Questions on house-buying
Question: Hi, I’m new here. 
As the subject line says, I have some questions about buying a house.
Based on my numbers, if I stick to my current budget, I should be able to buy a house somewhere between one year and 18 months from now. However, this will decidedly be a “starter” home. (Not that this bothers me at all; I grew up in a refurbished one-room schoolhouse that cost less than my used Subaru did.)
Mostly, I have three questions:
1. What sorts of problems should I be alert for, especially in older houses? How much do they cost to fix, and how urgent is it that they BE fixed promptly? (i.e. is the problem just an annoyance or cosmetic thing that can wait, or is it a safety hazard, or does it occupy the middle ground of being inefficient but not truly unsafe?)
2. I have a long-term contract work assignment. There is a chance it will go permanent, but also a chance it will not. If it doesn’t, I should be able to get another job wiht similar pay quickly. How much does this mess up my chances of getting a mortgage? I don’t want to look elsewhere unless it’s absolutely necessary because I really love my job, and that seems to be a rare thing these days.
3. The credit bureaus are convinced I don’t exist. I can’t get a Target card, even, and my SO’s 17-year-old sister got one with no problem. How the heck do I fix this so that I have a chance to build a decent credit history? It’s driving me nuts. And it’s not from bad credit, either, it’s because the credit bureaus can find no record of me existing at all. 
Any help with any of this would be appreciated. *smiles*
Thanks!
Answer: Hi, and welcome! You’ve made some excellent posts already!
First, since you have some time before you make the jump, start reading. Before I bought my house, I read a book by Bob Vila that was entitled something like Guide to Buying A House (can’t recall the title specifically). That’s probably out of print now, but may be available at your library — otherwise, there are probably new books on the market that could help. That book was enormously helpful to me once I started house hunting in earnest, as it helped me learn what to look for.
Second, once you find a house that looks good to you, has a decent price, and you really want to buy, make your offer contingent upon passing an inspection by a professional inspector OF YOUR CHOICE. Don’t let your “buyer’s agent” realtor pick one for you — they don’t like to see sales fall through, since then they don’t get paid. Rather, ask around amongst your co-workers for recommendations as to who is a good house inspector for pre-buys.
I’m much less an expert at getting credit. When I was young, first thing I did was to open bank accounts — savings and checking. I also had an ATM card. Then, I got a Sears credit card. In those days you didn’t need to have a credit history to get a store card, just some sort of banking history. I’ve heard that if you apply for a “secured” credit card, where you deposit, say $500 in an account and are then given a card with a $500 limit, that it can help your credit rating. I’ve **also** heard that this method does not help your credit rating at all, since they know that you weren’t really borrowing at all! So, someone with more knowledge on this credit issue will have to steer you in the right direction!
Good luck!
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