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weigh in on house choices please!
We are officially going to VA to house hunt on 3/23 and we have 6 different ones to look at. In reality it's between three - which I have linked here. They all have pros and cons, but the biggest decision for us is, do we want to live in town where we could walk downtown, to the farmers market, with our kids to school, to work, etc. or do we want to live in the country with gorgeous mountain views, fewer neighbors, an immaculate kitchen (I kid you not, it's the best kitchen I could ever hope for), and woods for our kiddos to play in. The country house would be a 20ish minute commute. Obvs we would paint/renovate small things in each one.
House 1: 1900s farm house in up-and-coming in town neighborhood http://www.charlottesvillerealestatesolutions.com/media.aspx?mls=494865
House 2: 1920s colonial in established (and desirable) in town neighborhood http://caarmls.com/CAARReports/ListitLib/photo_show.aspx?mls_acct=489268&media_type=&report=public_full_prop1_con
House 3: 2007 colonial in the country (not a suburb, I'm very anti-subdivision) http://www.charlottesvillerealestatesolutions.com/media.aspx?mls=486497
Let me know your thoughts on city vs. country living!
Re: weigh in on house choices please!
I love the details of the houses, but if I had to choose, I would take #3 hands down. For one, it's in the country and two and you get more house and land for the $. I am a country girl. In the country, there are no rules and regulations you have to go by (like having to shovel within 24 hours of when the snow stopped, mowing once a week, and parking regulations, noise ordinances to name a few). Yes there is a convenience of living in the city or towns, which I do like when I did live in the city, but I don't miss it. But this is my 2 cents worth. The others in order of my choice are #1 then #2.
For me, it would be between number two and three. I don't know how secluded number three is, but I would probably choose number two because I'd like to have neighbors and be near things like the grocery store, etc.
Plus, number two is gorgeous!
Although, on the other hand, number three looks bigger.
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They are all AMAZINGLY beautiful! I'm very jealous.
I need more info, though - are they all around the same price? And how many bedrooms and bathrooms are in each? It looks like house 1 has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths (that 2nd bathroom's stars are...interesting! Haha), house 2 has 3 bedrooms (with the possibility of 4?) and 2 1/2 baths and house 3 has 3 bedrooms with 2 baths?
I'm a city girl through and through, so if I'm picking based on location I'm always going to choose a city - I love walking everywhere instead of driving, having a lot of people around, one million different restaurant options. I also like being close to family, and the opportunity to send my future kids to super-diverse schools.
BUT everyone is different. How long would it take to get to the nearest schools from each house? I think that might make a difference to me, too - like, is my kid gonna be commuting for an hour each day?
I feel like I'm on house-hunters! Hahaha, this is awesome.
January 2, 2010
EDD October 10, 2013
House 1 is 3 (or 4) bedrooms and 2.5 baths (1958 SF finished, 635 unfinished SF in the basement). It is in the middle price-wise. 36,000 cheaper than house 2. Not the best school districts, but the kids would be within walking distance to school and only one mile from downtown. Bus stop is right on the corner also.
House 2 is 2 (or 3 in the finished basement) and 2.5 baths (1516 SF above ground, 728 SF finished basement). The most expensive. We wouldn't be able to afford renovations to this one for quite a few years. Also walking distance to schools, much better school district. one mile from downtown.
House 3 is 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths (1672 finished SF above ground, 700 unfinished SF in the basement). 85,100 cheaper than house 2 - could have enough money to add a garage with extra rooms over it to the right of the house. In a fantastic school district, 13 miles from downtown, no public transportation (not sure about school busses), but it would take 25ish minutes to drive.
I think I would choose 1! First off, I think it's stunningly beautiful, with tons of character inside and out. Walking to school and downtown would be awesome, and having the bus stop on the corner is great. The fact that it's middle of the road, price-wise, seals the deal for me, I think.
The highly photoshopped pictures from house 2 make me feel like it's hiding something. I picture it having shifty eyes...
The extra money you would have with 3 is great, but you'd be spending a ton more on gas, not to mention all the time you waste in the car (time is money, and all that!). Not having public trans is a dealbreaker to me, too - but again, everyone's different.
And you make a good point about having friends in the neighborhood - I remember hanging out with my neighborhood friends while my parents hung out/drank beers on the porch with my friends' parents when I was a kid. And block parties! They're the best. Are they only a Chicago thing? If so...forget I said anything, haha!
Of course, once you actually see the houses in person you might think totally differently than you do now!
January 2, 2010
EDD October 10, 2013
Nope, not just a chicago thing. My best friend growing up lived in an in town neighborhood and their house was the house that hosted the block party - it was always so much fun. We would hang out on her back deck over the pool with the other kids in the neighborhood for hours at night!
Honestly, going just off of what you've given us, I think I'd pick #1. I love the pictures, and I was drawn to it based on the pictures. It has the most bedrooms, your close to everything, and you can save money. As a teacher, I'd only worry about the schools if they were terrible. From the teacher perspective, I would say that how a student does in class is almost 50% of what they get from at home and from their parents. Doing well needs to be instilled in them. Now, if the whole district/school is failing, that's a different story.
Since we've been married we've lived in the following: downtown area, could walk everywhere... country area where no one would hear you scream...and a regular developed neighborhood.
I really miss being in the downtown area, but I don't miss how close we were to our neighbors. I felt like there was someone watching me all of the time, and noise was such an issue for me. I hate to be annoyed when I'm trying to relax.
I also loved being in the country, but the fact that nothing was convenient (only 10 minutes to the grocery store) was not enough for me. It was very relaxing, but I missed out on actually having neighbors, and I felt like no one ever came to visit.
All of that being said, there were some houses online that I would have died for. The pictures were amazing, and I was really nervous that we were waiting too long to go and see them. HOWEVER, once we got into the house, I could tell within 1 minute that it was a no.
I think you'll know once you're there in person.
I think you're right. I am just going crazy over-analyzing things in my head. I hate when the future is undetermined and right now everything is up in the air!
I totally get it. That was me the last year and a half. I went into the country farm house thinking 6 months..and it turned into a 1 1/2 years. It stressed me out to keep wanted to just get things going already. Trust me, once you're there, you'll forget about the rest, and it will all just make sense.
My first reaction is that #1 has a lot of charm that the other two houses just don't have. Charm matters to me.
I grew up in a very small town, and my house was in the woods, so we had free reign of being able to play and do what we want. We were never deprived of privacy, and it was nice. I loved it. I also sometimes wish we lived closer to town. The schools, beach, and any stores were 10-20 minutes drive away, and I was jealous of my friends who lived close to stuff and could walk or bike anywhere. I tried biking to school and the beach a few times and it was not a good idea!
I also like knowing your neighbors and feeling like part of a community. House #1 looks like it has that. You can sit on the front porch and watch the town go by while having your morning coffee. It very much reminds me of DH's parents' house which might be why I'm favoring it. It would need some paint work, though.
The other two houses look very nice, but they just don't seem really special to me. Even the one in the "country" just seems "meh" to me. This is how I feel, though, just superficially looking at the pictures.
Good luck!
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BFP on Jan. 18; EDD Oct. 1