House Hunting

With it being summer, I have been neglecting to write. However, I've got something very exciting/scary/stressful going on that I thought would be great to blog about. Who said my teacher blog has to be just about teaching?! So here goes...

The hubs and I are currently house hunting. We didn't think we would buy for quite awhile yet, but our 1,000 square foot duplex just isn't cutting it. Although it is very nice, there just isn't enough space, and it doesn't feel like ours. It feels like we are borrowing it...which we essentially are. But I want a place that is mine! Sound greedy, don't I?!

We started the search off a couple of months ago when we looked at an acreage on the edge of town. The outside was beautiful. It was a gorgeous 2-story white house with an awesome wrap-around porch. However, the inside left a lot to be desired. And the price tag was not very pleasant for such a project house. Then about a week ago, I noticed a house in a neighboring town that looked pretty darn cute. So we decided to give it a look. The house is beautiful inside and out. It is fairly new (built in 2001) and is move-in ready. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with a full unfinished basement, so there is potential to turn it into exactly what we want it to be. The house is a little pricier, but like I said, it's move-in ready.

After viewing that house, the realtor suggested we take a look at an older, 2-story home in town that had just been placed onto the market. The house was immaculate for being 110 years old. The yard was beautiful. The basement was finished, so the space in the house was pretty much maximized. The only downside was it needed new doors, a new kitchen, and new appliances. And the price tag didn't reflect that. Two days later, the house was sold. Good thing we didn't like it very much...

Fast forward a couple of days and I was scouring the internet when I came across another cute little ranch home in the neighboring town. The home looked very similar to the other we had viewed, but it's price tag was much smaller. I was curious why, so we scheduled a showing. As soon as we walked in, it was evident why there was such a price gap between the two homes. This home, although in fairly good condition, was built very cheaply. The walls are not even drywall. They are some sort of composite board that is pieced together. The "partly finished" basement was slabs of mismatched carpet thrown down. It really wasn't finished at all. Seemed like a little bit of false advertising to me.

After seeing the second ranch home, the realtor suggested we look at another home he had listed. This would be house #6 for us. I know I skipped a house, but house #2 isn't even worth talking about. It was completely uninhabitable. Someone with more money and time than us can take on that project if they wish. It definitely wasn't meant for us. So anyway, back to house #6. It is a cute, 2-story older home. It has been well taken care of, and the previous owners started to remodel it, but didn't finish. It still needs a new kitchen, and the basement seems as though it may have some water issues. At the price point, however, it is the best house we have seen so far. However, it's still not THE one.

That brings me back to house #3, the ranch in the neighboring town. I am in love with it. It's adorable, has new appliances, a wonderful fenced-in backyard with a great deck for entertaining, and it's move-in ready. It needs slight cosmetic work...new carpet in two of the bedrooms and some new paint in a couple rooms to cover up some scuffs. However, it is a higher price tag than we originally wanted. But everything we need is there. It's such a tough place to be in. Part of me wants to wait on it....see if they drop the price at all and save some more money. The other part of me, however, wants to jump on it before someone else can!

Then there is the hubby. I think he has cold feet. One minute he's all for it, the next he wants to stay put. I understand where he is coming from, though. A house is the biggest purchase one ever makes. It's a huge decision. I know that I'm just an impatient person. I should probably work on that...