OK....I totally found the "house" in which I would love to see Brian and myself raise babies in. It's a perfect "starter" home (if you're into that sort of thing). Personally, I am not the "starter home" fanatic. Brian and I have rented since marriage, and we will soon (like, before the end of this year) have enough $$ for a down payment on a modest family home.
We want a home that is technically a starter, but we also want to have comfort in knowing that whatever home we purchase as our first, it could be the home we can also see ourselves growing old in. Also, we may both be working, but we need to make sure whatever house we buy we can afford to live in off of 1 person's income. We want a house that is spacious, but not so big that we will have outrageous bills (an open floor plan helps). I'm thinking this would be a home about 2,000 to 2,500 square feet. Unlike some people, I think this is a decent size, even for a growing family, as I believe both in having privacy, but also sharing space. I want to bump into my children in the home, not wonder where they are....I don't mind if the kids have to share a bedrooms, however, I do want a designated nursery room during my child bearing years, for obvious reasons (well, if it's not so obvious, I don't want to have to put little newborn in the same room with little preschooler, as they both have WAY different schedules to keep). Actually, I keep newborn in with Bri and I anyway, and I guess we all do what we have to, but for this reason, 4 bedrooms is ideal (1 room for girls, 1 for boys, 1 nursery, 1 master).
The house needs a tub - also for obvious reasons. My little girl loves her baths, and she is only 12 months old! She hated them her first couple of months, but they started to grow on her I guess. Right now, we don't have a tub, so I am still using the toddler tub. It's ok, she still fits.
Aside from the bedrooms and bath, I am not too picky. I mean, the kitchen area will probably change no matter what house Bri and I look at, because appliances, flooring, cabinets, counters - they can all be changed for a relatively low price (well, if you are doing them one at time...heehee). I DO need a laundry/mudroom area. Like, Woah. Right now I have a closet that has new stacked washer/dryer units. This works out surprisingly well for our small space, and I have no complaints. It's just nice to have a place to kick off your shoes and take off your clothing after playing in the snow, but before coming into the actual house.
Brian and I BOTH want to live in a two story home. This stems from childhood. We've lived in one story houses all our lives (well, until moving out for college, etc), and both of us have always wanted an upstairs. We're also healthy people who work out, so hopefully old age won't deal us a card where one or both of us laments a staircase. I can't imagine that though - we both love stairs. This is good, because to get OUT of our current "renter," we have to go upstairs - and our last apartment we had to carry all of our groceries upstairs, and go downstairs to get out. So, having a two story home is also pretty much a prerequisite.
We would absolutely love the following - at least one acre of land or not to see into the neighbor's house, private well/septic, HVAC, central air/heating, fireplace, to be away from a main road, to be close to family, have a covered front patio that you can sit a rocking chair out on and relax.....
I've been looking at homes since Bri and I got married - and in the area in which we live, and let me tell you - a lot of the stuff we want comes with a hefty $$ in this area. While we are about 40-50 minutes away from work, if we were to move much closer to our jobs, we'd be further from family, and that's no bueno. Besides, in my area, MANY people commute to Philly daily, which (taking traffic into consideration) is about 1.5 hour commute one way, every day.
Homes with our wants usually run around $300,000 up here (even with our recession, homes may not be selling for that much, but they are not really coming down in price either...then again, we haven't made an offer yet on anything to see what'll stick).....$300,000 certainly isn't a hefty tag, when those same homes in philly burbs may have $500,000 price tags...But at the same time, homes of our caliber in TX where we've also looked are a lot LESS than $300,000.
ALL THAT TO SAY.....
I found it - I found THE home that I am hoping Brian and I can get in on. Granted, I haven't seen it yet in person, but you know how some things just HIT you? As I said earlier, I've been looking at houses for a few years now, and though I have definitely found quite a few that I really like and were definitely in our price range, nothing really jumped out at me.
