Buying a house/property. What would you do & look for?

[UG Krishnamurti]

How are you OP?

Don't know what you mean sorry.

Mold remediation experts in my area use Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride. It is or was the active ingredient in Lysol disinfectant, a USA brand. It has special properties and advantages over common bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite).

Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride has the ability to penetrate porous material to attack mold from it's "roots". Bleach cannot do this, bleach simply sits on the surface, kills the surface mold, but the remaining "roots" stay alive within the pores and helps the mold re-establish itself within 1 year.

Thanks for your advice.
Based on my research on mold - you don't want to "attack it" with chemicals since they release their most toxic spores in those moments.
And in almost all the circumstances the mold comes back. So it's safer just to use plain natural soap and just wash it away... or even just scrape the walls off and/or replacing the water pipes, shower heads etc ...
But most probably I would not want to buy a home with visible mold in it. :)

 

[Veritas IV]

Don't know what you mean sorry.

Thanks for your advice.
Based on my research on mold - you don't want to "attack it" with chemicals since they release their most toxic spores in those moments.
And in almost all the circumstances the mold comes back. So it's safer just to use plain natural soap and just wash it away... or even just scrape the walls off and/or replacing the water pipes, shower heads etc ...
But most probably I would not want to buy a home with visible mold in it. :)

OP = original poster :)

As for toxic spore release, good point, and had almost totally forgotten. The advice i was given was exhaust ventilation, either a window or door fan pulling air to the exterior. In my case it was left on for a couple of days. I recall having a mask etc, but i was treating a very low grade mold/mildew, white in color. It gave off that typical "basement smell" before treatment. My one treatment lasted 7 years before we sold.

I can certainly understand not purchasing something that already has mold, smart. But remember that remediation techniques also work for prevention. Black colored molds are often the worst but pink and white tend to be less harmful.

As for other ideas. Water / rain drainage, remember it can be manipulated. Move dirt around to keep the water from flowing towards your home's foundation. Dig out trees that may have sprouted too closely, invasive roots, etc etc. Don't forget to get the dirt ready for gardening, and pick your favorite fruit trees and plant them.

Good luck either way, home hunting can be both stressful and fun.

 

[UG Krishnamurti]

OP = original poster :)

As for toxic spore release, good point, and had almost totally forgotten. The advice i was given was exhaust ventilation, either a window or door fan pulling air to the exterior. In my case it was left on for a couple of days. I recall having a mask etc, but i was treating a very low grade mold/mildew, white in color. It gave off that typical "basement smell" before treatment. My one treatment lasted 7 years before we sold.

I can certainly understand not purchasing something that already has mold, smart. But remember that remediation techniques also work for prevention. Black colored molds are often the worst but pink and white tend to be less harmful.

As for other ideas. Water / rain drainage, remember it can be manipulated. Move dirt around to keep the water from flowing towards your home's foundation. Dig out trees that may have sprouted too closely, invasive roots, etc etc. Don't forget to get the dirt ready for gardening, and pick your favorite fruit trees and plant them.

Good luck either way, home hunting can be both stressful and fun.

Thanks for sharing those valuable advice bro :) They are noted

 

[souperhuman]

If you are buying somewhere on a slope be aware that in the northern latitudes a north facing slope will not receive as much sunlight especially during the winter when the sun is lower. If the slope is steep enough or surrounded by trees it may block the sun entirely and you won't be able to grow very much. If you are in a hot and dry climate this may be advantageous to conserve water, otherwise it will limit your growing season. Conversely, a south facing slope will receive the most sunlight.

 

[oxphoser]

I am looking for a house with some land in my home country (Serbia) to buy with my girlfriend with more focus on the bigger acreage than a big house.
Things I am looking for is that the property and house is not close to overhead power lines, cell towers, industrial zones etc.
I would also not buy a house with visible mold in it.

The best thing would be (I think) to buy a piece of land and get a prefabricated/modular home but the bank will not approve a loan for that endeavor unless I put some other home under a mortgage and I don't want to do that.

So what would you do and look for when buying a house/land and what are the other things I should aim for.
Any suggestion/idea is welcomed.

It’s good to have the water coming from the kitchen tap analyzed. Our test results showed a low level of arsenic in the water. As far as I’m concerned, no level of arsenic in drinking water is acceptable, so we ended up buying a Berkey water filter for drinking water.

 

[professor_sue]

All of the comments offer good, thoughtful advice, so I would only add: make sure the foundation is structurally sound. I recommend getting the house inspected, even if you have to pay for it. I know not everyone agrees on that, but for me, since I can't really fix much of anything especially major, I like to get a professional to give the prospective house a full once over. It does not guarantee they will be good and catch anything. Sometimes, they catch too many things, things that are not really big issues per se but it can possibly cause issues with a loan, for example. In the US, if you get an FHA loan (federal govt type loan),you have to have certain things in working order. For example, I had to put on a new roof on the home I sold last summer if I wanted to ensure that any and all buyers could buy my home. (Conventional loan, you can get that even with issues with the roof but not FHA). And good thing I did because the home buyers were first timers and went with a special FHA loan that made my esrow a bit longer, but it did go through.

