House Hunting
So we looked at 3 houses last night. We are just starting to look and get an idea of what is out there. I am terrible though about wanting to (usually) buy the first thing I see. Impatient? Maybe. It's all so exciting and scary and such a HUGE pain in the ass. I love looking at houses....I think it's quite fun. When I bought my current house, I mostly looked at houses alone - not very fun. It's much better now to go with Steve.
1st house - the smallest & cheapest we looked at. 3 houses from Chester Park (bonus!). Needs some cosmetic help to be sure - the kitchen is GOD AWFUL, no appliances, carpeting where there should be hardwood, etc. Pluses - beautiful cedar walk in closet in the "master," 4 bedrooms + an extra space that would be great for a computer on the main level, two bathrooms (although one's in the basement), nice front porch, double garage, gas furnace. Minuses - the kitchen is beyond ugly...but we could fix that, gas fireplace (we'd really love a wood burner), needs some updating, basement is nice but not a place for a future rec room, so much asphalt out back - that would have to come up and nature restored. This house is TOTALLY affordable.
2nd house - the one I was looking forward to the most. The biggest & most expensive. BEAUTIFUL lot - almost an acre right near Hartley. It SUCKED. Super low ceilings, a bunch of "mickey mouse" stuff in it (our realator's words), creepy weird basement, 3rd bedroom in the basement (ugh!), weird faux green columns in the living room (WTH?), weird glass block wall in the bathroom...it was weird. Pluses: beautiful lot, quiet street, near the park, nice new appliances in the kitchen. Minuses: pretty much everything else.
3rd house - Beautiful house - really - build in hutch, beamed ceiling in LR, beautiful hardwood floors, new eat-in kitchen, nice appliances, fireplace, big lot, double garage. Pluses: those beams in the LR - gorgeous, potential for a "finished" basement (at least a craft room!), bonus room on main floor - possible large master, and did I mention that beamed ceiling?, nice front porch. Minuses: one TINY bathroom on the main floor w/no window (2nd bathroom in basement), 2 bedrooms upstairs w/no bathroom and no where to put one (but the rooms are good sized), yard is nice but "boring" - Steve could fix that with oodles of trees & a fence haha, but the deal breaker (for me) oil furnace. Can't do it. Can't afford it. Yuck.
So anyway - it was interesting and fun and it's always nice to daydream & imagine. But the search continues.
1st house - the smallest & cheapest we looked at. 3 houses from Chester Park (bonus!). Needs some cosmetic help to be sure - the kitchen is GOD AWFUL, no appliances, carpeting where there should be hardwood, etc. Pluses - beautiful cedar walk in closet in the "master," 4 bedrooms + an extra space that would be great for a computer on the main level, two bathrooms (although one's in the basement), nice front porch, double garage, gas furnace. Minuses - the kitchen is beyond ugly...but we could fix that, gas fireplace (we'd really love a wood burner), needs some updating, basement is nice but not a place for a future rec room, so much asphalt out back - that would have to come up and nature restored. This house is TOTALLY affordable.
2nd house - the one I was looking forward to the most. The biggest & most expensive. BEAUTIFUL lot - almost an acre right near Hartley. It SUCKED. Super low ceilings, a bunch of "mickey mouse" stuff in it (our realator's words), creepy weird basement, 3rd bedroom in the basement (ugh!), weird faux green columns in the living room (WTH?), weird glass block wall in the bathroom...it was weird. Pluses: beautiful lot, quiet street, near the park, nice new appliances in the kitchen. Minuses: pretty much everything else.
3rd house - Beautiful house - really - build in hutch, beamed ceiling in LR, beautiful hardwood floors, new eat-in kitchen, nice appliances, fireplace, big lot, double garage. Pluses: those beams in the LR - gorgeous, potential for a "finished" basement (at least a craft room!), bonus room on main floor - possible large master, and did I mention that beamed ceiling?, nice front porch. Minuses: one TINY bathroom on the main floor w/no window (2nd bathroom in basement), 2 bedrooms upstairs w/no bathroom and no where to put one (but the rooms are good sized), yard is nice but "boring" - Steve could fix that with oodles of trees & a fence haha, but the deal breaker (for me) oil furnace. Can't do it. Can't afford it. Yuck.
So anyway - it was interesting and fun and it's always nice to daydream & imagine. But the search continues.
Comments
Sounds like fun! Remember - the buyer is totally in control these days!!!
like meigan said: you tons of buying power.
remember: make sure you look at layout, layout, layout. the square footage means nothing unless the layout is convenient and sorta open. sounds like you can already overlook the decorative and other small changes. good thing because my friend's dad is in real estate and he said some people can't get over paint color - and walk out of perfectly good houses for nothing!