“Select a cheerful, healthy locality, and be sure the rent, including taxes, etc., does not exceed one sixth of your income. Do not choose a neighborhood merely because it is fashionable, and carefully avoid occupying a dwelling in a neighborhood of doubtful reputation.
“Be sure that the house is dry, with convenient sewerage and plenty of water. A southern or western aspect is to be preferred. Should the house be infested with vermin, avoid it. See that windows and doors are well secured, that there are proper means of ventilation, and that the chimneys do not smoke.
“Let all needful repairs be made by the landlord before the completion of your agreement, otherwise you will probably be required to execute them at your own expense. Do not deal with a landlord commonly reputed to be disobliging, greedy, or litigious. In every case have a lease properly drawn out and stamped.
“Avoid the neighborhood of a sluggish stream, a mill-dam, or fresh-water lake. The penalties are rheumatism, ague, impaired eyesight, loss of appetite, asthma, and many other ailments. Choose a house away from the vicinity of tan-yards and tallow, soap, and chemical works, old and crowded burying-grounds, or slaughter-houses. A low situation is perilous, especially during the prevalence of epidemics.
“Never lease a house in a narrow street if you can help it, unless the back premises are open and extensive. Houses built with sea-sand will in the winter months discharge moisture and be unhealthy. A house with two entrances is more healthy than with only one. Before closing your bargain, try to learn something of the house from a former occupant.
“If you wish to purchase instead of leasing, do not trust to appearances or rely on your own judgment; but when you have found a house likely to suit your family and your purse, employ a surveyor to inspect every portion of it. He will examine the foundations, the state of the sewerage, and the character of the materials which form the walls, the joints, flooring, and other wood-work. He will be able to detect if soft bricks have been used, by finding traces of dampness at the bottom of the walls. Let a lawyer examine all papers necessary to secure a full possession.
“Beware of rashly purchasing fixtures, such as window-blinds or curtains, hall carpets, or kitchen furniture; new articles may be found in the end more economical.
“Make an effort to pay the whole of the purchase-money. A bond on your house may endanger your credit and affect your comfort.
“If instead of buying a house, you wish to build, select your locality; but before completing the arrangements, ascertain the precise nature of the soil. In a gravelly soil you will readily secure good foundations; but if you find clay, or moist earth, be cautious. You may, indeed, procure an artificial foundation by laying a bed of concrete; but this will be attended with considerable expense. Consult an architect; he will make a plan for your approval, and prepare working plans, and a specification. If the house is to be built of brick, be careful to examine the quality of the bricks, and also of the mortar. Personally inspect the plumber’s work, which, if inferior, will expose you to endless expense afterwards.
“Do not allow zinc to be used either as gutters or water-pipes; it wastes under exposure.