Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What do you think?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.....It seems that life as an adult is a huge string of decisions that have the potential to not only impact your life but the lives of others around you. My hubby and I are at one of those critical points where we must make an important decision. So we are getting ready to purchase another house and I am at a place where I just don't know which direction to go. As you can image, as a family of 8, we have always put size at the top of our list when it comes to "must-haves" in a home. And with the previous homes that we purchased, we chose the house that we fell in love with. The first house was great, we just out-grew the cute 3 bedroom starter home after baby 4 arrived. The second house was nothing short of a night-mare. I've always tried to find the biggest house that we could afford, with as many up-grades that we could afford, even if it meant living in the middle of no where. But now I just don't know. I'm beginning to wonder do I want to live in the middle of nowhere? To be honest I always hated living next to nothing and the schools aren't that great either. So here's the problem.....Do we choose a great 3400 sq. ft. home with granite, hardwoods, fresh paint, and new carpet, 15 min. from everything with no traffic, and mediocre schools, average area and property value. Or do we go with the slightly older 3000 sq. ft. home with counters that I kinda dislike, in need of new carpet, existing hardwoods ok, but bathrooms need updating, structure and layout are great but really needs paint, backyard is beautiful, neighborhood and area of town are great, great schools, and close to everything, and did I mention even with the market crashing, houses in this area still sell pretty well? What's more important to you? How do you choose? HELP!!!! comment please Do you prefer to have a larger home with more upgrades in an area you just kinda like or do you prefer the home that needs a little work in an area of town that you love?

4 comments:

  1. Wow. That's a hard one! Personally, I would go for the neighborhood you love. You can put in the upgrades over time. And paint is cheap! I imagine with 6 kids you have a lot of chauffeuring to do, so that 15 minute commute would add up. Good luck!

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  2. I'd definitely go with the house that needs work. If it's in a great neighbour that isn't going to change. Do it up as you can afford to. You can't buy lifestyle.

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  3. You know what...15 minutes from everything really isn't bad. Not to mention, as long as you're willing to help the kiddos with their homework, then an okay school system is, well, okay...I would go for the bigger house that you love...you'll be grateful when it comes time to stuff all your stuff into it!!

    ~WM

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  4. My thought process is that you can always make a house a home by putting your own touches on it. I think what you need to consider most is the external factors and how important they are to you. The house will become your home over time in either situation. Good luck! Home buying is never easy!

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Thanks for the Comment Love!