The house-hunting adventure has been… well… an adventure.
The last time I chatted about house hunting, it was all about our first bidding process with home number one. We are now on home #5!
Felix and I have bid on several homes up to this point and we’ve lost the bids for various reasons; some were willingly lost (2), some we were quite sad to loose (2).
While 5 properties does seem like a decent amount to go through, Felix and I have learnt a ton and have narrowed down our likes-dislikes and the kind of space it truly is we’re looking for.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is to: Trust your gut.
This is huge & very obvious – but worth stating just the same!!! When you have that sinking-pit feeling in your stomach, it’s just best to walk away, or perhaps run away.
On property #4, I loved the house and the yard, but was wary about the neighborhood (too family-oriented for us). I had that icky feeling in my gut. I kept thinking “I’ll get acclimated to the neighborhood… everything will be fine… I like the house… and so on”.
I was going back and forth on it for several days and this is the one that we consciously lost the bid on. I can’t tell you how relieved I was. And it’s really made me focus on trusting myself more and my first impressions.
The #5 property we’re bidding on is a cottage style home in Hyde Park; but to me it more looks like a Victorian cottage style. It’s in a completely different area of the city than either of us have ever lived which is making us a bit nervous. But we got nice vibes when we walked around the neighborhood earlier this summer.
The only properties in Hyde Park that were in our budget were condos. But last week a single family home popped up in our price range and we were pretty quick to get in and see it – and then put in our bid.
The house needs a TON of work. This fact cannot be understated. The house was built in 1885 and still has it’s original electrical service (from 1920 or 1930). Not to mention the state of the kitchen & upstairs floors, etc.
Our next step is to have the inspection (Friday) so we know fully what it is we’re dealing with; the cost & time it will take for us to refinish it and if it’s doable for us. I’m excited at the prospect of restoring the home to all it’s former glory.
At this time in the game, everything is still up in the air. The inspection has to happen – Felix and I have till Monday night to make our final decision then Financing & many more details.
Knowing full well this may or may not come to pass, I can’t but help sharing a few photos with you all.
Check out this cute little kitchen:
I’ve always been in love with these white 40’s/50’s cabinets! They’re staying put for sure; unless they’re beyond repair – but I doubt it. Isn’t the laminate looovely?! heh I don’t even know if the stove still works. We’re more than happy to pay an inspector to come and give us the full scoop on this!
This room is perhaps the roughest, but once it’s all refreshed and flooring put down it’s going to make for one great (joint) office!
There totally is old water damage. This happened before it got a new roof in 2009 (supposedly). There’s a mini balcony off the front of the house (2nd floor). And this flooring is beyond saving – or at least to my untrained eye it is.
Those are two closets on either side of the balcony which is utilizing the dead space right above the front porch. It’s kinda nifty. (I’m already dreaming of a cedar lined closet to store all of my fabrics in.)
Going through the bidding process 5 times now & sharing this much of the house doesn’t feel like I’m jinxing anything. Simply put: This is just where we are (at this early stage) and I wanted to share it with you all.
Felix and I learnt by now not to get too emotional about places until the keys are in our hands. We’ve lost several ‘perfect places’ only to be bidding on ‘another perfect place’ weeks later. Of course we’ve been upset when we lost a place… but it’s taught us that with enough patience another great property will come up again. Of course we’d love this home, but if it’s not meant to be… it’s not meant to be.
My Realtor Seth put it wonderfully: There are many ways to live.
I love this idea… With each property we’ve fallen in love with, it had all of the basics we’ve wanted – they’re each just a different way to live. But here’s to hoping that this one sticks.
In: House Adventures
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