Thursday, May 20, 2010

House Hunting - What Do You Think?

Here are the results of our house hunting last weekend. Out of all the homes we looked at this is the one we liked the best. It suits our needs [3 bedrooms, all on one level, minimal stairs in the front]. It is a lovely little home, very cozy and something I can take care of for my family - which excites me! Additional bonus - it is even closer to the Squirrel's college [and no, we didn't do that intentionally - it just happened that way!]
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The house is a 5 year old rambler. It is built over a full unfinished basement but the basement has a bathroom already built in, the electricity is in place and the insulation is in - so we would have to frame out a few rooms, drywall and put down floor if we wanted to finish it - not too shabby [thank goodness the electric and insulation is in, eh?] Upstairs has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen, small dining room with french doors off of the deck and the living room. As I said - just what we need and the right size that I won't be overwhelmed trying to clean and take care of it.
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The front of the home
The kitchen was a nice surprise. All the appliances are new and are the exact ones I would pick. The fridge is the one I have now [love it!] and the ceramic top stop is one I used to have in our old home and my first pick in stoves.
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It is a little tight on cabinet space but I figured we can put shelving in the basement and stock up there since there is no pantry in the kitchen. Wallene has young legs, so it would be her job to retrieve :D We do have enough space for our dishes, pots, pans and stuff.
OH! and a window above the sink - I love that! And the view is spectacular - all trees and yard...not another house to be seen. I am digging the built in microwave - nice touch. The doorway you see is to the basement.
Here is the basement. We would have to have someone drywall the ceiling but we can do the rest ourselves - especially since the handy dandy Brauns are coming east next summer and I just know they want to help us with our DIY project. HA!
Here is the view from the front yard across the street. It is all trees tadpoles - really pretty and quiet. We will have to get used to how dark it is going to be at night - no streetlights in this part of the world. :D And the roads are incredibly windy and gravel. It's the wilderness I tell ya! heehee - but we will be purchasing a four wheel drive pick up just in case.
I can guarantee you if it snows even half as much as it did this past year we will be snowed in for a few weeks at a time. Thank goodness Pooldad works in the business he does and it is slow during the winter. But think of all the snowdays with Wallene home with us? Awesome.
[And no, I am not basing this decision on snow day potential NMM, okay?]

I was talking to a friend about the house and she said that she didn't think I "loved" it and if I didn't love it we shouldn't purchase it because it is such a big investment. I explained that I do really like it and she seemed satisfied. After I was off the phone I got to thinking - and [no offense friend] but I am not looking for a home I love - I am living in a home I love - but it doesn't work for me anymore. As much as I want to stay where we are our needs outweigh our wants - so really no, I don't have to love it - but it certainly needs to fit in the parameters of what works for us. Which this one does wonderfully.
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I can honestly say there are only a few deterents - but nothing we [um... I mean my lovely husband, love ya' honey!] can't overcome. His commute will double from 30 minutes to 60 minutes and there is no trash service for example - but it has more good points - with a bonus being the price - that we are excited to have found something that is really everything we want and need.
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We should be meeting with the realtor tomorrow to put a contract on it. Hopefully we will be accepted and then the dreaded paperwork circus begins, right? [Hi Rudee! Still fresh isn't it? :D]
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Hope everyone has a great day! Love ya!




13 comments:

life in the mom lane said...

Congrats Skippy! I think it is very cute.... :)
I LOVE the location with all the trees- you are going to LOVE the privacy!

OK not to sound stupid... but no trash pick up? what do you do with your garbage then????

RVVagabond said...

SLAM! OWWW! Okay, I'll let the like/love thing pass.

And you know the Brauns work for food. Albeit with salt. Heh. And of course God invented drywall lifts for a reason--like finishing basement ceilings. Been there, done that at Mom's house so yeah, it's doable.

The house IS cute, the woods are lovely, dark and deep, and I hope the sale goes smoothly.

word vert: agstomie. Agstomie and Denny, Skippy wrote posts two days in a row. Pppbbbhhhtttt!!!

ellen abbott said...

