Several months ago we decided that it was time to begin our search to purchase a house. We've been married for decades but we've never purchased a home. Renting has worked in our favor. It's been a blessing, even. But it's time. So, armed with the excitement usually left to young newlyweds, we started the search for OUR home. The place where we would grow old together and our future grandchildren would visit. Unbelievably, the first house we looked at was the one we wanted, but we were too late. It was already 'contingent' with some other buyer(s). We placed a back-up offer with the owner and we waited. And waited. After nearly 3 months it became apparent that the house (our house) really was going to belong to someone else. Deep sighs all around.
We soon began the search again. Well, it's fair to say that the search really hadn't stopped, but every house we looked at was measured against that first house. And came up lacking. Not that that house was a dream. No, it was a fixer with great potential and a wonderfully large yard. No more feeling like all of the neighborhood is right in our backyard! There wasn't much that was very exciting out there, though. Some newer houses that were pretty, but all cookie cutter shape and no character. Nothing to put our stamp upon.
Finally, last Friday, after playing with the buttons in the MLS search engine, I came across a different group of houses. Many of them didn't fit our original criteria in one way or another, but we found that we didn't mind. We could get along without a 2 car garage. And maybe a 3 bedroom would work instead of 4. We began to change our thinking. "What if we got this house and moved this wall? Or maybe added a bedroom? The world suddenly looked very different and the houses that came into our vision began to get really interesting.
So...last Saturday morning, armed with a list of houses, we set out to find 'the one'. The first house we stopped at had lots of potential. On nearly 1/3 of an acre (we're city folk, here), there was room to be at peace. The house itself needed a lot of work, but we could see the potential. We were kinda excited, but decided that we should visit the houses on our list. So we kept going. Out into the country, we went, but not too far, and we came to house number 2 for the day. On nearly 1/2 an acre there was plenty of room for city folks to roam, but the property was right next to the freeway and the house was really way too small for the 4 of us. Moving on.
Farther up the hill, we followed our directions. As we climbed the fairly steep-in-places, winding, one-and-a-half-lane road I thought, "No. We'll look, but I don't want to live here." At the top of the hill we were greeted by a fence with the house number on it. That's it. Trees, plants, glimpses of a roof here and there, but no house. Well, we're here now. Might as well see what's around there.
This really is what you see from the street. Is there a house in there somewhere?
An hour-and-a-half later we left the property. Intrigued. Half in love and half petrified of what might happen if we actually made an offer on this house. Dialing our broker. Did I mention it needs work???
And so it was. July 30, 2011. Day One.
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