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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Willie the Duck" data-source="post: 9610493" data-attributes="member: 6799660">Okay, first point -- does everyone on this board living in the US also somehow live here in greyduck/hotdish-land?Anyways, the sewer inspection is definitely a big deal. FWIW, I bought a house in 2019 in the Twin Cities, and the home inspector ran a scope and discovered a cracked clay sewer-liner exactly as you are describing. So some home inspectors can do this, is I guess what I am saying. We included fixing it in our demands for the home purchase. Only complaint is that when the sewer line was dug up, fixed, and then re-buried, they didn't make sure it ended up with topsoil on top, so now we have a dead spot in our grass strip where nothing grows (remediation in-process).The first and obvious (but there is hidden nuance) one is decide how much you want to spend on the house. Banks and realty sites are great for telling you your upper feasible limit*, but not what you really want to spend. *note: they are under no obligation to assume you want to do things like own cars, take vacations, or save for retirement alongside owning a home; and depending on where we are in the housing market boom-bust cycle, may well have a silent 'and will only have a X% chance of foreclosing' in their calculations.Decide how 'house-poor' you want to be. Having your own home is probably worth going out to eat less*. What about not being able to fund your 401k or roth-IRA** as thoroughly as you otherwise would? What about raising your risk of financial calamity if your hit with a major crisis? Like any other investment, you need to decide how risk-averse you want to go with it. *assuming your house expenses exceed your rental expenses, which I know is not a fair assumption for many.**translate this as needed if you're not in the US.Houses are a 'great investment,' but they are atomic*, cost money just by existing (heating, taxes), require maintenance (which is more than you think it is), and you only recoup the investment if and when you sell the thing**. I'm not convinced that buying 50-100k more house than you really need because of the investment qualities nets you that much more than investing your surplus in other stable assets and liquidating as needed. The later certainly leaves you more nimble. I generally think you should buy the home that best fits your wants and needs as a place to live.*you can't sell-off the spare bedroom if you run into an unexpected expense (of course, room-mates...).**yes, home equity loans, with interest, etc..Then there's the issue of what kind of lifestyle you actually want to live. If you are a first-time home buyer, I imagine that's because your financial picture is moving upwards. As that happens, there will be a pressure to upgrade your lifestyle (clothes, car, living arrangement, etc.) to match and that's not all superficial peer pressure and such (you really probably shouldn't have to spend your whole life driving the rolling bombs or living in the rat-infested slum apartments that were 'acceptable' in your 20s or whenever you were paying your dues). The thing is, there's no real mechanism to say 'that's better enough' except personal cutoff. I've ended up making a lot more than I ever expected (particularly post- TBI and alcoholism), and had to decide what constituted the reasonable-middle-class lifestyle I considered my life-goal. As for the house itself, here are some thoughts:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You end up looking at your own house a lot less than you might think.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It is really convenient to have pharmacies and grocery stores either in walking distance from your home, or right on your commute (if you have one).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It's amazing how much less you notice traffic noise even one block away from a busy street (and there often are some very lovely and affordable houses on busy streets for this reason). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">All the hot tubs, balconies, bay windows, and above-garage playrooms do not equal adequate wiring, insulation, foundation, furnace, roof, and other basics.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Likewise adequate outlets, lighting (natural and installed), and kitchen space are quality of life benefits you will not regret (although these are generally easier to add later than a solid foundation, etc.). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">We've already had the 'one person uses the bathroom sink while the other uses the toilet or shower' discussion above, also consider one person trying to cook while the other does dishes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You think you can paint your wood or painted-stucco house yourself. While technically correct, the emphasis there is can, not will.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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