Yes… It looks like my husband and I have to move. Where? Not sure. Because of my husband’s job, we have different options (within the State).
We might end up renting, but if we buy a house, I’m leaning toward either a Historic Home or a brand new home.
“Why?” you ask?
Well, the brand new house is new so we don’t have to
worry about fixing anything for about 10-15 yrs. The negative is the HOA.
(Home Owners Association)…which I hate…been there, done that kinda thing.
Then, about the historic homes… the pro is that it has a lot of character
and features that new homes don’t have and I really like that. The con
is that we’ll probably have to fix something… or some things.
So, I wanted to show you some of the ones that have made it to my “favorites” list…
We haven’t had a chance to go see these yet, so we don’t know what the
neighborhood around the home looks like… which is a big deal…
remember, “location, location, location”?
I like the porch on this one below… I’d make some changes and add some trim,
but overall it looks good
This one below is my favorite, I think.
This one needs a lot of work, but I can see it has so much potential!
This porch is my favorite, too.
This one may look a bit downcast, but, oh, the possibilities!
Okay, so this one looks REALLY bad, but because of that, the price is
really good. I just don’t know if we could do all the work required…
So….. what do you think??
Any advice?
Any pitfalls to avoid?
Help!
Have a terrific weekend!
Daisy
A Daisy Garden 
About 2 1/2 yrs ago we left our home of 18 yrs. It was hard. We prayed a simple prayer: “Open the doors You want opened and close the ones You want closed.” It gave us peace to pursue the house that made our hearts pound. It was iffy if we could get it but the door opened and we’re here just loving it! Go for the house that makes your hearts pound! I love old houses too.
~Wendy
Thanks for the good advice, Wendy!
I just want to add that I wil liive anywhere in the world as long as you are with me! I love you!
Haha! I love you too, honey! Btw…I just want everyone to know this is my husband and not just some random guy! 🙂
Something with a nice, big backyard?
My advice: Get a home inspection before you buy any house and have an electricican check out the wires in an old house.
Definitely! Thanks for your input!
Does a new home have to be in an HOA community? What a great dilemma you have. I like the big porch fix up but I don’t do fix up. Good luck!
I don’t think I’ve seen a new house anywhere near here that wasn’t in HOA…but you have sparked my interest and I’ll actually start looking to see if there’s anything like that around here. That would be great! …especially since the prices have come down considerably. I would love to buy an old, historic home, but my husband doesn’t do fix up either, so… we’d have to hire someone and that doesn’t always go well 🙂
I cried once looking at a little dream house. It had all that I wanted and then some. But we talked ouselves out of buying it. Okay, because we relocated to a different state! My pont is, which one causes your heart to flutter? choose that one.
I’ll try and not set my heart on anything until I have the key in my hand 🙂
Definitely get a home inspection. Definitely check the electric and the plumbing – if it looks like there is slow drainage, get it checked immediately before buying. Work in a 10% (at least) contingency in your budget for “surprises.”
Obviously, I’m not a home owner but I passionately soak up any knowledge I can get on the subject of renovations because it’s the route I plan on taking – restoring an old home with charm into something with modern electric and water lines. No hazards here, thank you!
I have, however, LIVED in an old home (that I rented last year) and know that I would hate it to live in an old place and not have the budget to change quirks and traits that drive me batty. For example, whoever did our kitchen cabinetry did it without the use of a ruler or any form of measurement. That meant our dishwasher didn’t line up with the cabinets and didn’t sit securely against the wall. We had leaks consistently and shutting the door was such a nightmare that we usually just hand-washed our dishes. Our electrical was spotty, there were shorts in the wiring downstairs and some of the electric outlets in our living room simply didn’t work.
All that to say, though, the charm of the house certainly appealed to me and I dealt with the bad in exchange for the good. But I would NEVER buy an old home without a (decent) budget to refinish it – whether that means something as simple as refinishing the floors or having new electrical run through the whole house to be safe rather than sorry.
Beautiful choices, though – I actually love that rundown one. Gotta love those big front windows. 🙂
Thanks for all your counsel! I do appreciate it. I like that rundown one, too 🙂
I’m with you. The second one is charming! How bout some indoor pics?
Wow, all of these houses look amazing! Even the ones that need some work look great. I don’t think there is wrong answer here. You are very blessed! 🙂
Well what did you choose? I like the second one but I love a project!
Best of luck.
Celia
We are still looking… we’ve eliminated some of the ones which were not in a good location. It isn’t a quick-n-easy project, that’s for sure! But it has been fun, too.