In the last week, we've moved to an apartment, cleaned up our old townhouse, closed on our old townhouse, and still continued our search for a new house...with no luck! It has been a really busy week, as well as an emotional one! I had no idea how emotional I would be leaving my house....i love that house! I was happy to see that a nice military guy was buying it from us. Our apartment is nice. We were a little shocked to see that the ENTIRE apartment is hardwood flooring! Not a stitch of carpet anywhere....we quickly bought a rug for the family room to give us SOMEWHERE to play tickle monster on! It's also really loud, and we're on the top floor, I can't imagine what the people below us our thinking...the flying toys must sound like elephants or something! The apartment is cute, but it's a little hard having half of my stuff in storage and the other half in boxes in the apartment. I have lots of things put away, but other stuff I have no idea where it is. Like my church shoes...i have no idea where they are right now, I guess I can't go to church tomorrow :) I definitely don't hate the apartment, I just hate the fact that I have no idea where we'll be in the next couple months and that I have to move TWICE...ugghhh! But we'll enjoy our time around our Maryland friends a little longer!
As far as the house hunt goes, it is sooo frustrating!! Really, you don't need to read this, I think I'm just doing blogtherapy right now. It is so competitive and it really discourages me. We've looked at all of the foreclosures that are in our price range and basically are just waiting for new things to come on the market. The foreclosures are such good deals (and what we can afford) that they are so competitive and are on and off the market in days. When a new one comes on the market, everyone goes to see it! We went and looked at a house yesterday and it had been on the market for one day. There were already about 8 business cards on the counter and while we were there for 1/2 hour four people came to see it!!! So, anyway, we are starting to feel a little desparate, but we're not sure if we should or not. We are in our apartment lease for 3 months, but I don't want to be too picky and lose out on something. So, this house we saw yesterday was nice, about a 7/10. It would look even nicer with new carpet and paint. But, the backyard is basically non existant, but there is a elementary school RIGHT next door and so our side yard would go into the school property and playground. The hard part is just the comparing it to other houses we bid on that we're WAY better. This one is a little cheaper though, but not a ton cheaper. There is also another nice house that is an hour away from Dan's work (the other houses we've been looking at are about 30-40mins). We have lots of friends that live out there, which would be awesome, but we haven't wanted to look that far out yet. But, the houses down there are cheaper and one was just lowered to $100k less than other stuff we've been looking at. So, what do you think....farther and cheaper??? Or closer to work? Backyard or no backyard?? What's important to you if you were buying a house??
Okay, if you actually read all this you're probably really bored by now. Hopefully we'll have a house soon so I can post about something different! I'll also post some pictures of our apartment soon.
New Adventure Coming
7 years ago
13 comments:
You got to love how the news and people make it seem like there are a ton of cheaper places to buy right now. We have looked off and on but buying foreclosures and short sales can be a huge pain in the butt. Everyone is looking to get a good deal. I am sure now that the stimulus passed the market is going to get even more competitive.
Now to Buy cheaper and farther away or more expensive and closer. That is so tricky. For me having my husband closer by is more important. However, that being said he can come home from work whenever I call unlike a lot of other jobs. And here in Vegas the closer to work the more ghetto it gets so we pay a little more to live farther out. Not that 20 minutes is a bad commute. I must say though that when we last moved we paid a little more just so we could be closer to friends, so we could be a in a great ward and have a great school close by. When you don't have family close by the first two are so important.
Any how, this was long. I hope things get better soon and you will find the right house for you and your family. We are thinking of starting to look at houses again. I am sure I will have a lot of rants on my blog too.
sorry it has been so frustrating but, oh please oh please come out our way!! we would all love it and how nice would it be to have instant friends!
I have to admit farther away and cheaper is the route that we went but not really for that reason. There are 1,000 things I would change about my next house but overall it was the feeling that I felt when I first saw this house. It isn't anything special but the first time I walked into the back yard I felt like I was home. I think that feeling like you are home is what I look for. It might be the neighborhood, the town or even a specific house but if you have that on multiple houses then I would probably choose to have as much land (yard) as possible. I am not very talented at gardening but I think it is an important skill that I am trying to learn.
YES a backyard! where will your dog go potty? :) check for flooding if you can. DO NOT SETTLE! we are so hating our house right now...if only we could turn back the clock. My advice-get what you want, darn the costs. That's where we made our mistake, we went cheaper and 4 years later really want to start over.
You've heard it all before from us, so you'll probably just tune this out, but Dan's commute really will be the same from Bristow as it is from here...plus he'd be able to carpool, thus saving even more $ on gas!
I agree with Tiffany, land/yard is a good thing to have. I've hear people regretting being SO close to schools before. You can end up with hoodlums destroying things that you'd rather not be destroyed. (because of your close proximity to the school grounds you'd be an easy target)
All that being said, I personally WAY more prefer the quietness of being a little further from civilization. Living in a 'small town' is just right for me. If it's not for you, then it's not for you! (Although we do have access to everything our heats could desire within a 15 to 20 minute drive.)
"ZZZZZZZzzzzzz....."
I mean, move to Indy. We've got beautiful new McMansions here for cheap. Wouldn't be much further a commute than what you're considering already; straight shot on I-70.
"ZZZZZZZzzzzzz....."
I mean, move to Indy. We've got beautiful new McMansions here for cheap. Wouldn't be much further a commute than what you're considering already; straight shot on I-70.
I agree with go what feels like home. When I walked into our house I instantly felt like this was home. Even with the grey walls and magenta trim everywhere. You'll figure it out. As the kids get bigger, you'll appreciate having some yard to send them out to play in. I've heard that being next to a school can be trouble. Good luck! We love you guys.
I hope these varying opinions on your question don't confuse you further. But since you did ask, my vote goes for living closer to work. Personally, I HATE to commute. I don't enjoy time in traffic, but I do enjoy family time. And what if gas prices jump back up to their previous high levels? I say buy a house you truly love in a great location, even if it costs you more...as long as you can truly afford it, of course. (I know everything isn't that black and white, so good luck!)
You know John and I have moved several times and most times we looked at a million houses and bid on a few before the right one came along. I think the most important thing is to love the house. ESPECIALLY if you are going to be there for awhile. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should give you that cozy home feeling. You will be happier in the long run. If you just go by 'cheap and close to work' (which sure sounds nice) or settle for one that is OK, you might regret not waiting for that really great house. If you find one with a backyard, definitely a plus!! I know how frustrating it is... but keep searching. It will be worth the wait and great for the kids. Hope this helps!
It sounds like you got great advice from everyone...I have to agree with all them, that when you find the right home you will know! As far as the commute thing goes--you know how I feel, and I would go for a yard!! We will keep you in our prayers and hope you find your home soon!!!!!
For me personally I would live closer. You'll end up hating the commute! And it will be so nice to have him closer in case you do need something or just want to visit him at work or meet him for lunch or something like that. And definitely yes on a yard.
I feel your pain. Buying a house is so frustrating. It's so exciting but the biggest pain in the butt! Don't settle, you'll regret it. Find something you love and that you know what you can work with. We struggled with where to buy a home because of the commute and we opted for closer and i haven't regreted it yet. The one regret I have is I wish for a bigger yard. Happy hunting! Hang in there, it's worth it in the end.
Post a Comment