SO, I found this house today - It's in our price range (before negotiation, it's at the high end of our range)....4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom colonial....It's one half an acre, but at the same time it's situated in such a way that it's relatively secluded from the neighbors - nobody staring at you in the back yard or in your window. It's also IN a neighborhood within a neighborhood - away from main streets, with optimal play room for kiddos. I actually like neighbors, so hopefully if/when we see this home we can meet a few. I don't know a thing yet about the HOA, other than it's fees (which are reasonable), but we'll see. THe house has public sewage and water, which isn't a big "yay" for me, but at the same time, I've spent the past 10 years of my life drinking public water and sewage and it hasn't been an issue. We use well water now, but still have a PUR filter basin. Probably force of habit from those past 10 years of drinking public water :)
Also, this house has a roof that would be relatively easy to install solar panels, and appears to be upgradable to become more "green" and eco friendly. Backyard has area for a pool, provided Brian and I decide we want to do that. The kitchen is open into the family room (with a wood burning fireplace). I like the open area - and we've had a wood burning fireplace in our last apartment. Right now we use a gas fireplace, but it's not my favorite :)
What is unique about the home is that a couple of the bedrooms have track lighting. I rarely see that in homes. It is tastefully done, but I'd have to see it in person to know how it fits. Oh, the home itself is a little over 2,000 square feet, and it has an attached 2 car garage with an unfinished basement (BUT, the basement has 9 foot ceilings, so it can easily be finished. I'm not so sweet on the idea that the laundry set up is downstairs, but we'll have to see how it all fits together. I can't tell from the description - It might mean that there is an extra laundry hook up available downstairs, but I am assuming the "worst" that I'd have to go into the basement to do my laundry. Yikes!
ALSO, this house has a covered front patio, so I can sit in my little rocking chair and enjoy the rain, or the breeze - Or watch the kids build a snowman in the front yard (if I'm not helping!)....
The lot doesn't seem big enough to warrant a tractor, which is a good thing.
I don't know what's so extra special about this home - I mean, it's not the coolest house I've seen by far, but it seems like it will FIT, you know?
There is a home in my current neighborhood selling for $229,000 - a 5 bedroom 1.3 acre house...between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet, but let me tell you - this house had been foreclosed on a few years ago, and ABANDONED ever since. Every now and then the HOA has a lawn care company come and chop down the forrest in the front and back yard, but for the longest time I've wondered if this house was for Brian and I. I walk by it everyday when my daughter and I go for walks. I had a dream about it the other night though, and the dream threw me. It all but told me this was NOT the house for us. I mean, also, to talk the bank down from $229k...TO tell you the truth, even though we can afford more, we wouldn't be comfortable paying more than $180k for that house! It would probably need a new roof, the entire house would have to be deep cleaned, not to mention whatever other damage happens to abandoned homes...Shame too. I might pay $229,000 for the home if it was in proper order, and in this economy, but not now - not the state that it's in. This house has a lot of property and is in an area I grew up in - Plus, it has it's own septic tank and well water.....It's a bi level though, and not quite what I had in mind when I thought of "a house with stairs."
I am so giddy about this other home I just found though - I can't wait to show it to Brian. Like I said, it's definitely a starter that's move in ready - but it has enough areas where we can upgrade and make it worth a whole heck of a lot more.
Ha...Well, we don't even have enough furniture to put into this house...Maybe we'll be able to knock off $10k and use some of the "extra" $$ to buy a few nice pieces - Or else just wait until we save up and buy piece by piece. Either way works for me. I've been a nomad for so long I want a place to just rest my tired little body and "settle down." Well, the nomad in me will never die completely - I love to travel and get the "travel bug" every so often... But one thing God has been setting into me is to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself in. I know God has plans for Brian and I that appeal to our natures (the ones that tell us to get up and "go")...but at the same time I am learning to "be still" (psalm 45). Not just "be still" in body, but in mind and spirit - in knowing that HE is God, and my whole purpose on this earth is for HIS whole purpose and glory....and just as much as I have that desire to GO, I have that desire to STAY and find new adventures in the world around me. I want roots, too.
I have NEVER put up curtains in any place I've lived after high school because I knew I'd just be going again in a year or two...I only have a couple NICE pieces of furniture because if I am just moving from place to place, why do I need a fancy bookshelf? I would like to be able to purchase things like doormats, a nice curio cabinet that I can start to fill with some things I collect, a nice dining room set....
I mean, I suppose some people live in the same apartment forever and amass such things, but to me, an apartment isn't OURS. Heck, I just want a place again where I can have people over and not feel like I am disturbing others around me. I want a room I can double for a guest room and have family come and stay...You get the idea...
WOW....super long post. Well, I'll probably post a similar topic soon once we actually go and see the house...
