Houses

Today was The Big Day. The day Beth & I (and Ben) toured my top 6 or 7 house choices with a real estate agent. It was great to finally get a look inside the houses I've driven by at least 2 or 3 times in the past month.

I have put this off because A.) I hate dealing with a pushy, opinionated, or uninformed real estate agent. Fortunately, Carolyn wasn't any of those and we got along famously. I was a little apphrehensive when I saw that she was older (in her 60's), but she kept up with me & Beth like a spring chicken ;)

B.) I know it's supposed to be fun, but seems like when it's MY money on the line, fun flies out the window. I dunno.

But on the other hand, touring houses satisfies that deep voyeuristic part of me that has existed since we were kids, driving from state to state with Dad, playing "That' MY house!" I would always get so excited when someone left their curtains open, so I could see the inside of the house...how they decorated, the layout, what they were watching on tv....you're a little bit creeped out right now, huh.


But it went great. Carolyn, my new BFF, didn't think we'd be able to see all 7 houses in one day without our heads exploding, but I was pretty confident we'd be okay, as long as she could keep up. We actually covered all 7 in 5 hours exactly. Prolly would have taken even less time if she had known her speedometer has 60 mph and above on it for a reason...but that's another story.

So, here are the 7 houses we looked at and the reasons I kept or eliminated them from the list. I'm counting down from my least favorite to most liked:

Does this need ANY other explanation?!

I know some of you are saying, but you can fix ugly! But The Experiment in Incredibly Bad Taste was also the smallest (900+ sq ft), and had no tub in the one bathroom. WHAT??? Where would I talk myself out of running away while eating Ghiradelli chocolate and reading trashy romance novels?! (JK, Mom)

Plus, and I should mention this now, I am willing to do cosmetic repairs but I have to draw the line at a full on makeover or reconstruction. Chad has no home repair skills or tendencies, and I have all of the desire and none of the drive. I love a great makeover story...in theory. For someone else. But I've seen too many people live 10 years in a construction zone - NO THANK YOU! My favorite phrase yesterday was "move in ready!"

Anyway, this house also boasted of something even Carolyn had never seen in her 100 years as an RE agent:

What's wrong with this picture?

Keep in mind, that is the BEDROOM, with the pretty glass (SEE THROUGH) door. Thankfully not the master bedroom. I'm thinking maybe I don't corner the market on sneaky kids - whatcha think??? Now, if it were bullet proof glass....

Anyway, so that one is off the list for, among other things, no bath tub, no space, and just plain bad taste. Also a less than stellar, or even safe, neighborhood, but who's counting reasons at this point.

This next one was quite a disappointment. I was already half in love with it due to the 2.8 acres &1925 sq ft of house, but there was reason they didn't post pictures of the inside - Layout From Hell. Ever been in a house where you have to go from one end to the other any time you need something? This house just made NO sense. A 1998 doublewide/permanent foundation and they are asking $75,000. It is the farthest away from Chad's job, meaning at least a 30 minute drive one way, but he is willing, if the land & price are right.

By the way, I keep saying "house" but technically, all but 2 of the 7 were double wide trailers, or manufactured homes, as they prefer to be called ;)

Beth hates this one because, for one thing, it is about 25 minutes from her house to mine. May be why I liked it so much...until I saw the inside.

After that, it just went downhill...literally. All 2.8 acres on the side of a mountain, meaning no swing set, no trampoline, no garden. Carolyn referred to it nicely as "unusable land." In fact, about the only thing that land was good for growing was creepy crawly things...and possibly bears. Again, no thank you!

You know, as I look through the pictures of this one, I do like so many things about the house. But when I was actually in it, there was just something off. I don't know. I may want to check this one out again. It would definitely need some cosmetic stuff done to it. For one thing, why do you want carpet in the bathroom? That's just unsanitary and so nasty to me. Then, why put the fireplace in the same room as the kitchen? Usually the last thing you want to do after slaving over a hot stove is fire up the fireplace!

But I do love the garden tub in the master bath, with separate shower. I hate a toilet in the same room as the sink & tub. A dividing wall at least, please! Plus, this one had the most square footage of any we looked at - almost 2,000 sq ft.

The back yard from Hell:

Most of the land is just like this:


Now that I look at the pictures I took on the side of the hill, it could be cleared out enough for the kids to have a clubhouse. Plus, Chad would love to make all kinds of four wheeler trails up there. It just wasn't what I wanted. So, not totally off the list just yet (sorry, Beth!).

My favorite picture of the day:

He got a little bored with it all and decided to find some 'toons.

Okay, this next one is the least expensive. It's a repo'd HUD 2003 double wide (they were all on permanent foundations btw), for $49,000. Yes, I know that is a great deal. But did I mention I'm not a fixer-upper kind of gal? But, the things I'll do to save a buck...or 30,000. I didn't get as many pictures as I should have, but the gist is, 1 acre of undetermined boundaries, right off the highway. As in, my driveway is right off the highway. As in, my boys could ride their bikes into the four lanes of traffic. I have a mini panic attack every time I think about that one.

So, a potential fix is to either have the driveway moved to the left, coming in from the road 10 feet past those trees, or come in off the neighbors driveway, halfway down, and fence off the end of mine that leads to the highway. Permits, dozers, money. But doable.

Plus, the immediate front yard is a horse pen. Now, imagine my boys looking at that wire fence every day. How many days until they decided to climb over & pet the pretty horses? Um...less than 10 minutes, based on the same scenario but with dogs.

The back already has a nice sized deck, plus a concrete slab, presumably to keep water from pooling.

There are two things that sell a house when it comes to women: the kitchen and the bathroom. Now, does that perpetuate a stereotype or what? But, totally true in my case, so I cannot deny. This kitchen stinks, in my opinion. It's neither open nor closed...it's just THERE. Boring. But, livable. It's just a starter home, as Beth keeps reminding me.

