Dan and I have been out to see 3 more houses. This week chronicled:
- The Cat House. The Cat house smelled like cat. Each bed had a body pillow under the blankets that looked suspiciously like a body. There was also a hot tub in the basement… which caused an awful lot of black mould to grow along the once-white baseboards.
- The Fun House. The Fun house had a brand new, beautiful kitchen, sunken living room, gas fire place, 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, huge lot… but the stairs and upper floor were like a fun house. There was something seriously wrong with the floors, and I can imagine after a glass of wine or two how much vertigo I might get. Good thing I don’t drink! Also, The doorways were only about 6′ tall. Not so great for my husband, who is taller than that. I foresaw many bruised foreheads in our future.
- The Old House. I like the old house. It is big. It has a claw foot bath tub, with painted gold feet and original faucet. It has beautiful molding (that needs to be painted white). It has 3 bedrooms + a sewing room. It has a front porch that needs a rocking chair and a few plants, and a sign on the door that reads “HOME.”
The Old House is in the running! Cons to the old house:
There is no flooring in the kitchen- The kitchen needs to be re-done, but paint, new tile, and a new countertop would get us going for a few years
- It is electric heat. We would want to install a new gas furnace (Duct work is there).
- It does not have a garage, but has a workshop. There is room for a Garage.
- The side porch needs replacing… or removing
- The house is on a slight… slant. But we are finding most of the houses have wonky floors, tilty walls, or strange angles.
- Nearly everything is painted navy blue… or bright yellow. Trim included.
- I don’t feel excited about this house. I feel like there is a lot of work to do prior to move in.
Pros to the old House:
- Dan and I both have dreamed of owning a lovely older home
- we have the opportunity to make it our own! With a little craftiness (and we are crafty) I think we could do it on the cheap.
- CLAW FOOT BATH TUB. Yes, I know they are a pain to wash under, but they are so pretty
- Pretty molding
- Large lot
- SEWING ROOM
- New steel roof, new insulation, new wiring, new plumbing, new bathroom on main floor
- It has a basement
- It comes with the most adorable Play House in the backyard. We would have to have a little girl.
- Front Porch is perfect for sitting and people watching
- 1400 square feet.
- With some elbow grease, I think it would have good resale value
- Dan really likes the house. And I like it when Dan is happy <3
I feel like at this point, we’ve looked at so many houses – it’s like when I was wedding dress shopping. At the end of the day, I had looked at so many I had no idea which one to choose. Each had pros and cons and none seemed better than the others…
What are your words of wisdom when it comes to buying a house?
1 Comment
Jennie
November 4, 2011 at 5:45 pmYou had me at claw foot tub.
Our words of wisdom, look for something with a good foundation (not literally…well literally too). The new roof, wiring and plumbing is huge! The cosmetic stuff you can take care of yourself- plus it's super fun to do!!!
Good luck!! I hope you get something you love!