018, 9:54 pm

amother wrote:

Do any frum people do it themselves?

Of course, my husband mows the lawn in our backyard.

Growing up my father mowed our lawn as well.