When we started the home buying process last fall, we were really trying to figure out if we were going to build a new house or purchase an already built house. We knew that if we went the new build option, we would need at least 6 months before we could move in. While I was fully appreciative of our rental, I really didn’t want to be there anymore past a year. So the home buying process began.
After some initial conversations and calculations, we ruled out a custom build because my our wishlist didn’t quite fit Sergio’s our budget. One day.
We met with a realtor to start looking at houses to get a feel for what we wanted. We viewed three types of houses: a new build that was move in ready, an older home that was a major fixer upper, or an older home that needed some renovations.
New Build, Move in Ready
It was a beautiful house. Very similar aesthetic to the house we had in Florida. We wouldn’t have needed to change anything. But we weren’t crazy about it. Plus, the backyard butted up to a main road so the tranquility that we wanted for an outdoor space wouldn’t have happened.
Older Home, Major Fixer Upper
If there is one thing I love is a traditional brick home and there are a ton of them here! We visited one and while the first one we saw wasn’t a winner, we quickly discovered that we wanted a traditional brick home. We then decide to visit a home that was huge but required some updating which we thought we would be up for the challenge. Until we visited this house and saw that it was going to require much more time and funds than we were willing to take on. We are no Joanna or Chip Gaines.
Older Home, Some Renovations Needed
The idea of being able to make some renovations excited us. While we did want to take on some renovations, we wanted to be able to do them at our own timing and be able to live in this house during some of the renovations.
After touring maybe 8 houses, we fell in love with our house and put in an offer. A counter or two and the owners accepted. Thanks to the holidays and working with a relocation company, the closing took 45 days which felt like forever. But well worth the wait. We closed in January, did renovations in February and moved in in the middle of March, just in time for the end of our lease. Couldn’t have planned it better.
I am going to work on transferring pictures from my fancy camera on to my computer (wish me luck) to give you a mini house tour before the updates. Stay tuned!