Workout: 75-minute Restorative Flow Yoga class
Six houses, two hunters and one Realtor made for quite an interesting day.
We had the house that was even too old lady for my grandma.
Do you like the blue tub and sinks? And, yes in case you were wondering, the toilet was also blue. But check out the treadmill in front of the fireplace! And the owners also had a stair stepper blocking the front door (we used a side entrance). I wonder if we could have negotiated the equipment with the house …
I will give the old lady house some brownie points for the best kitchen of the day and a big, fenced in yard.
More brownie points go to the house for not being the worst of the day. That honor went to a four-bedroom that overwhelmed me with the smell of smoke and pure nastiness that the Realtor assured us that we didn’t even have to walk through. And we didn’t.
The best house of the day was also a bit of a surprise. The house doesn’t have some of our main criteria – a big kitchen, a fenced yard or a basement. But it was in one of our top neighborhoods, and was the only one besides the old lady house that wouldn’t need cabinets replaced in the next two years. Plus, there was just something about it.
It had built-ins in the living room and the second bedroom, and the dining room/family room had a wood-burning stove and beadboard on the wall. The appliances weren’t brand new but new enough and we liked the hardware on the cabinets. The yard also had a swing set, which would be nice for the sea monkey in a couple years.
There was another home that we liked but didn’t put on the list. Sure, it was updated with (some) stainless-steel appliances and new tile in the bathroom. It had a living room and a family room, which had a fireplace. It had a fenced yard, separate dog run and a pool!
But it was missing a fridge,washer and dryer. There was also no dishwasher and no place to hook one up. The kitchen was small, and we were sure we couldn’t work with it. Plus, it was on the top end of our price range. It was hard not to be tempted by the new paint and pretty stove but Mark knows he doesn’t want to wash dishes every day – especially when he has to add bottles into the mix.
So, in conclusion, day one of house hunting was good. Informative. And we’re left with one possibility and four houses on our slate for next weekend.
What features in a home could you not live without?
ooh la la that blue bathroom is fancy...haha or not...but the built-ins with the little seat? that is amazing! Trust me, when you step foot in your meant to be house, you'll just know. Now that I've bought a house, the things I can't live without are: two baths (at least two toilets, if not two full baths), a basement, and a big backyard!
ReplyDeleteoh man, house hunting can be so interesting... We looked at quite a few before we found one that met most of our criteria, while still being able to afford it. We definitely wanted something that we could grow into (aka at least two bedrooms), something that we didn't have to invest too much money into fixing up, and had to have all the appliances. The one thing we ended up not getting was two full bathrooms, but 1 and 1/2 will do for now. :) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what those wood-paneling guys are up to now, missing the 80s and plotting a comeback?
ReplyDeleteI love the one with the built-ins, though - that's a keeper!
run away from any short sales. the end. period. do not pass go. do not offer more than 3% lower than the asking price. do not expect the bank to respond within 5 days, 30 days, or 4 months. if you do make an offer on a short sale, keep looking.
ReplyDeleteIf this is your first home, don't go all out on price. Lesson learned all across the country right now. Get something decent that you can upgrade or "live with." Bathrooms are very easy remodels... kitchens are not, carpet and floor is way easy.
STORAGE! get more storage than you want/need/ever have had.
and a good workable kitchen, one that has a view of the livingroom.
Look for the layout you like.
If you have any specific questions you can email me, my boyfriend and I have boughten and completely flipped our home(conventional loan about a year ago)... and I have made two offers on short sale houses.