So Hubby and I are working away on Goal#2 for TwentyTwelve. I am knee deep in house hunting mud. I admit, I have dreamed of this time for years, YEARS, yet now I'm impatient and frustrated. We have SO much to learn. I'm not completely clueless, thanks to HGTV, home bloggers, and the internet. I've also mentioned my addiction to Zillow, previously. However, I still feel like a First Year Student wondering what I've gotten myself into!
This past weekend we had a couple of good learning experiences. Hubby and I went to see a house in our current neighborhood. The pictures online showed an updated kitchen and clean house. After driving by, we noticed it was one block from a lovely park with playground. Additionally, it was 5-6 blocks from the beach. Oh, and in our price range. Well, the showing was a disaster. It was a multi-level house. The railings were wide (my two year old could walk thru them) and plentiful. There was an indoor balcony over the living room (WTH??) off the master and a small balcony outside. Outside was a nice large deck, however, we noticed some places were rotting. Toward the end of the showing, Handsome tripped and bumped into a door frame. He would not calm down. We ended up leaving shortly afterwards. He cried for about an hour.
- We learned we need to see more houses. Online pictures are not sufficient.
- Childcare is a necessity if Hubby and I want to see houses together.
- Think of resale when you are buying. If the seller is having
difficulty convincing you, are you going to have the same issue when you
sell?
A few days later, I meet with a Buyer's Agent suggested to me by our mortgage lender. (alone while hubby kept the kiddos) She answered questions, asked me a few, then took me out to look at some developments. We toured a few custom homes being built and she discussed building as an option. Honestly, hubby and I haven't even thought about building, especially a custom build. We didn't think it was in our price range. She showed me places farther away from the ocean, but in a wooded area on a lake. It was still quiet and beautiful, and 10-15 minutes from the beach. The afternoon was overwhelming with information. That evening, I drove through the areas to show Hubby.
- Branching out your search with a professional allows you to learn of more options.
- Driving through neighborhoods is a vital starting place to see where you want to live.
While I've been waiting for this time for ages, I wasn't prepared for the stress level and information overload. It's a lot to process at once. Finding the perfect house for your family is a daunting task; one that I am excited to take on.
2 comments:
How exciting for you two!!! I love looking at houses, until it came time to buy and we didn't agree on anything. Just my opinion on buying something you think won't sell later on. We bought a 3 bd 1 bth in St. Louis that was on the market for a long time in a hot market. I was worried we wouldn't be able to sell it w/ only one bath. Which the bath shared w/ all bedrooms on the main floor, no master suite. Luckily we finished the basement to add another bath and ended up selling our house in 6 days. So, you never know if those issues will be of concern to the next buyer. I wish you luck on finding the perfect home!
it is a tough process to narrow down what you want in your price range. It depends on how long you want to stay in the house. So many options to what is possible. Just take your time and be sure as it is the biggest decision you will make.
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