Tuesday, June 5, 2012

House Hunting

On Sunday a friend of mine from work showed me a house on her phone.  It was $79,000 for three (small) bedrooms, a full basement, a decent sized yard (with swingset), storage shed, and central A/C.  It got me thinking.

Eric and I have been together for 8 years.  We've rented the entire time.  Now, how are we supposed to afford a house when we can't even afford a car?  I know.  Our credit is atrocious, we have nothing saved up, and in general we've been pretty unstable financially for our entire adult lives.  I'm tired of it. 

Now that Eric is working all I want to do is catch up on the bills that have piled up and SAVE!  We usually get a pretty decent sized chunk for our tax returns so I'm thinking if we can put the bulk of it in a savings account and NOT TOUCH IT, in 3-5 years we could have a decent down payment for a little starter house.

I already found the perfect one!  I know that it won't be on the market by then, but I had fun looking.  It's not my dream home: I'm more of a realist than an optimist.  My dream home definitely doesn't involve being attached to my neighbors.  It's cute though, and I think it has a lot of character.  It's also pretty close to where we're already living, so Matt wouldn't even have to change schools if we moved in.

  Here's the front.  It's the half on the right that's for sale.  It looks like the neighbors take good care of their half.  I can't stand it when I see half-doubles (as they're called here) with one side looking nicely kept up, and the other side in utter disrepair..

Look at this front porch!  The stonework is beautiful!  Eric and our friends decided that old people live there right now, based on the floral cushioned wicker couch lol.
There's a lot more to the first floor than this, but I thought this shot had the broadest perspective.  I'm not in love with hardwood floors, call me crazy, but I don't think I'd mind them.
I love, love, LOVE this kitchen!  Look at all of those gorgeous cabinets!  I like that they don't reach the ceiling: space for decorative plates or vases.  The floor is black and grey checkered, which I like, and of course I love the island!
Here's what looks like the master bedroom.  I really like the color.  The listing says that there are 5 bedrooms, but that's misleading.  There's one really narrow room with a ton of windows, like a small sun room, that I think they include in the five.  From what I can tell, there are two actual bedrooms, and then the attic is finished, so that would make three plus... random extra space. 

The back deck just might have been what pushed me over the edge in falling for this house completely.  From other pictures it looks like the roof of it already has wisteria growing all over it, which is one of my favorite vines.  The deck is big enough for a grill, table and chairs, and it just looks like a really cool place to sit and chill out while the kids are playing in the yard. 

So there you have it, my modest little dream realistically affordable starter house.  You can see the rest of the pictures on the listing, if you'd like. 

Oh, and what does Eric think?  He thinks it looks too cluttered and he's not in love with the deck.  He's hardly ever home anymore, so how much say does he actually get?  We can't even agree on a comforter, but I can be pretty pushy if I need to be!

7 comments:

  1. SWEET! I love looking at houses! This is definitely a GREAT starter! Be certain to check with your state's Housing Authority, they give down payment assistance. You guys may not have to wait as long as you're expecting. If you can pay rent, more than likely you can afford a mortgage...at least that's what the professionals say. GOOD LUCK!

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  2. Hey Nicole, it’s never too late to start saving for a house to call “yours.” If you can’t afford your own house this time, you can try availing a rent-to-own payment scheme. You can find several catalogues about different payment schemes, and I am sure you will find something you and your husband will like.

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  3. The house looks great, both inside and out! I hope you can buy it in 3 to 5 years. To do so, you’d have to save up furiously though! And while you are at it, maybe you can build up your credit score again. Remember: the better the credit score, the better the mortgage rate you can possibly get.

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  4. @ Richelle: 3 to 5 years is pretty long, if you ask me. I think they can buy this home for 2 years or less if only they can double up their savings. I suggest that you look for an agent/broker, so that he/she can look for the best house out there, depending on how much your fund for it is.

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  5. It's been 6 months since your friend offer this house to you. Have you decided to buy it already? The $79,000 isn't that bad. You can always apply for a home mortgage loan if you want to. But, if you have a low credit score, make sure to pay all your debts first before applying.

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