For those of you who don't know, here's a summary of our housing search so far: We've looked at nine houses; I've really liked two of them.
The first one we found on our visit in early June. It had everything on my list and I was very excited. I've never found a house that had everything on my list: a large yard, an attached two-car garage, a mudroom/laundry room/quarter bathroom that opened to both the garage and the backyard, an eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room, a fireplace, space for a schoolroom on the main floor, a master bedroom with its own bathroom, 3 additional bedrooms, two additional bathrooms, space for a library/family room, space for a chapel or oratory, space for the girls to practice dance and for our elliptical, and ample storage. There were two drawbacks: First, it needed some major cosmetic work. It was decorated in the latest and greatest sixties: foil wallpaper, pink toilets, lavender tile, old carpet, etc. But this was not a big deal for me -- cosmetic stuff is the easiest to fix. The other drawback was it was a little out of our price range -- not a lot, but enough that I would be required to keep working full-time. So we decided to wait and see if the price would drop.
It sold last weekend.
I was bummed. very bummed.
We looked at five more houses this week. We found a beautiful old house near downtown, near our (hopeful) parish, and near some families we've already met. It is a house with a lot of character -- maple and oak floors, beautiful woodwork, stained glass windows. It has a lot of space. It has a lot of potential. We looked at it a second time yesterday and are coming to realize it may have a lot more potential than actual. The major problems appear to be the windows, the plumbing, and the electrical. Those are major problems. We were advised to offer half of what they're asking in order to be able to make these major updates. The house is over 100 years old. It also has a garage that needs to be bull-dozed and rebuilt.
Oh, well ... the search continues.
The first one we found on our visit in early June. It had everything on my list and I was very excited. I've never found a house that had everything on my list: a large yard, an attached two-car garage, a mudroom/laundry room/quarter bathroom that opened to both the garage and the backyard, an eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room, a fireplace, space for a schoolroom on the main floor, a master bedroom with its own bathroom, 3 additional bedrooms, two additional bathrooms, space for a library/family room, space for a chapel or oratory, space for the girls to practice dance and for our elliptical, and ample storage. There were two drawbacks: First, it needed some major cosmetic work. It was decorated in the latest and greatest sixties: foil wallpaper, pink toilets, lavender tile, old carpet, etc. But this was not a big deal for me -- cosmetic stuff is the easiest to fix. The other drawback was it was a little out of our price range -- not a lot, but enough that I would be required to keep working full-time. So we decided to wait and see if the price would drop.
It sold last weekend.
I was bummed. very bummed.
We looked at five more houses this week. We found a beautiful old house near downtown, near our (hopeful) parish, and near some families we've already met. It is a house with a lot of character -- maple and oak floors, beautiful woodwork, stained glass windows. It has a lot of space. It has a lot of potential. We looked at it a second time yesterday and are coming to realize it may have a lot more potential than actual. The major problems appear to be the windows, the plumbing, and the electrical. Those are major problems. We were advised to offer half of what they're asking in order to be able to make these major updates. The house is over 100 years old. It also has a garage that needs to be bull-dozed and rebuilt.
Oh, well ... the search continues.
No advice here but lots of sympathy! The two times we have been in the market for a house everything in our price range was either a fixer-upper, too small, far away from the city or in a scary neighborhood. The first time we chose a small fixer upper. The second time a location just out of the metro. This two income world is difficult for families like ours! Prayers for St. Joseph's intersession for finding a home just right for you!
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