Martin and I are house hunting. We found out that the home we are renting is going to be sold. The lady who owns it desperately wants to unload it. She is willing to sell it to us but we don't want this Soviet house. It's too small and there just aren't a lot of redeeming features.
We've been on the Magical Mystery Tour of real estate in Brighton. We looked at 10? 11? 12? houses on Saturday. I took notes, since they all began to blur. Since the economy is so horrible here, the housing market is definitely a buyer's market. We found two houses that we really like but one is on propane and I shudder to think of the heating costs. Not to mention that it is in the second most expensive tax area in Brighton. The other house we really like, I got a really good vibe from. I know it sounds strange and silly but the house was obviously well cared for and some thought went into it. The front room is even painted the same Ralph Lauren Hunting Coat red that our old house had in the great room. (I know it's the same since I saw the can of paint stored in the garage.)
I'm cautiously optimistic about this. I am afraid to get my hopes up too much. Our long term plan is not to stay in Michigan but this could be a good investment.
One of the homes we looked at made me sad. It was in a neighborhood I definitely do not want to live in since all the sex offenders in the area seem to be clustered around this particular lake. The house was a foreclosure and was cheap cheap cheap for being so close to a lake. It was also natural stone on the outside, hardwood floors, lots of room. It needs a new roof, the floors need to be redone and the areas that were carpeted needed to be replaced. It made me sad, however, because it had once been a beautiful house. I know what it's like to lose a house that once held promise.
It was obvious from a couple of the houses we looked at that the owner's once had the same Trading Spaces addiction I used to suffer from. We saw some very interesting and creative uses of color.
Lisa, I hope you and Martin find the perfect house.
It's hard looking at so many, but the more you see, the easier it will be to find "the one".
Posted by: Nadine | September 07, 2006 at 03:06 PM