Searching for a home for Argh and Fisher

[fisherofmengirly]

We''ve been looking at houses, and have now come upon a few that we''re debating over. Fun times, fun times.

I don''t know if this link will work, but I''m going to try, anyway. Any suggestions from anyone?

What we want, ideally, is a front porch, a fireplace, 4 bedrooms (or more) or the ability to expand a basement/attic into additional room, should the need (read: BABIES) arise, a good location, an awesome price, hopefully an open foyer/loft style home (1 1/2 stories), vaulted ceilings, a decent bathroom, open floor plans, and not a TON of work to be done to make the place nice. We can change light fixtures, bathroom fixtures, doorknobs, etc., but neither of us are hardcore Home Depot Do-it-Yourselfers.

Here''s one of my favorites:

http://fmlslistings.marketlinx.com/Search/Scripts/MediaDisplay.asp?Uid=1668035&mlsnum=3598602&PropType=Res&src=PrtBuyFul

Here''s one of Paul''s favorites:

http://fmlslistings.marketlinx.com/Search/Scripts/MediaDisplay.asp?Uid=1620597&mlsnum=3552254&PropType=Res&src=PrtBuyFul

And here are a few that we BOTH like (imagine that!!):

http://fmlslistings.marketlinx.com/Search/Scripts/MediaDisplay.asp?Uid=1572404&mlsnum=3506926&PropType=Res&src=PrtBuyFul

http://fmlslistings.marketlinx.com/Search/Scripts/MediaDisplay.asp?Uid=1618702&mlsnum=3550461&PropType=Res&src=PrtBuyFul

There is this other house, that I can''t access pictures to (I''ll ask the realtor for the link) that is an older home that has been completely remodeled and it''s AWESOME. You can''t add on to it, so that''s the only downfall. It''s a three bedroom, but has this awesome floor plan. They also just installed new flooring, and it''s the prettiest dark wood I''ve ever seen for a floor. It''s very cool, but would be a home that wouldn''t be able to grow with us: no basement, no attic that would work for another room.

Anyway, these are a few of the top contenders for now.

 

[E B]

Judging by the pictures and descriptions alone and taking into consideration your listed wants/needs, this looks like the best choice of the lot:

http://fmlslistings.marketlinx.com/Search/Scripts/MediaDisplay.asp?Uid=1668035&mlsnum=3598602&PropType=Res&src=PrtBuyFul

5 bedrooms AND a finished basement is plenty of space (unless you want to be the next Duggar family!) and the floorplan just seems more open/airy than the others. Plus, that wrap-around porch is fantastic.

Is that what you meant by suggestions?

 

[sunkist]

Wow, you are so lucky to have such a wonderful array of homes to make a choice from for you first home! I can tell you're not buying in CA. Personally I like the first home you listed. It looks to me like it has more character. That wrap around porch is great, and the kitchen is so much bigger than the others, and I like the wood floors in the kitchen on this one. Like Ebree said it's a more open feel. I think that is a key feature in a home. The living room area with the fireplace looks a lot bigger than in the other homes. And it's right there close to the kitchen and next to the dining area. It looks like it's a great design for family and for entertaining. So, my suggestion is to talk Argh into liking the first house!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Yeah, the wraparound is *so* my favorite at this stage in he game. The kitchen cabinets would eventually be repainted. They painted them and then "antiqued" them, so they just look dirty to me. There is one concern we''d have to have an inspector look at, though. In the garage, there is THIN plywood that is between the siding of the home and the garage, no insulation at all. And in some places (we saw two) the board is a fraction of an inch from being side by side and you can see daylight filtering through the siding, into the garage. The realtor stated this is sometimes the case ONLY in the garage, but we''d need to have it inspected to be sure it''s not the case that the WHOLE home is built in this super thin plywood. Also, if we bought the home, we''d have the garage insulated, because the heat (or lack of it, depending on the season) would rise and effect the bedroom above it (our master!!).

So, that''s part of why Paul doesn''t seem to like it, but I think until we know for sure how big of an issue it is, we should keep it near the top of the list. It''s a STEAL of a price, and it has a security system, which is a really nice added bonus.

One of my favorite things is that it''s an OPEN floor plan, but the dining room is still separated from the living room (you don''t have to use a couch as a separater). Also, the ceilings are HIGH!!! Hello GIANT Christmas tree!!