It looks like you have room to build a small pantry in the kitchen. No pictures of the bedrooms? I guess the house extends back a ways because it sure doesn't look that big from the front. French doors to the back deck sound nice. It looks like a fine house to me. And the woods are magnificent. Just send your trash in with Pooldad. We don't have trash pick-up here either. Or we do but we have to pay extra for it. so far we are just taking it in with us on our weekly trips to the city.

I don't think you need to 'love' the house. Liking it and having it fill your needs is good enough. Once you get in it and make it your own, you will love it. No place is going to be perfect and it sounds like this one has way more positives than not.

SkippyMom said...

Hey Barb - we can do what Ellen says - take it into the city [Pooldad's work actually] or wait and take it to the dump once a week. Three of us don't really generate that much - I do have to find the recycling center tho'.

Linda - SLAM? huh? LOL I wasn't slamming Mama - I really got to thinking - what if I didn't LOVE it, was I making a mistake? Then I realized I need the house more than I need to love it, y'know? And NO you aren't drywalling my ceiling - we are all too old for that noise. heehee....and yes I can still cook with salt, just for you.

Hey Ellen - nope, no room to build one - the one open wall is a closet in the hallway with the laundry in it and the rest of the walls have the few electrical outlets/switches - but since it is only 3 of us [most of the time] I don't think it is to worry about.

And no pics of the bedrooms because they are pretty pedestrian...LOL 12x15 mbr, 12x11 and 12x10 girls' rooms - nothing exciting - nuetral carpet - although one room IS bright blue. hee.

Thanks for the comments tadpoles - I appreciate the input.

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

I know I am weighing in late but that's me better late than well late. You know how you had that flash of "what if"? I am so glad you let it go. I personally think we put too much stock in having to have a house we love. Sweet Man and I have made do, and I say that in a good way, for the last two moves. It's kinda a game. You just have to have the right mind set. I grew up in this house. Not my dream house, not my vision house, but it keeps the rain off, the cold out, my crafting things safe and we get to sleep indoors at night....what can I say. As much as my Mom loved things, I don't. Cuz when push comes to shove, I can live anywhere so long as I can be happy inside me. That's why the Brauns may have worked their magic on me and SM. The open road calls, well really the adventure and people.
So I think ya dun gooder.
The woods look like they might just have some fairy folk to watch...lucky you.
The Olde Bagge, Linda the other

Jeannie said...

If it suits your needs and simplifies life, I think it will become what you love especially once you make the little changes that make it your own. Don't envy the commute but travel doesn't bother some people. Hope he's one. If he doesn't have an mp3 player, get him one and lots of his favourite music or maybe recorded books so his drive becomes an oasis of calm.

Phelan said...

Wonderful! Huzzah on the house! My husband drives 40 mins now, 2 hours when we move. But in the long run it will be with it.

mi said...

very cute!

and you're right, you don't have to love the house.

you love your family and that's why your getting this house so you can better take care of them.

can't wait to see the pics after you've moved in and made it yours.

Rudee said...

I like it. It looks comfortable and inviting, and so does all the greenery that surrounds the home.

Good luck!

Amy said...

My heart skipped a beat when i saw all those trees! What a great house! I am so excited for you! (that's a lot of !!!)

It sounds like the perfect set up. The basement - what a deal. I don't think it takes that much to frame and drywall. I am sure you could find someone to help out with that.

I hope everything works out. I have always found that you don't have to LOVE a house when you buy it, it just needs to feel right.

Have a good day. xoxo

Diane Laney Fitzpatrick said...

It's a great house! Pooldad is a gem for increasing his commute. Looks like the kitchen is brand new. I'm so excited for you!

Teresa said...

it sounds totally awesome! that is exactly what i'm looking for, too - not a house i love but one i can live with and that suits our needs. we may not be as fortunate due to other things (more in a post on my blog about that) but totally love yours. i'd fall for it, too.

you can also do burning of trash (outside city limits this is quite common) and then find recycling center for non-burnable items.

Michaela said...

I think it's lovely, and perfect for you! My only query - about the trash - has already been answered. So, yeah. Go for it! Hugs, M. xxxooo