We want a home that is technically a starter, but we also want to have comfort in knowing that whatever home we purchase as our first, it could be the home we can also see ourselves growing old in. Also, we may both be working, but we need to make sure whatever house we buy we can afford to live in off of 1 person's income. We want a house that is spacious, but not so big that we will have outrageous bills (an open floor plan helps). I'm thinking this would be a home about 2,000 to 2,500 square feet. Unlike some people, I think this is a decent size, even for a growing family, as I believe both in having privacy, but also sharing space. I want to bump into my children in the home, not wonder where they are....I don't mind if the kids have to share a bedrooms, however, I do want a designated nursery room during my child bearing years, for obvious reasons (well, if it's not so obvious, I don't want to have to put little newborn in the same room with little preschooler, as they both have WAY different schedules to keep). Actually, I keep newborn in with Bri and I anyway, and I guess we all do what we have to, but for this reason, 4 bedrooms is ideal (1 room for girls, 1 for boys, 1 nursery, 1 master).
The house needs a tub - also for obvious reasons. My little girl loves her baths, and she is only 12 months old! She hated them her first couple of months, but they started to grow on her I guess. Right now, we don't have a tub, so I am still using the toddler tub. It's ok, she still fits.
Aside from the bedrooms and bath, I am not too picky. I mean, the kitchen area will probably change no matter what house Bri and I look at, because appliances, flooring, cabinets, counters - they can all be changed for a relatively low price (well, if you are doing them one at time...heehee). I DO need a laundry/mudroom area. Like, Woah. Right now I have a closet that has new stacked washer/dryer units. This works out surprisingly well for our small space, and I have no complaints. It's just nice to have a place to kick off your shoes and take off your clothing after playing in the snow, but before coming into the actual house.
Brian and I BOTH want to live in a two story home. This stems from childhood. We've lived in one story houses all our lives (well, until moving out for college, etc), and both of us have always wanted an upstairs. We're also healthy people who work out, so hopefully old age won't deal us a card where one or both of us laments a staircase. I can't imagine that though - we both love stairs. This is good, because to get OUT of our current "renter," we have to go upstairs - and our last apartment we had to carry all of our groceries upstairs, and go downstairs to get out. So, having a two story home is also pretty much a prerequisite.
We would absolutely love the following - at least one acre of land or not to see into the neighbor's house, private well/septic, HVAC, central air/heating, fireplace, to be away from a main road, to be close to family, have a covered front patio that you can sit a rocking chair out on and relax.....
I've been looking at homes since Bri and I got married - and in the area in which we live, and let me tell you - a lot of the stuff we want comes with a hefty $$ in this area. While we are about 40-50 minutes away from work, if we were to move much closer to our jobs, we'd be further from family, and that's no bueno. Besides, in my area, MANY people commute to Philly daily, which (taking traffic into consideration) is about 1.5 hour commute one way, every day.
Homes with our wants usually run around $300,000 up here (even with our recession, homes may not be selling for that much, but they are not really coming down in price either...then again, we haven't made an offer yet on anything to see what'll stick).....$300,000 certainly isn't a hefty tag, when those same homes in philly burbs may have $500,000 price tags...But at the same time, homes of our caliber in TX where we've also looked are a lot LESS than $300,000.
ALL THAT TO SAY.....
I found it - I found THE home that I am hoping Brian and I can get in on. Granted, I haven't seen it yet in person, but you know how some things just HIT you? As I said earlier, I've been looking at houses for a few years now, and though I have definitely found quite a few that I really like and were definitely in our price range, nothing really jumped out at me.
