It goes without saying, house hunting has been an emotional roller coaster (although that may have to do with pregnancy hormones.) In the past three weeks, we've spent all our free time looking at houses, over 20 of them so far. One of the first ones we looked at and liked sold as we were looking at it. Another one with lots of potential sold the day before our second showing. We've seen foreclosed houses with mounds of trash, houses that have been sitting empty for months and everything in between.
Then, last weekend, we looked at a cute little 1928 bungalow and I fell in love.
Adorable, right? I mean look at those scalloped shingles! Three bedrooms, a galley kitchen that was almost too large, a beautiful walk-out patio and a cute fenced-in backyard. Plus, I found bunny tracks in the snow, and I consider that a good sign. Sadly, we gave it a second look on Tuesday and ultimately decided that it's not our house. With old houses come tiny bathrooms, narrow staircases, and awkward layouts. The main level "master" bedroom was so tiny that our current bedroom furniture wouldn't fit the space, and the two rooms on the upper level (aka converted attic space) didn't really have access to a bathroom. I don't even want to think about potty training in that house, or carrying a baby up and down the stairs all the time.
And so, the search continues. I've had to mourn the fact that we probably won't have a house before baby girl arrives (which still makes me really anxious) but I know that taking our time with this is worth it. Our perfect house is out there somewhere.
8 comments:
Tis the season, dear Katherine, for blues. We have them here in WV; I wish they were fleeting.
You made such a level-headed decision. I am impressed. Bob told me that I can't like every house we look at, and I feel as if that is precisely what will happen.
Gosh, that has to be hard. We started house-hunting, then had to put the plans on hold until after baby (and even a year or two, unfortunately). It's such a challenge. I know not much can make those "blues" feel better, but just know you have someone that understands as is traveling a similar path at the moment. 12 more days until Spring! :)
It will be the right house at the right time. I can't imagine how tiring that must be and a kind of creative drain. I'm sure every house you see you are running a million ideas a second and that adds up to a lot of crazy brain usage.
Thanks so much for the encouragement everyone!
Keitha - seriously, I like a lot more houses than Chris does! It must be a female thing... maybe it's because we can see the potential in a space. All Chris wants, honestly, is a "dudes room." :)
Kate - House hunting is definitely exciting and nerve wracking all at once. Bummer you had to put it on hold, but I know how hard decisions like that benefit our families more. I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling down in the dumps. Oh spring.
Sharon - you know what, you're totally right, it is such a creative drain! Each house we step into, I automatically consider where our furniture would fit, what paint colors we would use, etc. Maybe if I turned off that part of my brain, I wouldn't feel so stretched right now.
meow, meow. ;)
Gurrl, I can totally relate to house hunting blues! I don't want to be discouraging, but it took us around 9 months to find and close on ours, and have you seen what we ended up deciding to buy? It was not what I had originally imagined ;) Even our realtor, as soon as we walked in said, this isn't the one for you. It's funny how things work out. I was incredibly frustrated after looking at every house and 'losing' houses that we could both agree on even before we could make an offer. This was our third time house hunting and things finally worked out and we got a great deal and it really feels like 'home' now (after our 203k rehabilitation renovation loan- a program that started in the 70's!). We had to compromise on location which made me sad, but the square footage, schools and safety of the neighborhood make up for the 10-15 min drive. You will find something and it will feel like home. That bungalow is pretty adorable. I wish there were more houses like that down here. :)
Baby registry blues are stressful too, but 90% of the things you register for you won't need right away. Plus the stores don't shut down after you have the baby ;) I wish I could give you a huge hug and take you out to lunch.
Spring break is coming soon and there is a lot of sunshine in Florida ;)
So lovely! That house is way too adorable, loving the details of the house!
Hang in there! You'll find something awesome!
Carrie - Ha, but you're totally making your house a home! 9 months does seem like an awfully long time, but it's totally worth it if you can find a place you love. I'm going to email you about the 203k loan... we looked into it a little but it seemed really complicated. And I would loooove to get lunch with you... maybe someday!
Ting - I knoooow, it was so adorable. I'm totally saving the photo as future house-inspiration, for sure.
Cal - thanks! :)
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