Adventures in House Hunting

Hey guys…

You may have noticed that my blog has been a bit quieter as of late and there’s a good reason.  Felix and I are officially house hunting, or shall I say home hunting.  We’re looking for a place to call our very own in the city.

I’ve been living in the city for my entire adult life and I’ve been a very happy renter during that time.  Sure, I’ve had some bad living situations before like an infestation of mice and neighbors so loud (below me) that they rattled my ceiling lamp out of its socket while I was attempting to sleep.

But all in all, those bad instances haven’t marred my love of renting.  I can pack up my stuff and move to an entirely different part of the city, any year I feel like it which I’ve done loads of times.

But with moving in with Felix, we’ve been far more stable than I’m used to.  We’ve had 2 different apartments over the last 7 years, my all time track record in one neighborhood.  Prior to this, I moved every year I’ve been living in the city.

Logan #1:

Logan #2 (our current place before we moved in):

But with the market the way it is and rates so low, we think it makes the best sense for us to start the search since we have been working hard to save some money for a down payment.

Everything sounds great right?!

For starters, I never dreamed buying a home would yield such a complex, hard process.  Additionally, everyone wants to live where I live.  We live in a great tree-lined boulevard with everything in walking distance.  Seems like everyone else wants the same thing and there’s a huge shortage of properties.

There’s such a shortage that Felix and I have yet to even be able to WALK INTO & VIEW a home/condo in our area of the city prior to it being taken off the market.  It’s craziness.  Pure craziness!

Our realtor claims he’s never seen such a shortage of places in our area (and in lots of other parts of the city as well) in the last 10 years.

What’s a girl to do?!

Felix and I have been out and about, driving around in unknown-to-us parts of the city in attempts to find another neighborhood to call home.  We want to be near some kind of public transportation, cafes, and some decent eateries.  That’s not too much to ask right???

So far, the most promising part of the city I’ve seen is Hyde Park.  It’s close to the lake, ample trees and green space and even some cafes.  The only trouble it that’s it’s an oasis.  No Joann fabrics close at hand, nor is there a close grocery store or Petsmart for quick and easy trips on my scooter.  We’d have to adjust the way we do errands which isn’t necessarily a deal breaker.  It just reminds me how spoiled we are living in Logan Square where everything is as handy as can be.

The additional caveat with Hyde Park is that we can only afford a condo here.  They’re really nice condos.  But still… no yard for the buns to hop around in which I’d been hoping for among other things (like a dog).

If the market stays the same for the remainder of the year, we’re either going to have to do a condo or move to the suburbs.  :|  I’d rather a condo than move outside the city, since I’m not ready for that big a move yet, nor do I think I’ll ever be ready for that unless it’s close to some form of easy transportation to the city for work.

*Le Sigh*

As you may have guessed, house hunting has been taking up a vast amount of space in my brain as of late.  I’m still working my 9-5, but I come home and do a bit of searching online, chatting with the Felix, and with what time remains I sew.

Any advice for a newbie house/home hunter?  :)

In: Miscellaneous

Blogger for 6 years and counting, I am a passionate creator who loves to tinker.

Comments (35)