The price is really low, so Paul and I are wondering if there is something we don''t know about the crime rates in the area, etc. We''ll have to look into that.

House shopping is fun, but I swear they all blur into one another after awhile!!

 

[lyra]

Lucky!!!

You seem to be able to get really nice lots where you are looking. I like the first one, but am not sure about the size and workability of the kitchen. It''s all about the kitchen/family room with me. But here, we don''t have a hope of ever having beautiful lots like that. If that was in a neighbourhood around here, they would be $700K+. Maybe even more.

 

[Mara]

hehe forget 700k, for a big house like any of those on something like 1/2 acre would be like 1.5million if not more! crazy. we obviously need to move. hehee. it''s a good thing we like our tri-level townhouse so far.

 

[butterfly 17]

I think I like house number one best and then house number three next.

I like that house number one looks really easy to move into as it seems to need next to no work at all, but I have never really liked cape style houses as the top level bedrooms/area have slanted roofs, which would bug me. But I love the wrap around porch. I can imagine myself sitting there with my iced tea and a good book while the kids are at the sitters/school.

 

[UCLABelle]

I like # 1 BEST. It is so neat (they are all nice though!). I have to second Mara, those homes where I haved lived in CA (Bay Area, Westwood and Orange County) would be at least 1 million...I too need to move (to bad we just bought our small 1bed/1bath!)....

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Yeah, when we first, first begun looking at homes and price ranges in the area, I was astounded because I''m so used to California prices. I thought for sure we''d be in a 2 bedroom bungalow type of home, first time around. It''s a blessing that although the Metro area is growing and has much higher price ranges than in other areas of Georgia, it''s still a BIG step down from what I''m more used to.

Since our goal is to some day be closer to my family, we''re trying to be rational in our choices and we''re looking at homes nearer the bottom of our price range, rather than the top. The goal is to save on payments, do some improvements, and then possibly be able to buy a home somewhere nearer to the West Coast in a few years or so.

We''re still debating and will probably call the realtor asking to see a few more homes we found out on our Sunday drive (my husband, ever the map-man, continually finds new subdivisions and locations for us to "check out." One of them looks to have really great potential, but I''m trying to NOT get too excited. The last time I did that, I was all but heart broken when we walked into a home covered in dead bugs with a rotted back wall, second floor to basement. They conveniently FORGOT to put that in the pictures posted online. Go figure!

When we get it down to our top three homes, we''re going to take the babies (AKA: dogs) with us, so they can get a feel for the homes, and so we can see if they seem to be more comfortable with any of them. The ones with fences will instantly score points. Flip loves to be free!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

This is the one I''m loving now (I know, I know, I change my mind too much):


What we like about it is that it''s a good compromise for both of us. The land is flat, there is just about 1/2 acre, but a lot of it is woods (AKA: no real yard work), but there is a decent front yard and enough room in the back for the nice deck, possibly some playground equipment, and enough room to have a camp out with the tent we got for our wedding, if we want. There is a fire place, which I''m just set on, bay windows, and a much larger kitchen than the other ones I''ve seen lately in the homes we''ve liked... and it has the trees Paul loves.

Only downfall so far: it''s a split foyer, which means you open the front door and there are steps going down and steps going up, and that''s just confusing and kind of like a maze to me.

Any of you have a split foyer? I don''t know how to make it less like a staircase and more like a welcoming entrance. Help!!!

 

[sunkist]

Hi Fisher! This one looks nice. I just love the woodsy feeling where you are looking for houses. Gorgeous trees! A bigger kitchen sounds marvelous. I don''t really understand the split entry way you are describing. Is is just like a landing in the middle of a stairway? Do they happen to have a picture of it online? I would try to draw people through, beyond the stairway/landing area. Draw their eyes to the room just beyond, if it exists that is. How many steps are on each side and what kind of rooms are up and down the stairs?

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Hi Sunkist!

Um, the entry way is like this: you open the door, there is a small landing. To the right, there are steps that lead down (maybe like 7 steps or so, not a ton of them) to the bedrooms and extra storage in basement that''s not finished and the garage.

The stairs slightly to the left *but more in front of you than the ones to the right* are also about 6 or 7 steps, and they lead to the living room/dining room, kitchen. There is a railing on either side of the entry way, one side is the living room, the other is what could be a dining room, but it''s so open, it could be anything really. It could all just be a huge living room, really.

