[reldridge]

My only suggestion would be to find out what developers plans are for any un-used land around you before you buy. We bought, and 3 weeks after the closing day they started building a strip mall in our backyard. This year they built phase two, so two years of dust and noise that we weren't expecting. Now there is talk of a Wal-Mart going in down the road (3 minutes away) and major road construction on the main county road behind my place. Fun. :rolleyes:

Big thing is to also try to talk to neighbours in the area. See if they had any problems. Try to find similar homes to see what they have done to them as far as decks, patios, and ask questions concerning th HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems (in my development, it seems that the builder didn't do a good job with duct work, so had to rip up houses originally to get heat into some rooms).

Ask questions. Don't feel dumb ever asking anything. You'll only feel dumb after you've bought the house and hate/have to repair something that you could have avoided had you asked the right questions.

Ryan