For all of my facebook friends, sorry for the repetition, because I am sure you will hear stuff here that I've vented on FB recently. It just feels good to talk through my thoughts and feelings in more than just a few quick statements for a status update.
Something on my mind lately is the frustration I feel at falling in love with these houses on paper, going to visit with hopes ultra high, and then leaving and figuring out that the home will not be our house. I was getting very discouraged... our second batch of houses and still nothing. I feel this way mostly because I am so ready to stop being a burden and start living on our own again. I think if our living situation was different than it would take the pressure off the situation.
We were slated to see 4 houses, all in the same general area. This area is MUCH closer to my in-laws than the last batch of homes. (That is important to us and was a major con with the location of the last 4 homes.) We ended up not being able to see one of the homes yesterday because, guess what? It sold! My first genuine reaction? Hey, that's good, means it isn't our home!!!
Now, onto the houses!
House #1: Built in 2000, 2 stories, 4BD 2BA. You could tell this home had been foreclosed a few years ago and has since been given the updates and TLC it needed and they HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK! The house looks amazing. I loved the fresh paint and new carpets. I loved the counter space in the kitchen and really adored the 4th bedroom. Unfortunately, the closets were teeeeeny tiny! Like I was telling a friend, it looked like the house was 98% redone and unfortunately, for me it made the 2% stick out like a sore thumb. Good part about that? Only 2% of the redo would fall on our shoulders. But for some reason, I just never felt that this would be our home. And I went into this house feeling like we would be making an offer before the day was done!!!
House #2: Built in 2014, one story, 3BD 2BA. What can I say about this home other than it was beautiful. And brand-spankin' new. How appealing! A home that has never been lived in and is fresh and waiting for a family to make memories in it. I liked that this home had a split bedroom plan - the kids on one side of the house and us on the other. It made the house feel a lot bigger that way. Overall though? This house (and the next one, which are practically identical) was just way too tiny for a growing family like ours.
House #3: Built in 2014, one story, 3BD 2BA. Pretty much everything I said about the 2nd house applies here. Same builder, same square footage... yadda yadda. Though, this house didn't offer the same split bedroom floor plan so it felt even smaller! Again, not our home. Beautiful... so beautiful... but not our home. Also? These houses were in a subdivision full of all new homes that were right on top of one another and a lot of construction still happening. No fence, big mud pits all over the front and back yard, etc. etc.
So there you have it. I went into the day with my hopes set WAY too high and left feeling pretty crummy. We are setting off to yet another area in the Midsouth to check out two homes that have already won my heart over COMPLETELY (on paper). Trying to keep my expectations low but that is easier said than done. I scoped out both neighborhoods on Google Earth and they both look fantastic. Elementary schools for both houses are great as well (one is rated 7/10 and the other 9/10) and for me, that is a huge bonus! Not to mention, both houses combined haven't even spent a month on the market and I feel like they might go fast - so we are going to see them quickly which makes me feel proactive. {UPDATE: Before I could even FINISH this entry or hit "publish"... one of the two homes we were slated to see this afternoon has SOLD! In less than 24 hours they got 5 offers and sold the home for $10,000 over their asking price. Sheesh. Competition is steep out there right now, you guys. And I am bummmmmmed. Trying to tell myself it is not our home... our home is still out there... and that this is just saving us time and energy... it's a good thing, it's a good things, it's a good thing.....}
This leads me to sharing what exactly we are looking for in a home. One of my sisters recently asked what our priorities for a home was and I have yet to answer because I didn't really know HOW to answer it. First of all, like most people, we are looking for safe, quiet neighborhoods and decent schools. On top of that... we have a list of things we are looking for in a home.
Our home must have:
Not extremely hard to achieve... right? RIGHT?! Hopefully it is doable and achievable here soon. Because mama wants a home. Nesting is real... people... :) 20 weeks until this baby is due... that gives us just about 4-5 months to find a home, close on our home, move into our home, get things set up... ETC! We can do this and we will do this.
Something on my mind lately is the frustration I feel at falling in love with these houses on paper, going to visit with hopes ultra high, and then leaving and figuring out that the home will not be our house. I was getting very discouraged... our second batch of houses and still nothing. I feel this way mostly because I am so ready to stop being a burden and start living on our own again. I think if our living situation was different than it would take the pressure off the situation.
