Things have been going well so far. We're narrowing down what we're willing to sacrifice (basement) and what we're not (two full baths), deciding where we really want to live and where we'd rather not.
And we've already fallen in love. Or at least serious like.
Let's call her House A. Honestly, she looks much nicer than what I thought we'd be able to afford. Two and half baths, two car attached garage, the only house we've looked at with an actual walk-in closet and a true "master suite." We're a little disappointed that it has only one living area, but it is a gigantic living area so we could definitely make it work. And Lee likes it. Lee doesn't often get excited about things, at least not to the crazed extent I do, and he loves this house. Oh, and by far the nicest neighborhood we've looked in. Excellent location.
But -- the roof is 15 years old, and the ac and heater are about the same age. The stove would need to be replaced immediately and the dishwasher soon after. It needs some exterior painting and replacement windows. That's a lot. Yes, we can get insurance. Sure, at the rate Louisville weather has been working we're due for another major wind/ice disaster to take out power and cause enough roof damage to blame it on the weather. Yet, that's a LOT of stuff due to be fixed in the next five years, especially when you consider that we're looking to need one or two new(er) cars, an MBA, and one to two kids in that time frame as well. There are aesthetic things I'd like to be able to do at some point, but with all our money going to windows and roofing, would I still be able to put down hard wood floors (probably laminate), new tile in the bathrooms and paint the front door and shutters? Oh yeah, a dining room table and master bedroom set would be nice too.
So after we looked at House A, we looked at House B. B is still in the price range, although $5,000 more and doesn't have a garage. However, House B has a basement, beautiful kitchen, about 700 more square feet, newer ac, heat and windows. It's not in my favorite neighborhood, but it's not a bad area and this house is in a nicer part of it. But, it just doesn't give us those warm-fuzzy feelings.
And once again, I remind myself that we're not buying a house today. It's a bit of money to get out of our lease, and I'd still like to have another month or so of saving's going into this, but it's getting closer! Once we get into January it will be cheaper to ride out the lease than to break it and at that point we should be more good-to-go if we find it. Maybe a newly roofed version of House A? *fingers crossed*
image: ulybuy
2 comments:
Waiting a bit might work out to your advantage anyways- I have a feeling that after this first-time homebuyer credit expires, there will be fewer buyers for certain price ranges and the homeowners might become more desperate to sell.
We're hoping for that too! However, they might be extending the credit so who knows.
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