House Hunters, Broccoli-Style

Okay, three loads of laundry washed/dried (and waiting to be folded, let’s not think about that part), made a trip to the grocery store and put everything away, gave K~ her vocab test and taught her a math lesson on conditional statements, and picked up the kids from school. And as a wonderful unexpected reward, R~ brought home a note saying they are having a “no-homework” week in her class which means I now have an extra 45 minutes of free time this afternoon! Whoo hoo, guilt free blogging time! So, let’s talk house-hunting!

On Saturday we went out to see five houses. At the first one, the key wouldn’t work and the selling realtor was away for the weekend so we didn’t get in to see it. But the backyard was smaller and less private than we want, so it was out anyway. The fourth one was too small, too old and weirdly renovated, had little privacy in the backyard and other houses of a similar age were being torn down and replaced with McMansions. So that was out. Which leaves us with three, which is perfect, because that’s how many they always do on House Hunters. And I am a stickler for detail, dontcha’ know.

House Number 1, Victorian Dream House: A charming Victorian on nearly one and a half acres backing to park land. This house is in a nice neighborhood with a very good school pyramid; it has a beautiful stone-style swimming pool and a large fenced grassy area in the backyard. On paper, we were calling it the “Dream House.” It’s listed as 5 bedrooms, but apparently the listing is for the house in another dimension, because in this dimension there were only four bedrooms. The original floor plan had a fifth bedroom but the owners made modifications and in place of the 5th bedroom they added more closet space and a small sitting area to the master bedroom. To add a 5th bedroom we would either have to undo those modifications or put a bedroom in the basement, which would require cutting through the foundation to put in a window. The style of the home was Victorian inside and out, with many nice details. The bedrooms were a little on the small side. One bedroom had a hole in the wall where the door was opened too forcefully. The master bathroom had a huge shower but no tub. (I need a soaking tub – it is my escape at the end of the day when Hubby is home to watch the kids). On our way out, we met a few of the neighbors – they were very friendly. We asked the homeowner and the neighbors how long a drive it is to the metro station – no one could tell us but it was at least 15-20 minutes. (Hubby’s metro ride will be about 45 minutes, so that would make his commute over an hour)

House Number 2, Close-In ‘Heavenly’ 1 Acre: This house was originially a small 1-story but was renovated to a two-story 3400 square foot five bedroom home by the current owners who have lived there for over 30 years and raised 8 children in the home. It has a recently renovated kitchen with cherry cabnets and granite counters. There are numerous built-in shelves throughout the home. In the backyard, you’ll find a small grapevine garden, as well as a firepit and a bamboo grove which provides privacy to the rear. The side of the yard shares a tire swing with the next door neighbors. At 3400 square feet, this home is slightly smaller than our current home. The bedrooms were significantly smaller. This home also lacked a soaking tub. Close-in is not an overstatement – it is a walk to the metro station, as well as ice cream and Starbucks! While an acre is likely quite a rare find so close to the metro station, it didn’t quite have the space and privacy we were hoping for. This home was listed for $50,000 less than the first house.

House Number 3, Room to Spare: On over two and a half acres and at the end of a cul-de-sac, this home had plenty of space and lots of privacy too. At 4700 square feet, it was significantly larger than the others and had additional unfinished basement area too. [Edited to add: No idea where I got 4700 sq ft, it's actually closer to 3900... but still lots more space than the others.] At $50,000 more than the first home, this house would stretch our budget to its limits. This home was built in 1976 and has the architecture to match. Except for the family room. There we were suprised to find a northwest lodge-styled room with high wood beams and a large stone fireplace. The kitchen is spacious but in need of an update – brown appliances anyone? It has a pass-through space to the enormous dining room. With built in shelving and a large window facing the front yard, this room was made for large family dinners and would easily fit a 12-person table. The master is on the first floor, just past a large office with built in shelving and desk space. The master bathroom boasts a soaking tub. Upstairs we found two bedrooms with their own private bathrooms. The other two bedrooms were a good size and would share the third hallway bathroom. The backyard sloped down to a creek backed by woods. (R~ was delighted to find a very large garden snake coiled by the creek.)

So… which one did we choose? Was it the first, Victorian Dream House with four bedrooms and a stone pool? Or the second, more budget-friendly, Close-in ‘Heavenly’ 1 acre with five bedrooms and less privacy? Or was it the third, Room to Spare, a large 70’s style home with a budget-busting pricetag?

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We chose number 3, Room to Spare. Except, the sellers said they don’t want any contingent offers and with it’s budget-busting pricetag we don’t have the cash to make a non-contingent offer. So, we love it, we want it, but we can’t have it. Not yet, at least. Number 1 was too small and cramped feeling, even though we loved the yard. And I would have had to find a way to fence that pool ASAP because Hello Drowning Hazard. Number two was okay but also felt small and cramped and we really wanted more privacy. My kids have big (loud) imaginations and the dogs are rather used to barking at every squirrel that scurries by and the neighbors would probably hate us. Also, I really need a soaking tub. (and there was no room to put one in). The third one would have been pretty easy to renovate, when we had the funds, to take it out of the 70’s and into the new millenium. And K~ loved the idea of having her own private bathroom. So, if it’s still on the market after we sell our house or they decide to be open to contingent offers, we are still interested.

In the meantime, we really need someplace to land in less than a month. Which means Sunday was devoted to shopping for a rental. But I’ll save that for the next episode of House Hunters: Broccoli Style. Stay tuned!

Tags: house-hunting