We lived in the area for almost 1 year exactly when we came
to that decision. I happened to be on
vacation, and decided that was as good a time to start looking as any. Being a realistic person, I figured it would
take at least a year to find something we would even consider, let alone go through
the process of buying.
It started out simple enough. I looked at various listing in the local
papers and online. I also took note of
several places with signs out front, crossing each place off the list for
various reasons…too small, not enough yard, not the right location…all pretty
normal. I finally came across a house
that was listed for sale. The
description, price, location and size were enough to convince us to take a
look. So, on that fateful day on my
vacation, I made the call.
Turned out the house was not meant for us. Built in the 20’s, it still had knob and tube
electric, complete with the cloth covered wires and Christmas Story fuse
box. There were other issues but
basically it was a no-go. However, our
Realtor, a lovely lady, had caught that whiff of “If you find it they will buy”. Taking note of our wishes and our willingness
to do some work, she was hot on the trail – looking for that ‘perfect’
place. As it happened, she had about 3
other listings that peaked our interest.
We arranged to get together to see them.
As luck would have it, I managed to get hold of my father, and he agreed
to come up to take a look with us – to give us some insight on issues that we
might not see. (Dad has done some
construction work on houses we lived in as well as a part time job when he
retired.)
Again, the first couple of houses were ok, but nothing to
write home about. Finally, the Realtor
suggested a house that came on the market that morning…it was further north
than we were looking, but it had land – something we wanted.
They say when you find the house you are meant to buy you
know it. It is true. The minute we walked in the house, all I could
utter was “oh my god” over and over
again. From the minute we walked in the
house I knew exactly what furniture would go where, what curtains to hang, what
color to paint…it was all there.
Needless to say we bought the house and were moved in within two months
of my initial “lets look at houses” moment.
Is it the house I had imagined I would be living? Nope.
Not even close. Is it the house I
dreamed of? Again, nope. But I love this house. Every perfection, every fault, every inch, I
love. Slowly we are making the changes that make it the house of my dreams, but
if we changed nothing at all I would
still love this house.
While we were in the process of buying, I came out to the
house while it was being inspected. I
took several pictures so that I could let my mother and my in-laws see the
house. I came across those pictures the
other day. This evening, after the kids
were asleep, I wandered around the yard, taking new pictures of the outside and
find myself comparing them to the originals.
I find it amazing how much things have changed in what I think of as
such a short time. Equally amazing is
how much has not changed.
We moved into this house with 3 cats and two dogs. Today, only one of the original cats is still
with us. We still have 2 cats and two
dogs – as they replaced themselves as animals will do. We have added two small children into the mix
as well. Had you told me years ago
that I would be living in this area, in this house and with two children, I
would have laughed in your face.
But now I could not begin to imagine being anywhere else…
And in case you are wondering, I still love this house…
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