What’s a Buyer’s Market

Home Inspections

You found the house you want to buy! You know what you liked about the house, it has the right amount of bedrooms, you like the kitchen, love the back yard the list goes on and on. But it’s what you can’t see by just walking through the house and property that might be even more important. Having a home inspection is very important. Home inspections will show you many things that are not visible to an untrained eye. The Home Inspector will look from roof top to crawlspace and every where in between. Here is a condensed version of what your home inspection may cover.

*Siding: Look for dents or buckling

*Foundation: Look for cracks or water seepage

*Exterior Brick: Look for cracked bricks or mortar pulling away from bricks

*Insulation: Look for condition, adequate rating for your climate

*Doors and Windows: Look for loose or tight fits, condition of locks, condition of weather-stripping

*Roof: Look for age, conditions of flashing, pooling water, buckled shingles, or loose gutters and downspouts

*Ceilings, walls, and moldings: Look for loose pieces, drywall that is pulling away

*Porch/Deck: Loose railings or step, rot

*Electrical: Look for condition of breaker box/circuit breakers, number of outlets in each room

*Plumbing: Look for poor water pressure, banging pipes, rust spots, or corrosion that indicate leaks, sufficient insulation

*Water heater: Look for age, size adequate for house, speed of recovery, energy rating

*Furnace/Air Conditioning: look for age, energy rating: Furnaces are rater by annual fuel utilization efficiency; the higher the rating, the lower your fuel costs. However, other factors such as payback period and other operating costs, such as electricity to operate motors.

*Garage: Look for exterior in good repair; condition of floor-cracks, stains, etc. Condition of door mechanism

*Basement: Look for water leakage, musty smell

*Attic: Look for adequate ventilation, water leaks from roof

*Driveways/Sidewalks: Look for cracks, heaving pavement, crumbling near edges, stains

You are welcome to accompany the inspector and listen to his tips and suggestions for repairs or what you should be planning on for the future. This report will also be a valuable tool in your negotiations with the seller. At Johnson Home and Land we can recommend several inspectors in the area that will do a great job for you.

When is a Good Time to Buy a Home?

There are many factors to consider before you purchase a home, obviously!  Besides the personal factors we need to consider the local and national economy.  While  many would have you believe there is no money available for housing loans, that is simply not true.  Lending institutions are in the business of lending money.

We’re all tired of hearing the gloom and doom on the news programs.  I’m here to remind us all that there are WONDERFUL opportunities currently available.  Oh, the great programs available for First Time Home Buyers!    We’ve talked about this previously, but it bears repeating!

Here in Wyoming the WCDA has programs with interest rates beginning as low as  5.5% for qualified homebuyers.  If you haven’t owned a home in 3 years, you may qualify for one of these great opportunities.  The Monetization of Federal Tax Credit is a program which  allows borrowers access to up to $8,000 tax credit to be used toward their down payment.

I’ll let you go into the details of the various programs by logging into the WCDA website at click here

To Camp or Not to Camp…That is the Question!

The tranquil image of camping is beautiful. The idylic thought alone lowers your blood pressure and brings happy sighs. Imagine sitting by a crackling fire in the cool early morning with a cup of coffee in a beautiful mountain setting. The music of a bubbling brook sings to you as the butterflies play in the nearby wildflowers.

With these thoughts in mind, plus getting away from the summer heat in the Basin and spending weekends closer to the fishing, my husband, Dave, and I embarked on the GREAT HUNT for a small camper. Here in grizzly country the appeal of the old tent is gone and it was time to move up to a hard sided camper.

We eventually scored! Late in June a 2007 15′ camper became ours! It’s certainly a baby sized camper compared to most of those you see around, but it’s what we wanted.

The maiden voyage was over the 4th of July weekend. Our trip to Soda Butte Campground just out of Cooke City, Montana was “an experience”! Most of it was good, there was little bickering, and no major problems. Before the next trip we’ll figure out the water so we’ll actually have indoor plumbing! Oh, for a toilet at 2 AM! Oh, for a hot shower!

The greatest excitement was at 3:30 AM the first night when the alarm went off. It took us a while to figure out what was happening. Luckily, Dave, the engineer, had actually read some of the manuals that came with the camper! It seems that at elevations over 7,000 feet propane refrigerators can act up. After resetting something the refrigerator worked again and the alarm quit alarming when the battery was reinstalled. What you don’t learn in the middle of the night.

Fireworks seen right from the campground was pretty special! Half the town was along the roads near the campground. With the mountain backdrop these were the prettiest fireworks I’ve ever seen! Of course, every one is my favorite!

Life is good and camping is a wonderful part of a good life. I’m so happy we’ve joined the ranks of campers once again.

Happy 4th of July!

“Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”~Adlai Stevenson