Next, please indulge me for a minute and allow me to go back in time.
After we lost the bidding war on house number 1, I took a step back and created a plan. I figured we were in the hunt for the long haul and wanted to be sure I didn't jump at a house for house sake. I wanted to know I had a list to check back against. I can be a little impulsive and wanted to know I was jumping into the house we wanted, not just the house that was available.
This is sound practice I have used more than once and it has served me well.
The list does two things. It makes you come to terms with what you can't live without, what's a 'nice to have', the things that are little perks and the things that don't matter much.
It also means your agent can act as a voice of reason when you 'fall hard' for something that doesn't really meet your needs.
Now I strongly believe that the list can be tossed by the way side for love...but generally that ends in a For Sale sign on your lawn a few years earlier than you expected.
Eh -hem. Like now. On our lawn for example.
Just so you can follow along at home, here's our list...
Must Haves
• 3 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• Finished basement
• Grassy backyard
• Deck or patio area
• Living room 10+ feet
• Parking - would consider street parking but only if pressed
• Storage space of some kind
• If renovated kitchen, ample cupboard space and lots of counter space (island preferred)
• Front entry way with room to remove shoes etc with coat hook area or closet
• Big renos like electrical, plumbing, windows, roof and basement already completed
• A small percentage of brown/beige 'unchangeable without great cost' tile
• Hardwood ( pee pee cats)
Nice to Haves
• Laundry sink
• Painted wood
• Modern design touches
• Big closets
• Ensuite
• Garage
• Ability to use some basement space for office
• A nod to character (original glass or floor) without character with a capital C
• Gas BBQ
• Eat in kitchen
• Walk in shower
• Front porch
• Fireplace
Not interested in
• Big basement Reno
• Serious construction issues
• Multiple bathroom renos
• Ripping out expensive landscaping for grass
• Being attached on both sides
Willing to take on
• Cosmetic changes (lighting, paint, some flooring if necessary)
• Some spacial re-org of finished basement ie it's currently 4th bedroom and office - create big open play area with office in corner
• Small Landscaping of deck, patio or play area, fencing. Nothing major.
• Full Kitchen if it's the only project and the price allows for it. (think granite, ikea cabinets, pot and overhead lighting, backsplash, structure if necessary, sink and faucet, appliances- 30 - 45000?
• Front of house spruce up as a longer term project if necessary
I mentioned in our last post that we put in an offer. Didn't I already say I was impulsive?
Stay tuned to hear how this house measures up...
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