First-Time Buyer in Middleburg Heights? Search Smarter

Middleburg Heights sits in southwest Cuyahoga County and is part of the Berea City School District, along with Berea, Brook Park and part of Olmsted Falls. For a first-time buyer, it's worth a look: you'll see plenty of ranches, split-levels and Cape Cods on regular suburban streets. Here's how I'd search here, and what I'd check once you find one you like.

Bedrooms: don't let the number hide the house

When I teach agents how to work with buyers, I spend a lot of time on this. A buyer says they need four bedrooms. But does a three-bedroom with a finished basement, an office or a den work just as well? If the search is set to four bedrooms or more, every one of those three-bedroom houses disappears. In a city full of split-levels with finished lower levels, that can be a lot of houses.

Baths and garages: the hidden traps

Bathrooms are trickier than they look. If you ask for 2.5 baths and the search is set to two or more full baths and one or more half baths, a house with three full baths and no half bath won't show up. I'm guessing you'd take the extra full bath.

Garages work the same way. A search for a two-car garage or more drops every house with a one-car garage, including the one with a big yard where you could add on later. Decide what you really need, then set the search to that, not to your wish list.

Use the NOT box

The MLS lets us use AND, OR and NOT to shape a search, and most people never touch it. One of my favorite examples: use NOT to exclude houses with no central air. You get the houses with AC without accidentally excluding the ones where the listing agent described it a different way. Ask your agent to show you the search they built for you, not just the results.

Too many results, or too few

A search that returns hundreds of houses isn't helping you. That's a sign we need to ask more questions and narrow it down. A search that returns two houses isn't helping either. Loosen something, like a garage or a bath count, and see what shows up. The right search is one you can actually keep up with every week.

What to check in an older ranch or split-level

Every house is different, so get a full inspection. But in older homes, these are the items I pay the most attention to:

• Roof age. Ask the seller, and look at the inspector's estimate.
• Furnace, AC and water heater ages. Data plates usually show the manufacture date.
• The electrical panel. Older panels and wiring can affect both safety and insurance.
• The lower level. In split-levels and basements, look for water stains, efflorescence, a sump pump and how the grading slopes around the house.
• The sewer line. Ask your inspector about a camera inspection of the main line. In an older house, it's one of the best small investments you can make.

We wrote more about sorting an inspection report on an older house in our post on reading an inspection report without panicking. The same habits apply here.

Taxes, schools and a city rule to know

According to American Title Solutions' point-of-sale list, Middleburg Heights requires a point-of-sale septic inspection, with a $350 fee. If the house you like is on a septic system, ask the seller whether that inspection has been done and what it found. If it's on city sewer, ask the building department whether anything applies. Confirm the current requirements with the city before you count on them.

Look up the parcel on the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer's site so you see the real tax bill, not an estimate. Since Middleburg Heights is in the Berea City School District, any district levy affects your tax bill here too. We showed how to turn a levy into a monthly cost in our post on levy math for Berea first-time buyers. Confirm the school district for any specific address with the district.

Budget for the first year

An older house almost always needs something in the first year: a water heater, a garage door opener, a few gallons of paint. Keep some savings set aside after closing so a small repair doesn't turn into credit card debt. A little cushion makes the first year in your new home a lot more enjoyable.

When you're ready, get pre-approved, decide what you really need, and have your agent build a search around that. Then let the inspection tell you what you're actually buying.

If you're a first-time buyer looking at Middleburg Heights, schedule a time with me or someone on our team at 21mike.com.

Mike Ferrante
The Mike Team at LPT Realty
www.21mike.com
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