Teaching begins, housing dilemmas continue
We seem to be pretty good at expending a lot of energy over things that aren't in our immediate control, while ignoring the dirty dishes in the sink. Or maybe I should say _I_...
We've continued looking around with an incredibly patient, kind, low-key realtor who must have shown us every house in our fair city by now. We're still drawn to Hidden Springs, although the reaction when I tell others that is interesting: "oh, that's very chi-chi!" "hmm...X loves it out there; it feels creepy to me." It is a touch creepy--almost perfect in its desire to be a new-old-cool-perfectly mixed architecture place.
But still. We looked at several more this week in the *real* old-cool neighborhood, and they just don't quite cut it. Are we too spoiled? Too chi-chi ourselves? They need significant structural changes, or they've been added onto willy-nilly, or three of their listed bedrooms are in a full basement. That smells like mold. And features 1960s decor. And these houses almost never have garages.
HS has thoughtfully designed houses with cool built-ins and space is used really well. Yards are small, but it depends on the lot. Most garages are in the back off alleys, but not all. Swimming pools and parks are within walking distance, as is a school. Okay, I'll indulge: the floor plan we like most (after going through the models, yet again, this afternoon) is this one, except it has a porch on the second floor, of the master bedroom. It looks better in person than in the picture, by the way. We also thought long and hard about this one, but decided that, while very cool and unique, it was a bit too unique--the apartment above the garage was too separate for us.
So, to continue on a totally self-serving post all about me and my housing obsessions, we went and looked at some with potential in the real cool old neighborhoods this afternoon (well, on the *edges* of the cool part): this one, and this one. We've only seen them from the outside, so who knows what challenges they pose on the inside.
Oh, and here's the funniest part of all this: we have no financing, and all of these are far beyond our means. But we're dreambuilding anyway.
We've continued looking around with an incredibly patient, kind, low-key realtor who must have shown us every house in our fair city by now. We're still drawn to Hidden Springs, although the reaction when I tell others that is interesting: "oh, that's very chi-chi!" "hmm...X loves it out there; it feels creepy to me." It is a touch creepy--almost perfect in its desire to be a new-old-cool-perfectly mixed architecture place.
But still. We looked at several more this week in the *real* old-cool neighborhood, and they just don't quite cut it. Are we too spoiled? Too chi-chi ourselves? They need significant structural changes, or they've been added onto willy-nilly, or three of their listed bedrooms are in a full basement. That smells like mold. And features 1960s decor. And these houses almost never have garages.
HS has thoughtfully designed houses with cool built-ins and space is used really well. Yards are small, but it depends on the lot. Most garages are in the back off alleys, but not all. Swimming pools and parks are within walking distance, as is a school. Okay, I'll indulge: the floor plan we like most (after going through the models, yet again, this afternoon) is this one, except it has a porch on the second floor, of the master bedroom. It looks better in person than in the picture, by the way. We also thought long and hard about this one, but decided that, while very cool and unique, it was a bit too unique--the apartment above the garage was too separate for us.
So, to continue on a totally self-serving post all about me and my housing obsessions, we went and looked at some with potential in the real cool old neighborhoods this afternoon (well, on the *edges* of the cool part): this one, and this one. We've only seen them from the outside, so who knows what challenges they pose on the inside.
Oh, and here's the funniest part of all this: we have no financing, and all of these are far beyond our means. But we're dreambuilding anyway.
posted by Anonymous at 7:52 AM
3 Comments:
I say forget what all the others say about an area... if it draws ya, it draws ya. And older homes, charming though they are, do indeed come with their own set of issues, which may or may not be resolveable. So I say, go with your gut. Our house is 100% not what I would have initially said I wanted, but I'm loving it more and more, even in its non-remodeled state... Anyway, off with the off-putting of others.. I think they're just jealous of your opportunity to be *choosing* where you live!! Buena suerte on this one!
After having a chance to look, though, I really like the looks of the white one in the old part and the cape cod in hidden springs. Because you needed my opinion, of course!
Thanks for all the comments (venomouskittens, who are you?? :)) We'll go see the houses this week and let you know.
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