SO, I found this house today - It's in our price range (before negotiation, it's at the high end of our range)....4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom colonial....It's one half an acre, but at the same time it's situated in such a way that it's relatively secluded from the neighbors - nobody staring at you in the back yard or in your window. It's also IN a neighborhood within a neighborhood - away from main streets, with optimal play room for kiddos. I actually like neighbors, so hopefully if/when we see this home we can meet a few. I don't know a thing yet about the HOA, other than it's fees (which are reasonable), but we'll see. THe house has public sewage and water, which isn't a big "yay" for me, but at the same time, I've spent the past 10 years of my life drinking public water and sewage and it hasn't been an issue. We use well water now, but still have a PUR filter basin. Probably force of habit from those past 10 years of drinking public water :)
Also, this house has a roof that would be relatively easy to install solar panels, and appears to be upgradable to become more "green" and eco friendly. Backyard has area for a pool, provided Brian and I decide we want to do that. The kitchen is open into the family room (with a wood burning fireplace). I like the open area - and we've had a wood burning fireplace in our last apartment. Right now we use a gas fireplace, but it's not my favorite :)
What is unique about the home is that a couple of the bedrooms have track lighting. I rarely see that in homes. It is tastefully done, but I'd have to see it in person to know how it fits. Oh, the home itself is a little over 2,000 square feet, and it has an attached 2 car garage with an unfinished basement (BUT, the basement has 9 foot ceilings, so it can easily be finished. I'm not so sweet on the idea that the laundry set up is downstairs, but we'll have to see how it all fits together. I can't tell from the description - It might mean that there is an extra laundry hook up available downstairs, but I am assuming the "worst" that I'd have to go into the basement to do my laundry. Yikes!
ALSO, this house has a covered front patio, so I can sit in my little rocking chair and enjoy the rain, or the breeze - Or watch the kids build a snowman in the front yard (if I'm not helping!)....
The lot doesn't seem big enough to warrant a tractor, which is a good thing.
I don't know what's so extra special about this home - I mean, it's not the coolest house I've seen by far, but it seems like it will FIT, you know?
There is a home in my current neighborhood selling for $229,000 - a 5 bedroom 1.3 acre house...between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet, but let me tell you - this house had been foreclosed on a few years ago, and ABANDONED ever since. Every now and then the HOA has a lawn care company come and chop down the forrest in the front and back yard, but for the longest time I've wondered if this house was for Brian and I. I walk by it everyday when my daughter and I go for walks. I had a dream about it the other night though, and the dream threw me. It all but told me this was NOT the house for us. I mean, also, to talk the bank down from $229k...TO tell you the truth, even though we can afford more, we wouldn't be comfortable paying more than $180k for that house! It would probably need a new roof, the entire house would have to be deep cleaned, not to mention whatever other damage happens to abandoned homes...Shame too. I might pay $229,000 for the home if it was in proper order, and in this economy, but not now - not the state that it's in. This house has a lot of property and is in an area I grew up in - Plus, it has it's own septic tank and well water.....It's a bi level though, and not quite what I had in mind when I thought of "a house with stairs."
I am so giddy about this other home I just found though - I can't wait to show it to Brian. Like I said, it's definitely a starter that's move in ready - but it has enough areas where we can upgrade and make it worth a whole heck of a lot more.
Ha...Well, we don't even have enough furniture to put into this house...Maybe we'll be able to knock off $10k and use some of the "extra" $$ to buy a few nice pieces - Or else just wait until we save up and buy piece by piece. Either way works for me. I've been a nomad for so long I want a place to just rest my tired little body and "settle down." Well, the nomad in me will never die completely - I love to travel and get the "travel bug" every so often... But one thing God has been setting into me is to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself in. I know God has plans for Brian and I that appeal to our natures (the ones that tell us to get up and "go")...but at the same time I am learning to "be still" (psalm 45). Not just "be still" in body, but in mind and spirit - in knowing that HE is God, and my whole purpose on this earth is for HIS whole purpose and glory....and just as much as I have that desire to GO, I have that desire to STAY and find new adventures in the world around me. I want roots, too.
I have NEVER put up curtains in any place I've lived after high school because I knew I'd just be going again in a year or two...I only have a couple NICE pieces of furniture because if I am just moving from place to place, why do I need a fancy bookshelf? I would like to be able to purchase things like doormats, a nice curio cabinet that I can start to fill with some things I collect, a nice dining room set....
I mean, I suppose some people live in the same apartment forever and amass such things, but to me, an apartment isn't OURS. Heck, I just want a place again where I can have people over and not feel like I am disturbing others around me. I want a room I can double for a guest room and have family come and stay...You get the idea...
WOW....super long post. Well, I'll probably post a similar topic soon once we actually go and see the house...
haha...In one of my paragraphs I made it sound like I spend my time "drinking public water and sewage."....lol. Grammatical error. I meant to say that I've USED public sewage (not drink it! Yuck!)...Actually, this post is full of errors. I am just so excited while typing that I have fingers of fury...At least there are few spelling mistakes!
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