I hope that helps make sense!

 

[lyra]

I think I''d pick this house for sure. Nestled in the woods, quiet, private? Sounds like a dream to me. We had a split level once. At first it literally made our calves hurt, all the going up and down stairs to each level, but in truth, that made it feel bigger than it actually was. The family room was on the lowest level, and it was very warm and coccoony (?). Totally quiet all the time. Anyway, I wouldn''t let the split entry throw you too much. Nice house.

 

[Linda W]

OK what state do you live in, we are moving there too LOL. You could not touch a home like that, here in California, as Mara said.

Linda

 

[Linda W]

Those houses are in Georgia???? That''s it we are moving!!!!!

Linda

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Yep, Georgia has a TON of 3-5 bedroom homes right now, for what I think of as great prices, especially coming from a California background.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 11/19/2007 9:32:03 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly
This is the one I''m loving now (I know, I know, I change my mind too much):


What we like about it is that it''s a good compromise for both of us. The land is flat, there is just about 1/2 acre, but a lot of it is woods (AKA: no real yard work), but there is a decent front yard and enough room in the back for the nice deck, possibly some playground equipment, and enough room to have a camp out with the tent we got for our wedding, if we want. There is a fire place, which I''m just set on, bay windows, and a much larger kitchen than the other ones I''ve seen lately in the homes we''ve liked... and it has the trees Paul loves.

Only downfall so far: it''s a split foyer, which means you open the front door and there are steps going down and steps going up, and that''s just confusing and kind of like a maze to me.

Any of you have a split foyer? I don''t know how to make it less like a staircase and more like a welcoming entrance. Help!!!

Very pretty house!

I can see that as an issue for some people...my mom included. She says that she doesn''t like having to decide whether to go upstairs or down when she enters a split-level house. She says that''s too much pressure.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Haha, Zoe. I''m the same way. I get this, "which way do I go?" feeling, and it kind of confuses me. Maybe once there was furniture in it, I''d have a better idea of where I ought to go. One can only hope.

 

[Haven]

I like the first home you posted as well.

As for the split foyer (we call them raised ranches here in Chicago) that feature is something you should really make sure you are okay with before you buy. My family lived in a home with a split foyer for one year and my mother grew to hate it so much that we moved. Now, of course they are not THAT BAD, but I think they''re one of those things people either like or really dislike. I''ve been in one house where they added on a foyer in front of the home, which made that little landing area seem more like a proper foyer. This could work, no?

It''s funny because many of the homes in Illinois are raised ranches and I''ve ruled them all out on our own home search because of my family''s experience.

It looks like you have a lot of options, I''m so jealous. We can barely find anything here in the 400K range. I know that''s not much money in the real estate world, but come on! That''s almost half a million dollars! Argh.

Good luck with the search. I think that first home has a lot of character--it looks special, you know?

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Two more we saw today:

 

[fisherofmengirly]

And the second one:

 

[fisherofmengirly]

The bigger home I posted has the best curb appeal, by far, of any home we''ve looked at. The yard is beautiful, and easily maintained, too. I''m loving that.

I think *hope* soon we''ll have it down to just a few homes, all of which we like. That''ll be NICE!!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I don''t know, but I think I just prefer homes that are either white/gray, white/black, or blue/gray on the outside. We''ve seen a lot of homes here lately, and I just haven''t found a yellow one I like. There are a ton of them, and I can''t get past the yellow of the outside. Is anyone else like that, where one particular color just can''t let you like the inside of a home? Odd... I like yellow, find it to be a happy, perky color. I like yellow walls, but not yellow houses. Hmm.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 11/24/2007 4:26:17 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly
And the second one:

This one looks nice. It''s so hard to compare without seeing more pics but I like this one. I also like the one you linked above, the white one with the big porch.

 

[lyra]

Where we live now, every house is brick. When we first moved to the area we thought every house looked alike and hated it. Now I can say there are a few colours of brick houses we wouldn''t buy, since there really is no changing the colour of a brick home without seriously devaluing it. I never liked yellow houses. We once lived in a neighbourhood that had all pastel colours: yellow, blue, green, etc. Ours was grey thankfully. Some things you can eventually change, but if the outside of the house isn''t what you like and it can''t be changed, I can understand not wanting to buy it. I suppose you could plant a very large tree out front to disguise it though!