We were slated to see 4 houses, all in the same general area. This area is MUCH closer to my in-laws than the last batch of homes. (That is important to us and was a major con with the location of the last 4 homes.) We ended up not being able to see one of the homes yesterday because, guess what? It sold! My first genuine reaction? Hey, that's good, means it isn't our home!!!
Now, onto the houses!
House #1: Built in 2000, 2 stories, 4BD 2BA. You could tell this home had been foreclosed a few years ago and has since been given the updates and TLC it needed and they HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK! The house looks amazing. I loved the fresh paint and new carpets. I loved the counter space in the kitchen and really adored the 4th bedroom. Unfortunately, the closets were teeeeeny tiny! Like I was telling a friend, it looked like the house was 98% redone and unfortunately, for me it made the 2% stick out like a sore thumb. Good part about that? Only 2% of the redo would fall on our shoulders. But for some reason, I just never felt that this would be our home. And I went into this house feeling like we would be making an offer before the day was done!!!
House #2: Built in 2014, one story, 3BD 2BA. What can I say about this home other than it was beautiful. And brand-spankin' new. How appealing! A home that has never been lived in and is fresh and waiting for a family to make memories in it. I liked that this home had a split bedroom plan - the kids on one side of the house and us on the other. It made the house feel a lot bigger that way. Overall though? This house (and the next one, which are practically identical) was just way too tiny for a growing family like ours.
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| This house had the dishwasher installed, unlike the photo here shows. |
House #3: Built in 2014, one story, 3BD 2BA. Pretty much everything I said about the 2nd house applies here. Same builder, same square footage... yadda yadda. Though, this house didn't offer the same split bedroom floor plan so it felt even smaller! Again, not our home. Beautiful... so beautiful... but not our home. Also? These houses were in a subdivision full of all new homes that were right on top of one another and a lot of construction still happening. No fence, big mud pits all over the front and back yard, etc. etc.
So there you have it. I went into the day with my hopes set WAY too high and left feeling pretty crummy. We are setting off to yet another area in the Midsouth to check out two homes that have already won my heart over COMPLETELY (on paper). Trying to keep my expectations low but that is easier said than done. I scoped out both neighborhoods on Google Earth and they both look fantastic. Elementary schools for both houses are great as well (one is rated 7/10 and the other 9/10) and for me, that is a huge bonus! Not to mention, both houses combined haven't even spent a month on the market and I feel like they might go fast - so we are going to see them quickly which makes me feel proactive. {UPDATE: Before I could even FINISH this entry or hit "publish"... one of the two homes we were slated to see this afternoon has SOLD! In less than 24 hours they got 5 offers and sold the home for $10,000 over their asking price. Sheesh. Competition is steep out there right now, you guys. And I am bummmmmmed. Trying to tell myself it is not our home... our home is still out there... and that this is just saving us time and energy... it's a good thing, it's a good things, it's a good thing.....}
This leads me to sharing what exactly we are looking for in a home. One of my sisters recently asked what our priorities for a home was and I have yet to answer because I didn't really know HOW to answer it. First of all, like most people, we are looking for safe, quiet neighborhoods and decent schools. On top of that... we have a list of things we are looking for in a home.
Our home must have:
- Dishwasher
- Disposal
- Bathtub (bonus: master bath with jets)
- 3 bedrooms (including a master bedroom)
- 2 bathrooms (including a master bathroom)
- Plenty of usable kitchen space (prefer an eat-in kitchen - not necessary)
- Garage (preferably attached - not necessary)
- Central air/heat
- Plenty of closet space
- Backyard (preferably fenced - not necessary)
- Fireplace (preferably non-gas logs)
- Playroom &/or usable basement or attic space
- A mud room
- Flat driveway and yard - safer for the kids and easier to mow/landscape
- Extra .5 bathroom - that would be a bonus! (But would also mean more toilets to clean!)
Not extremely hard to achieve... right? RIGHT?! Hopefully it is doable and achievable here soon. Because mama wants a home. Nesting is real... people... :) 20 weeks until this baby is due... that gives us just about 4-5 months to find a home, close on our home, move into our home, get things set up... ETC! We can do this and we will do this.
House hunting/buying is one of the most stressful things I've ever done. I can totally relate to what you're feeling right now.
ReplyDeleteWe went through all that last fall.
I hope it all works out for you.