A Decision

Thanks you for all of the input! With your guidance, we were able to make a decision. It might not be the obvious one, but you got us thinking!

Here are the questions that we discussed and considered, courtesy of you:

Which neighborhood would be better for children:

Both neighborhoods seem “family” friendly; though, I have seen a lot more children in House 225’s neighborhood. (Including a dad with a jogging stroller in the middle of the day...and of course, a baby in it.)

Which would cost less money:

Even with the repairs factored in, House 225 is a lot cheaper. Also, The Rebound has HOA fees.

Does extra square footage matter:

Actually, no. The three of us share a bedroom, and no matter how much space we have, it will stay that way. House 225 is well over double what we have now, and it’s really all we need. Even if we decide to grow our family a little, it will work. And it’s not our “forever” home, unfortunately. We know a move is inevitable in the next five years.

Which school district is better:

 House 225 is definitely in a better school district. We are planning on home schooling, but for resale, we agree that this is very important!

What about the resale value:

While The Rebound is newer, House 225 is in an established neighborhood that’s known to hold it’s value. I would call that a draw.           

Is the 3^rd bathroom a big plus or just another toilet to clean: 

Honestly, I would love a 3^rd bathroom. But, we really don’t “need” one. I guess technically we could all have our own bathroom, but we don’t even shower on the same days usually. (Saturday is my day; Sunday is David’s, and Dmitri’s bathes on Friday. So kidding!)

Crime rate:

Although The Rebound is in a nice, new neighborhood, I just found out that the areas surrounding The Rebound have had an ongoing issue with drive-bys. Uhh…more than a little freaky. That probably counts as an infinite amount of points against it.

Do we like DIY/Fixer-uppers:           

 This can be summed up in: I live for projects. I am 100% goal-oriented, and I can turn a bag of rice and a lamp shade into a DIY. Ok, I’m not that good, but I always have something up my sleeve.

Could you just stay where you are and save money:

In an effort to save money, we have stayed here 9 months longer than we originally planned. But now, it’s time to move on. I took this picture as proof of the craziness that we are living in. I then decided that my mother would be so embarrassed that there is no way that I could post it on the internet. But when the idea of staying where we are came up, I knew, it was time to be honest and share our madness. So Mom, close your eyes!!

I give you permission to utter inappropriate exclamations in dismay.

Yes, I am aware that we currently live in a cow-dung of a situation.

Something HAS to be done.

So this is our before picture...we can only go up from here! 

After all the thought that has gone into this decision, trying to be logical, rational, and even mathematical, it really comes down to, "where is home?" Where can we take our shoes off and plop down on the sofa? What does cozy, warm, haven, and nest, look like? Our hearts are definitely in House 225; we feel that special feeling when we walk in. And we cannot wait to call it home. The Rebound looked good from the outside, but it was a forced effort. As if, I knew I should like it, but yet, it wasn't natural.

And we'll see what we can do about the curb appeal...Don't worry, I have a few ideas floating around in my head.

Our projected closing date is April 6th.

Thanks again for all the thoughts, ideas, and comment love!