Is the saying "big girl panties" real? or did I just make that up? I'm real sleep deprived right now. P has Hand, Foot, and Mouth...and is miserable at night. I got a karate chop to the throat last night....with a foot. So ya...we haven't been sleeping well here.
Anyways, some of those times in life....well so far I think I've only had 2.
1. First night home from the hospital with a new baby. Scratch that...first day home alone with a new baby.
2. Buying a house.
We are currently tackling number 2.
As you may know, we sold our house in June. I believe closing was almost exactly a week from it being on the market for a year. Lucky for our Realtor. So now, we live in my in-laws basement.
Luckily for me, I have the best in-laws you could as for.
So our plan....well our plan. You know what they say about plans. One day Thane and I were talking and we both decided our plan wasn't going to work. Too much time, too many unknowns, too much money. All things we don't have or don't like...or both.
We decided we should look into buying a house. So that Saturday I text my friend Beth and said "Hey, I have a list of houses I want to see...can you make that happen?" and on Wednesday she did.
You know what is annoying about house hunting online? When you really like a house and then hear there is already an accepted offer in on it. Why don't they post online!? I get that a sale isn't final until closing day..but come on. Way to get my hopes up, like 8 times, and then stomp on them.
There were two houses I really liked, one here in town and Barneveld. Wednesday night were the houses in town. Both were old, both were in our budget,. one for sure had promise....and then you walked in. Sigh.
The first one, was charming. It had a great living room, master bedroom, and kitchen. But, I wasn't quite ready to look past the cement closets that you couldn't really get your arm in. Or the "third bedroom" which was part of the attic and had been thrown together, clearly staged. When we walked up the steep stair, the sweltering heat hit you and you couldn't breath....and it wasn't even that hot out! This house also had a creepy basement. Like so creepy I thought someone was still living in it and using the carpeted dry bar and were going to jump out at us at any moment...and eat our faces.
Crossed it off the list. No go. I didn't want to have to kick out the squater in the basement, or worry about my face.
Next house. There was a shower in the closet. A shower. In the closet. In a bedroom.
No.
We set up times for Saturday to look at houses in Barneveld. There was one house there that I was in love with. Just in love. If you had to buy houses without going to see them, I would have bought this one.
Well, thank god they don't make you do that. How dumb would that be?
So my dream house, let's check off all the things I've always wanted that this house had...
- colored front door...check.
- cute swing on the front porch that would have been written in the offer...check
- cute little alcove closet...check
- dining room with super cool window seat windows...check (I was in love.)
- kitchen with under cabinet lights, an island, and a backsplash...check.
- huge deck....oh the deck....check, check, check
- surround sound speakers on said deck...check!!
Then we got upstairs. Our closet was too small for both of us so we would have to build one, one bedroom didn't' have a closet...and the bathroom was the size of a closet.
Then we go back downstairs and look around, this time without the rose colored glasses and I realize something. We are a growing family, (NO..not yet), where the hell were the toys going to go??? No room. At all. Anywhere. #heartbroken We left trying to think of ways to make the house work, but in reality...if you have to think that hard its not the right fit for your family.
Next house.....was super scary. The kitchen cabinets had no doors. The spiral staircase to the basement, yes..spiral staircase, barely had a railing. and the porch smelled like weed. The house after, which was diagonal from the scary house, had a garage that neither of our cars could fit in and the neighborhood was sketch. When you have to turn and ask your husband if he locked the car, maybe you shouldn't live there.
The last house, I walked in and gasped.
It was beautiful and old. Such character. There was a room off the dining room that would make the perfect playroom. This was promising. We walked into the kitchen and I loved it. My dream of having a beautiful house was coming true...until Thane says..."So you will enjoy doing laundry in the kitchen?" Ugh...what?!?! Yup, laundry hookup in the kitchen. Problem solver that I am, we could get front loads and put a counter top on top! Nope...they had to be stacked on top of each other. In the kitchen.
This house also boasted 3 rooms...one room being my playroom. and the rooms upstairs...well they sucked.
House hunting is SO stressful. Although, I did learn something. I don't like newer houses. While they are beautiful, I like older places with character. Dark wood trim, beautiful wood staircase..stuff like that. Luckily, Thane feels the same way :)
None of these houses had everything.
Let the search continue...to part 2.
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