Bottom line, look at everything, and sure, somethings can be replaced--at a cost, though,--however, if the foundation is cracked, the beams supporting it have issues or whatever it is .... don't buy it. Though be my legally-nonbinding advice! (that's my disclaimed: not a lawyer despite the degree; not a realtor despite having bought and sold a number of homes that I dumps a lot of $$$ into. It's how I got into debt. I was willing to pack up and move A LOT!) Best of luck to you on your adventure!

 

[Dolomite]

All of the comments offer good, thoughtful advice, so I would only add: make sure the foundation is structurally sound. I recommend getting the house inspected, even if you have to pay for it. I know not everyone agrees on that, but for me, since I can't really fix much of anything especially major, I like to get a professional to give the prospective house a full once over. It does not guarantee they will be good and catch anything. Sometimes, they catch too many things, things that are not really big issues per se but it can possibly cause issues with a loan, for example. In the US, if you get an FHA loan (federal govt type loan),you have to have certain things in working order. For example, I had to put on a new roof on the home I sold last summer if I wanted to ensure that any and all buyers could buy my home. (Conventional loan, you can get that even with issues with the roof but not FHA). And good thing I did because the home buyers were first timers and went with a special FHA loan that made my esrow a bit longer, but it did go through.

Bottom line, look at everything, and sure, somethings can be replaced--at a cost, though,--however, if the foundation is cracked, the beams supporting it have issues or whatever it is .... don't buy it. Though be my legally-nonbinding advice! (that's my disclaimed: not a lawyer despite the degree; not a realtor despite having bought and sold a number of homes that I dumps a lot of $$$ into. It's how I got into debt. I was willing to pack up and move A LOT!) Best of luck to you on your adventure!

Professor Sue is right that the foundation is probably the most important thing. And all drainage should be away from the structure.

 

[Beastmode]

I am looking for a house with some land in my home country (Serbia) to buy with my girlfriend with more focus on the bigger acreage than a big house.
Things I am looking for is that the property and house is not close to overhead power lines, cell towers, industrial zones etc.
I would also not buy a house with visible mold in it.

The best thing would be (I think) to buy a piece of land and get a prefabricated/modular home but the bank will not approve a loan for that endeavor unless I put some other home under a mortgage and I don't want to do that.

So what would you do and look for when buying a house/land and what are the other things I should aim for.
Any suggestion/idea is welcomed.

Consider checking out Healthy Buildings For Sustainable Living

You might even find a home built by one of their students which would align with what most here are looking for in a healthy home.

At some point, we hope to build a home using a similar "philosophy" to ensure everything is to our standard of health.

 

[UG Krishnamurti]

Thank all of you guys!

 

[UG Krishnamurti]

Hey guys. I found a pretty good house with a good land to buy, but these cell towers are bothering me. The cell tower is around 370m/1213ft away by air line. Do you guys know what is the best thing to measure in this situation, and what specifically to measure? What cheap device to buy to measure it etc... Thanks!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn0wv7tAi-o

 

[UG Krishnamurti]

Hey guys. I found a pretty good house with a good land to buy, but these cell towers are bothering me. The cell tower is around 370m/1213ft away by air line. Do you guys know what is the best thing to measure in this situation, and what specifically to measure? What cheap device to buy to measure it etc... Thanks!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn0wv7tAi-o

I could acquire something like this I don't know if it's good enough:

 

[Rybba]

If you're planning to grow anything to eat (fruit or vegetables), I would probably suggest making sure you're not downhill from any busy roads (perhaps a topological map of the area would be helpful). A lot of nasty chemicals get washed off roads when it rains (vehicle fuel, oil etc), so I would be worried about ground contamination that could affect your plants.

And as someone else mentioned, living on a slope can massively reduce the amount of sunlight your property gets. Unfortunately, I live at the bottom of a slope that has tall pine trees on top of it. We lose direct sunlight at least an hour or two before the sun actually sets. It can be quite depressing in winter!

 

[akgrrrl]

Noted :)

Erect your modular structure then rock it yourself. Gather stones everywhere you go, keep a bucket in your vehicle so if you come upon rocks in an easement or roadside. If you put a sheet metal roof on it, and rock at least a 6ft tall apron around your walls, fire will be less of an issue, wind, and in general your house will appear much more solid. Try to place a "cold" room at a corner with the kitchen next to that so you have pantry storage and a cool room to store food, herbs, medicines, oils, etc. The two outside walls will keep the room cool if you enclose it and dont allow a heat source nearby. I built wooden bins with good airholes along one wall: onions, apples, citrus, potatoes, squash, all have their own lidded bin.

 

[supercoolguy]

I am looking for a house with some land in my home country (Serbia) to buy with my girlfriend with more focus on the bigger acreage than a big house.
Things I am looking for is that the property and house is not close to overhead power lines, cell towers, industrial zones etc.
I would also not buy a house with visible mold in it.

The best thing would be (I think) to buy a piece of land and get a prefabricated/modular home but the bank will not approve a loan for that endeavor unless I put some other home under a mortgage and I don't want to do that.

So what would you do and look for when buying a house/land and what are the other things I should aim for.
Any suggestion/idea is welcomed.

The Cleanest Air, Lowest Amount of Traffic/Noise and Distance from Power Lines.
The house inspector should address the rest.