As some of you know, my husband and I are in the process of first time home buying. We're finally at the point where our loan has been approved and are starting to look at homes. We look at four gorgeous houses today and it made me realize how excited I really am to move forward. It's been a little tough trying to find the area we want to settle down in but that'll eventually fall into place. I wanted to write about all four houses that we saw today and get some feedback!
House #1: Built in 2003, single story home, 3BD 2BA. This one is bank-owned and will need some TLC. The previous owners smoked inside the house so the vents were in need of a deep clean. It'll need new paint to get the smell out, new carpet, and just needs to be deep cleaned everywhere. Because they are selling this "as is" the price is pretty low. Oh, and there is a really weird, huge shed in the back yard. But the yard is fenced in. I honestly don't remember much else from this property.
House #2: Built in 1996, single story home, 4BD 2BA. My mother-in-law & I really loved this one and is move-in ready. The house isn't very big - and therefore neither are the rooms - but it is enough for us. I fell in love with the open concept den and kitchen area complete with a real fireplace! BEAUTIFUL. The rooms spill into one another so when you are cooking or doing dishes, you don't feel closed off from everyone else. The garage is a big, spacious one. New roof, new carpet, new neutral paint, new hardwood flooring. Washer/dryer fits hooks up in a hall closet, which wasn't that big of a deal. The master bathroom was lackluster. (I really want a jacuzzi tub and this had a tiny tiny shower/tub combo. I know... spoiled. Just a pipe dream!) Other downside? There is no back door. In order to get to the backyard, you have to open up the garage door & go out from there. Which I honestly didn't even notice until our realtor pointed it out. WEIRD. We got to talking about it... in case of emergency, that leaves you ONE exit through the front door - if you couldn't use the garage door. I mean, you could always go through a window, but still. Weird. Also, very big yard that is not fenced in. My question is, does anyone else find the no back door thing odd? The bedrooms also felt like they were one right on top of the other since there are 4 in a relatively small house. (Just thinking about life with a crying baby...) Otherwise, this place hit it out of the PARK with me.
House #3: Built in 2005, two story home, 4BD 2BA. This one was Tony's favorite. It was also bank-owned and somewhat of a fixer-upper. It would require a deep clean, new paint, and new carpets. It also comes with an in ground pool - which adolescent me would find as a HUGE bonus, but adult me finds it as somewhat of a small bother. 3 bedrooms were downstairs and the 4th was above the garage and would be used as a playroom because it's huge. It's a split bedroom floor plan so our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the kids' rooms... which is pretty nice. The master bathroom was beautiful with a big jacuzzi tub and a separate shower. The living room was huge and opened up into the kitchen as well, which was nice. Separate laundry room right off of the kitchen. Decent garage but not much attic storage. Also has a gas fireplace. Would require a lot of work/money before moving in which we could probably talk down the asking price as a result. I liked the potential... but all the work it would require might stress me out because at this point I am so ready to be in our own place.
House #4: Built in 2006, single story home, 3BD 2BA. Move-in ready. It had a nice size garage that opened up into the laundry room. From there you walk into the kitchen which felt somewhat closed off from the living room (and had great cabinets). The living room was spacious and included a gas fireplace. It's a split bedroom floor plan so our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the kids' rooms... which is pretty nice. The master bedroom was a nice size and the master bath had a jacuzzi tub and separate shower. The bedrooms were both pretty big and the guest bathroom was beautiful. The backyard was a pretty perfect size, was fenced in, and had a covered patio area. I loved the laundry room and felt that it was very convenient.
Overall, I really like the move-in ready houses because they truly feel homey. I do like the layout of the 3rd house but all the work makes me nervous not knowing how long it would take. These houses are all in the same town and it's somewhat on the outskirts of the city - which would require a longer commute to nearly anywhere we go. We now have to make the decision whether that commute is okay with us or not. The taxes are much lower and therefore we are able to get a lot more home for our money, which I love.
Big decisions coming up! Very excited to get going and start making things happen!!!