I do love the sliding glass doors off the dining room, leading to the back deck. We grill about 5 days a week, on average, so convenience is key.

This house will need the most cosmetic work, of course. New carpet in master bedroom and living room. Needs a fridge & stove. Patch holes in the living room wall. But it potentially has an awesome view. The front faces the mountains, and once the leaves fall off the forest in front of us, we will have a spectacular view. And Autumn will be lovely out there, as well.

Also, had 1700+ sq ft, I think, with four bedrooms & 2 baths and a beautiful stone gas fireplace. So, potential, but not "move in ready."

Okay, this one has the best potential for price & move in readyness: $69,900 for 3 bdrm, 2 bath (and one office/bdrm) 1995 doublewide on permanent foundation. I had to recheck the date on this one, because it doesn't look that old at all. Just needs paint to be move in ready, too.

Nice sized yard, at 100x200 (sq ft, I assume) and fenced in. That is about .46 acres (almost half) or two city lots. It is out in the country, but right off a semi busy road.


Yesterday made me ask more than once - what were they thinking! There is just no account for bad taste, people. Repaint before you sell, at least! I think it's a repo.

With this one, I hate the living room set up. There is no wall for my couch, so I'd have to do that middle of the floor layout, which stinks. Also hate the master bathroom. Plain old tub, two doors in & out. But master has a huge closet, then another almost unnecessary walk in closet. It was a surprise to find it has an office/library that can be a fourth bedroom. Legally, if a room doesn't have a closet, it can't be listed as a bedroom. All those years of home improvement and house hunting shows has finally paid off!

All in all, this one is high on the list. Tied for #2, actually.

Here is the other #2 contender: a cute as a button, totally move in ready, but smallish (1180+ sq ft) 2004 manufactured home. The only two cons for this one, in fact, is it is a bit small (just less to clean, right?) and the price: $79,000. If you've been keeping up, I have $8,000 to put down, and we want to keep the loaned amount at $63,000 or less. Preferably less.

I have to say, I LOVED her color schemes, both inside and out. The lady living there is older, probably retired, and she has GREAT taste - something lacking from almost every other one we looked in. I'm assuming she is wanting to move to either something smaller, Florida, or to be near her children. I'm big on assumptions. And yes, what they say about making assumptions is true. Frequently. Actually, I really try *not* to make assumptions...mostly because I have fulfilled that saying many times before. (Right, Michelle?)

The Cat Room
Luckily, there was no cat odor whatsoever. Of course, I did have a head cold. But Beth, who swerves to hit cats, said so as well.

This house had 3 bedrooms and two baths. The master bath had a jetted tub. This was the first house we saw and I wanted to buy it on the spot. That is why I have a realtor...to keep me from bidding on the first how I see.

The owner had put in a few really nice touches, including the cute track lighting over the sink, in the center, and over the stove. I seriously loved everything about the inside and outside of this house!

The only con could be that there is no deck, and no door leading directly to the back yard. But the yard is a gorgeous, a level 100x200, fenced, with a concrete slab already in place. So, not an issue, really. But price is. Location is perfect, by the way...about 15-20 minutes from Chad's job, with a country feel, a view of mtns in the winter, and nice, quiet neighbors with kids.

Okay, and here is the final, and favorite, house. Another 2003 double wide/permanent foundation home (one year older than previous house, suprisingly). It is priced almost the same as the previous home, at $79,900. Four bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen to kill for, and an almost perfect master bath.

It already has a perfect deck for grilling...and check out that level back yard:


Ignore the power lines and leaves - there are gorgeous mountains under that grey sky!

View of the front yard:

Now, Mom & I have a little disagreement over this one. She unlovingly refers to the community it is in as a "Trailer Park." Her nose snarls up a little bit each time she says it, too. The realtor that listed it called it a "Manufactured Home Community." Tomayto/Tomahto. Plus, she is not a big fan of a cul de sac. But that is what we lived on when we were stationed at Andrews AFB, MD, and it ended up being really good for the kids. Always a friend to play with, the perfect place to ride their bikes, and eyes every where for when they did something they shouldn't. Which can also be a bad thing LOL.

Anyway, it's a beautiful drive toward the river & mountains, with the best view; undetermined land, but definitely less than one acre. And the most expensive. But this is why it's my favorite:

Left side of kitchen:

Right side of the kitchen. Heaven for a cook, yes?
Living room into the dining room shot:

Yes, a stone gas fireplace, and that awesome window off the dining area. The ONLY con I could find was, I hate carpet in the dining room. Seriously...who does that? Childless, petless single people maybe. No offense, Beth.

This next shot is just weird to me:

I like the glass shower okay. Seems a little strange and voyeuristic, but again, I am one of those, in a clean, open-your-living-room-curtains sort of way. Do love the tub, even though it's not my preferred garden tub.

And finally, someone catered to my personal pet peeve:

A separated potty! You can't really tell by this picture alone, but the potty is mostly private from the tub & shower, so you aren't soaking in bubble bliss, staring at a nasty comode. I'm just sayin'!

Are you on info overload yet? I was! I already had a terrible head cold and when the Starbucks sugar high left my system, I crashed hard. I couldn't talk or think houses until today really. I did enjoy it all, even the one we ran screaming from due to the stain in the bedroom. Beth said blood, but Carolyn and I chose to believe "pet" stain. A pet elephant, apparently. Sorry, Louise, didn't stay long enough to get pictures.

So, there you have it. Stay tuned as round two continues next week.That's where I drag Chad & hopefully Dad and Clifton along to the top 3 in our budget (sadly, not the last & favorite one).