On The Hunt

So the husband and I are hunting for houses. Tonight will be the third visit we've had with a realtor and to be perfectly honest, I think I know of a house that I'd be perfectly comfortable putting an offer on. The husband on the other hand has a differing opinion on the house that we purchase.

I have a background in finance. But somehow I'm typically the spendy one. However in this case the husband is the one that wants the baller house with 5 bedrooms and huge yard. There is a house that we've looked at that is extremely affordable for us (read: mortgage is actually less than our rent). The location is perfect and the house is very reasonably sized with a pretty awesome yard in my opinion.

The problem comes when we're going to look at houses tonight. The houses that we'll look at range in price big time. Now, I'm not going to talk actual dollar amounts, but the house that is my husband's DREAM was 80k more than the reasonably priced house that I can consider living in for some time.

Both of our parents still live in the house where we were brought home from the hospital to. There is something about having those long standing memories that I really hold near and dear to my heart. While the house I like/love isn't long term house material, it's certainly a great starter house for us. 3 bedrooms, 1 full bathroom and 2-3/4 baths. The yard is very "manicured"... I guess. But the square footage is 1240sf - which I guess doesn't include the finished basement which is another 894sf.

Pros of a cheaper/smaller house:
Lower utilities (easier to cool/heat)
Lower property taxes
Less places to clean!
Lower mortgage payments

Why I like this house:
Backyard is Ames Nursery (plants, not baby nursery)
Fun backyard (not huge, but definitely not small)
HOT TUB INCLUDED
Sun room
Large bedrooms
Fireplace in basement
Unique floor plan (not cookie cutter house)
Older house (again, it looks different)
Not on a busy street)
2 car garage (which is under one of the bedrooms - remind me to test the sound the garage makes while standing in that room

Cons of a cheaper/smaller house:
Not the place we'll stay forever
Not as much room for guests to come and stay

In particular the husband doesnt like:
Tall trees in the yard (which he claims will definitely fall on the house eventually)
Overall size (he wants a big house vs. having more "mad money" to go on vacations with so he's willing to spend more)

In particular I don't like:
Cosmetic things like wallpaper, and the God-awful carpet in the basement.
Split level house - I've heard multiple disadvantages about these houses... so if you have any opinions, please share!

Overall I'm excited :)

Gone Banananananananas

I hate bananas. There, I said it.

I haven't blogged in a long time and that was the first thing that I thought to say? Wow - my brain is abuzz with things going on.

So more seriously, my job is still going fantastically! I have another event coming up this Friday for the former Dean of the college.

This previous weekend my sister in law came to town to visit/party for VEISHEA. We saw ISU Theater perform RENT which was unbelievable! I was extremely impressed by the college students singing abilities, their costumes as well as set design.

OMG, seriously, I may as well not even publish this but I will just to prove that i'm still alive.