House #1: Built in 2003, single story home, 3BD 2BA. This one is bank-owned and will need some TLC. The previous owners smoked inside the house so the vents were in need of a deep clean. It'll need new paint to get the smell out, new carpet, and just needs to be deep cleaned everywhere. Because they are selling this "as is" the price is pretty low. Oh, and there is a really weird, huge shed in the back yard. But the yard is fenced in. I honestly don't remember much else from this property.
House #2: Built in 1996, single story home, 4BD 2BA. My mother-in-law & I really loved this one and is move-in ready. The house isn't very big - and therefore neither are the rooms - but it is enough for us. I fell in love with the open concept den and kitchen area complete with a real fireplace! BEAUTIFUL. The rooms spill into one another so when you are cooking or doing dishes, you don't feel closed off from everyone else. The garage is a big, spacious one. New roof, new carpet, new neutral paint, new hardwood flooring. Washer/dryer fits hooks up in a hall closet, which wasn't that big of a deal. The master bathroom was lackluster. (I really want a jacuzzi tub and this had a tiny tiny shower/tub combo. I know... spoiled. Just a pipe dream!) Other downside? There is no back door. In order to get to the backyard, you have to open up the garage door & go out from there. Which I honestly didn't even notice until our realtor pointed it out. WEIRD. We got to talking about it... in case of emergency, that leaves you ONE exit through the front door - if you couldn't use the garage door. I mean, you could always go through a window, but still. Weird. Also, very big yard that is not fenced in. My question is, does anyone else find the no back door thing odd? The bedrooms also felt like they were one right on top of the other since there are 4 in a relatively small house. (Just thinking about life with a crying baby...) Otherwise, this place hit it out of the PARK with me.
House #3: Built in 2005, two story home, 4BD 2BA. This one was Tony's favorite. It was also bank-owned and somewhat of a fixer-upper. It would require a deep clean, new paint, and new carpets. It also comes with an in ground pool - which adolescent me would find as a HUGE bonus, but adult me finds it as somewhat of a small bother. 3 bedrooms were downstairs and the 4th was above the garage and would be used as a playroom because it's huge. It's a split bedroom floor plan so our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the kids' rooms... which is pretty nice. The master bathroom was beautiful with a big jacuzzi tub and a separate shower. The living room was huge and opened up into the kitchen as well, which was nice. Separate laundry room right off of the kitchen. Decent garage but not much attic storage. Also has a gas fireplace. Would require a lot of work/money before moving in which we could probably talk down the asking price as a result. I liked the potential... but all the work it would require might stress me out because at this point I am so ready to be in our own place.
House #4: Built in 2006, single story home, 3BD 2BA. Move-in ready. It had a nice size garage that opened up into the laundry room. From there you walk into the kitchen which felt somewhat closed off from the living room (and had great cabinets). The living room was spacious and included a gas fireplace. It's a split bedroom floor plan so our bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the kids' rooms... which is pretty nice. The master bedroom was a nice size and the master bath had a jacuzzi tub and separate shower. The bedrooms were both pretty big and the guest bathroom was beautiful. The backyard was a pretty perfect size, was fenced in, and had a covered patio area. I loved the laundry room and felt that it was very convenient.
Overall, I really like the move-in ready houses because they truly feel homey. I do like the layout of the 3rd house but all the work makes me nervous not knowing how long it would take. These houses are all in the same town and it's somewhat on the outskirts of the city - which would require a longer commute to nearly anywhere we go. We now have to make the decision whether that commute is okay with us or not. The taxes are much lower and therefore we are able to get a lot more home for our money, which I love.
Big decisions coming up! Very excited to get going and start making things happen!!!
4 all the way!!
ReplyDeleteGet a four bedroom so I can stay there when I visit!
ReplyDelete- Anonymous
Oooo they all are pretty for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt will be exciting to hear which one you guys go with or if there is another that comes and wins your hearts!
I vote on the 4th one. We moved out to the Oakland/Somerville area so to get to most restaraunts and shopping we have to commute but personally the drive doesn't bother either of us. We love living out there. That is definitely not where we planned on moving to but thats where the house search took us. Congrats in almost being a home owner!!!
ReplyDelete