Getting closer to a decision

[linaewen]

Well, we spent the morning looking carefully over all the houses we are interested in, plus one that looked promising and had just come down in price.  It was immediately obvious that the last one would not do, not at all, so that was good to know.  We also eliminated one house from the running, as being too shabby, too much in need of a lot of work, and not worth the work we would put into it because the neighborhood is not going anywhere but down from where it is now.

Two houses remain, the one I named as my dream home in an earlier post, and another, which is smaller and cheaper, but just as much a contender as the other.

Having had some more experience looking at houses, I was able to determine that my "dream home" is not as much of a dream home as it was when I first met it.  It has some issues that make it not the best buy in some ways; I would still be very happy to own it, however.  *sighs over the yard*  The other house is better in some ways, and while it needs some updating inside, it would be pretty easy to do, and would not involve repatching someone else's patchwork remodeling.  It has a few issues involving the heating that we need to look into.

Some cool things about House number two include:

• dark hardwood floors, with not a lick of carpeting.  (Carpeting is nice, but my asthma is always better without it, so this makes me happy.)  The floors need some freshening up of their finish, but that's easy to do -- DH is an expert now, after our time of remodeling at the old Guest House.
• fireplace -- a real one with a mantle!  We would probably change it from wood burning to gas.
• an office off the living room with french doors and bookshelves built in
  
• nice sized kitchen (it needs some remodeling to make a better arrangement for the fridge, but that won't be too hard to do, and it can be used as is easily).  I can have either a gas stove or an electric, it is set up for both; if we buy this house, I think I shall go with gas -- that is what I am used to from Pakistan.
  
• dry, non-musty basement that will work well to make into a family room

It's surprisingly old-looking inside, but quaintly so -- it reminds me of my grandmother's house in many ways.  The outside and the windows have all been modernized, it's just the inside that needs work now.  But nothing needs to be done until we are ready, it's quite okay as it is.  It is small, with only one bathroom, but there is room for expansion in the basement.  The yard is not as private as the one at the other place, but it is still quite nice and plenty large, and the garage is big enough to make my Hubby sigh over it happily.  It's on a corner, so we would be responsible for quite a lot of snow removal come winter, but that goes with the territory.  ;-)

We have a few things to look into before we make a final decision.  At this point, I am almost ready to let Hubby make the final decision -- the things that will swing the decision one way or another are the things that  Hubbies know about.  I shall be content either way.  In the meantime there will be lots of praying and talking and thinking, so keep us in your thoughts!

Comments

[gondoriangirl.livejournal.com]

I am so excited for you guys! You so deserve to be in a house so you can take care of a garden and your hubby can stay busy.

What are the positives and negatives of both places? What does your guy say?

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

Purely from a fixer-upper standpoint, my guy likes the one pictured here, as well as really liking the garage, which is larger. I think he likes the yard, too, because he wants to garden as well! We are making a list of the positives and negatives to see if it will help us decide on the fine points. Once we make an offer we are pretty much committed, so we want to be sure we choose the right one!

[gondoriangirl.livejournal.com]

*continues to pray* You will have an email coming soon. (((Margaret)))

[gondoriangirl.livejournal.com]

LOL! I meant gut...not guy! LOL!

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

Hee! Well, the answer's the same, I guess. Hubby likes the feel of the smaller house, because it is straightforward and will be easy to work with whenever we decide to fix it up. He's got good gut feelings about things like that. My gut seems to be agreeing with his so far, so that's good!

[(Anonymous)]

Oooooooo I like this one too! The other one is cuter, but the dry basement is a definite grabber for me. Having grown up in a house with a basement (in a part of the country where they aren't common) I do appreciate them! Prayers continuing for you! ~~ LHB

[faramirgirl.livejournal.com]

The house looks nice.

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

Thanks, my dear! It does seem to be a very nice little bungalow.

[tuilelindowen.livejournal.com]

Oh, this one looks very sweet. I can picture some shutters on the outside and there's some room to have a really nice garden with a winding path if you wish. LOTS of potential and it all looks in really good shape to start with. Being on a corner lot you have room for a really nice private yard with tall privet hedging. As you know, I'm into hedging -- have a lot of experience since that is how we make garden rooms in our Ithilien...

Smiles, Tuile

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

Shutters would be nice! We want to get a nice decorative door for the front, as it is rather plain as it is.

Good news on your progress! We shall have to compare moving notes, as well.

[mumstheword54.livejournal.com]

Ooh, this one seems nice too!

I'd think that putting in a bathroom and laundry room downstairs would be pretty easy. And having a cosy family room downstairs would be nice. Also lots of storage possibilities.

Nice deck, siding, and windows; corner lot (!); trees (!!); hardwood floors *faint*; gas fireplace (better for asthma too); office with French doors and builtins!

Yes, a pro-&-con list is called for, but this one sounds pretty nice!

We'll keep praying for the right choices, and for any problems to show themselves before you have to decide.

*big hugs*

[estellye.livejournal.com]

So cool! Down to two and feeling more confident. Both houses do have their merits. This really is so exciting! I am glad you are feeling so good about the success of the day! ((((Lin))))