 

[sap483]

I really like the first house you posted with the porch. Like others have said, it seems the most spacious. Plus, all of the colors are neutral, so it''s really a blank canvas. As for the split homes, if you haven''t already, I would take a look to see if you notice any trends in your area with homes of that style not selling as quickly. In some areas, split homes are not as popular, and tend to stay on the market longer. Additionally, split homes with the same square footage as homes of other styles often have to be priced much lower to sell. While that is great as a buyer, it''s frustrating when you go to re-sell the property. That may not be the case at all in your area though...

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Okay, today I left my keys in Paul''s car. (Long story, but let''s just say my purse is too little---or is too full of junk---that my keys often tumble out of it and they have done so in the past, in Paul''s car, and I ought to know better. I changed to a bigger purse today, in hopes of alleviating this issue.) So, while I was home all day, with the intent to work from home (which I did, some, and will make up for tonight when I can actually get in my car to get my paperwork), I got to thinking. I was thinking about how our realtor is working now, too. Her office is just down the road from our apartment. I called her, told her the situation, and she said she could show me around some of the homes that Paul and I just added to our "want to see" list. Yay!

So, I take a three and a half hour break from work and we go out to see the homes. Some of them we''ve been to before, some of them we''ve never seen. Paul didn''t go (he''s at work, with my keys); but I know his preferences well enough to be able to "represent" for him, and we''ve talked about Becky (the realtor) and me going out on some afternoons to try to knock down part of the massive list, anyway. He works in another town and seems to have after school meetings almost daily, so the idea was to go see the homes, and the ones with potential, we''ll both go see together.

Okay, so I totally fell in love with a house today. There were three good ones, but one GREAT one. I mean, I now know what people mean when they say they walk into a home and they just know it''s a good thing, that it could totally be their home. I wish Paul had been there to experience it, too. But we''ll go out some late afternoon this week. Gosh, it''s just great.

Now, I''ll start off by saying I''m not usually a fan of the subdivisions that have homes of similar appearance from the outside. I''m still not a fan of that, but when Paul and I saw three in one S/D with the same look (almost) from the outside, and a vast difference in price, I just *had* to see the differences between them.

The one that is tagged as the lowest price is the *BEST.* It''s just such a lovely home. I adore it. It''s got a lot of the architectural touches that Paul loves, it has an open floor plan and it''s just set up so cute. Unfortunately, the current home owners still live in it, so I couldn''t take my own pictures. The realtor who took pictures for the home''s sale just didn''t do it justice, and I can''t explain it adequately, either. But I''ll try: You open the doors and there are steps to the right, and to the left and straight ahead is the living room. The dining room is behind the living room. There is a diaganol wall that juts out between the living room and the stairwell, that is open to the kitchen. The kitchen has LOTS of space and is really, really cute. The kitchen has a border of French Cafes, which I ordinarily wouldn''t like, but the colors are so warm and happy, and it''s just so cute. There is decor that matches the border, and I think (if we were to make an offer) we would ask to keep some of that (since they wouldn''t have the border at their new home, anyway, most likely. The living room is painted in a very soft sage color, almost like it''s pastel. There is a really pretty crown molding up around dining room and living room. The kitchen has two pantries, and the whole downstairs is wood floors. There is a half bath downstairs that is really pretty big for a downstairs bathroom. Upstairs is nice, too. Four bedrooms, the master has a double trey ceiling (not pictured, much to my sadness), and the master bath is really big, compared to what we''ve seen before. The other upstairs bedroom is decorated in duckies and would stay that way, as we planned to have that for the kids (someday) anyway. There is a lot of storage in what is now their little girl''s room. And there are two other bedrooms of pretty good size, as well. One of the rooms now has a queen size bed and dresser, and has plenty of room. A great guest bedroom. The back bedroom is small, and would be a great office/hobby area. There are lots of closets and areas for storage, there is access to the attic for even more storage. There is a back yard that is flat (so babies won''t be getting hurt), there is a wooded area behind the house (Paul loves him some trees), and there is a nice deck that''s really, really long. Plenty of room for some furniture and a grill. It also has a two car garage, which is a good storage area, too. And, it has the stacked stone fireplace I''m just loving right now. Eeek!!

I''m excited. Can you tell????

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Front:

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Living room (love the fireplace!!):

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Kitchen (it''s WAY bigger... doesn''t even show the French city stuff):