Friday, February 5, 2010

Weighing the Pros & Cons

I have a confession to make. I cheated.

On our house.

And now I need some advice, because I don't know what to do....yes, I want house-relationship advice.

I've looked at houses for the fifth time in two years. All of the waiting (three months + another two before we close) made me wonder if House 225 was the right house for us. So I looked at more houses. And I might have thought one of them was pretty cute. It's not the kind of house I usually go for, but it surprised me. And I liked it.

So now, we are trying to make the big decision. Is it time to break-up with House 225? Are we just not meant to be together forever? Or is it just infatuation with the rebound? 

I need help!

So here are the Pros...and the Cons.


Pros:
-Ranch
-Big back yard
-Wood floors throughout
-$20,000 less than the Rebound
-Homey with a lot of character
-Lots of potential


Cons:
-In need of a lot of remodeling & updating (electrical, plumbing, roof)
-The short sale process will take another two months
-The windows are single-paned and do not have any blinds


Pros:
-40 years newer 
-Better curb appeal 
-Covered & uncovered patio
-3rd Bathroom 
-Large kitchen and walk-in pantry
-A lot of closet space
-Blinds throughout
- 300 extra square feet

Cons:
-The location is farther away from campus & work, and isn't really convenient to anything else (aside from being 20 minutes closer to Atlanta)
-Two story
-Cookie-cutter neighborhood
- $20,000 more
-Carpet in bedrooms 

So, advice? What do you think? Help!

15 comments:

Mandi Miller said...

Which neighborhood would you prefer living in/raising your children in? Which one would cost you less money? Like, the first one is cheaper but you have to make all the repairs so which one is cheaper in the long run, house 1 or house 2? How inconvenient is house 2? Hmm... that is a tough decision. House 2 has better curb appeal but if you won't be happy in the neighborhood then I would say house 1. You don't want to move into a house and be miserable. But if you think the neighborhood could grow on you... I like house #2! I hope you make the right decision!

Vanessa said...

Well, Mandi said everything I would. If you and your man are good fixer-uppers, then maybe #1 would work for you. I'm all for ease. And does the extra square footage make a big difference? Because maybe #2 could be "it"? Like, never have to move again? I don't know -- The Husband and I JUST moved into our first house in August, so I still start to twitch when I think about the letters M, L and S. :-)

S. L. said...

I agree. location is everything in regards to your children. Which school district is better? which neighbors are better? You could certainly knock on a few doors :) In our first house we had the WORST neighbors and that ruined it for us! Although I loved the house itself, I hated the neighborhood so we eventually moved and it was mainly because of that.

DustyLu said...

Ok I feel the same way..this is how is see it..the old house is alreay old..we are young so we should by new, cuz when grow into our new house it will become old..but if you move into an old home and your young...the house will be doubly old by the time we grow old..then thats double work when were old..I say buy new..make any sense..kinda sounds better in my head..lol ~lulu

Jillian said...

House 2 is super cute, less work, probably a better resale value, and can accommodate a growing family...although, I live in a cookie cutter neighborhood, so perhaps I'm biased =) Good luck either way!!!

A Wedding Story said...

I like #2. I live in Richmond and let me tell you this house would be a breath of fresh air in new neighborhoods. Our cookie cutter houses are gagging, they are ALL the same but this one does not seem bad. Cute curb appeal.

The Four Week Vegan said...

Unless you are great DIY people, I would totally go for the second house. Also, I would kill for a third bathroom at this time of having 3 teens in the house.

Parsley said...

Having been through the process of buying a fixer-uper I'd say be sure you have the time to do repairs.

Mostly, consider the neighborhood, crime rate, and houses nearby. Are they maintaining their homes or letting things get run down? Those questions help the decision.

Good luck on your decision. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

kittybutt said...

Wow, Caroline! #2 really looks like you guys. But I know what you mean about living closer to town. Jeeze, I don't know. It's so luxurious to move in to a new house with all of the modern conveniences. On the other hand, with your creativity and eye for design, I know you would make the ranch house totally charming and adorable. If it's 20k cheaper, maybe that would pay for the repairs that are needed. No? I wanna hear more!

the thrifty ba said...

see if there are kids there that match your kids age. that is my only advice-my oldest has no one in walking distance near and it breaks my heart.

Kate Coveny Hood said...

I'm terrible about this kind of advice...but in the end I think you should consider the work that will need to be done, how much it will cost (like will it make the purchase of either house a wash?) and whether you think you'll really do it.

I'm so happy that we did certain things to our house immediately when we moved in (since I was going to give birth to the twins in a matter of weeks) because the things we didn't do remain undone over three years later. The ugly kitchen and unpainted master bedroom haunt me daily.

Thanks for the comment today! Your family is adorable.

Jenny Brown said...

I like house #2, myself....it's so hard to make a decision, isn't it! I'm sure you'll make the right one.

Happy SITS Saturday Shakedown!

Marilyn (A Lot of Loves) said...

I would stick with the neighbourhood you like the best. I don't know your financial situation but I would probably lean towards staying where you are for a few years since it's cheaper and saving money. There's always going to be a 'better' house out there. Sometimes I torture myself by looking at other houses too, but in the end I've decided to make the house we live in now as nice as it can be before looking elsewhere.

Marilyn (A Lot of Loves) said...

Oops! Forgot to mention I came from SITS and became your newest follower.

Sheena Louise Roetman said...

I agree with everything that's already been said. I like #2 -- As long as newer doesn't equal poor quality, I vote #2. :)