I think this is going to be a very helpful blog for my thought process on what I'm looking for in a house. For anyone reading this who doesn’t already know, Matt and I are officially in the house hunting process! We weren't really expecting it, but somehow it became the most logical financial move to make. We're currently a one car family, which has worked out remarkably well over the last nine months. However, my wonderfully creative husband now has a job working at Crossroads in Cincinnati... I'm still in school at NKU and our apartment is also on the Kentucky side of the river. On top of that, I have to be at Ft. Knox one weekend of every month for another two or so years and weekends are Matt’s busiest time of the week... yeah, it's going to get a bit hectic.
Now I understand that the most logical explanation to all this mess would be for us to buy a car. New, used - anything that can get us from point A to point B. This was our plan as well until we started looking at prices for used cars and then prices of new cars...and all along we keep going back to the fact that every car (unless it's vintage) depreciates in value as soon as you drive it off the lot and who wants another car payment that runs between $100 and $300? Certainly not us. Logically, we decided, if we can't afford a car... we're going to buy a house. Ha! I know that sounds crazy, but we already throw away about $750 a month into our rent anyway. That doesn't include utilities. The beautiful thing about buying a house is a) most of the mortgage payments for the houses we're looking into will cost us less than our current rent and b) we're actually putting our money into something... not just handing it over to our Apartment complex.
So now that's explained - the real purpose of this blog was to talk about my hopes and dreams for whatever house we end up with. I've been scowering pinterest for any and all ideas. However, I am trying to be realistic, practical and a little hopeful as I search. I'm very aware that Matt and I will never own a home like this:
And I'm okay with that. However, there are certain things I know Matt and I can accomplish and that list goes something like this:
All of these organizational techniques makes me so so so so very happy. I'm not naturally an organized person. I lack the OCD for it I think, but I DO truly appreciate organization. And although it might drive me a touch crazy sometimes, Matt does have the OCD for organization, so I know he'll be especially helpful in making sure these projects happen.
Style. I don't mean IN style. I mean, our style. I want our friends and families to walk in our house and say, "Matt and Catie live here." Matt is naturally inclined to rustic, wooden textures and colors and I'm naturally inclined to beachy clean styles and palettes. He's a cozy cabin in the woods --
and I'm a classic Charleston beachhouse. However, I think combining these two aesthetics is even better than trying to attain one or the other. We both appreciate each other’s style and so blending them together is natural and easy. I want this to come across.
Comfort. We have talked extensively about making our house a home for anyone who crosses the threshold. I want people to feel invited, comfortable, and safe. I think this kind of ties into the organization bit as well. I don't want chaos, but I certainly don't need perfection. I grew up in a house where a stain on the carpet was not the end of the world, and dirty feet and hands were a common occurrence. It was neat and organized but not freakishly clean. Rigid is not a word I would use to describe my family and it is NOT the word I want when people describe my house.
That's pretty much it... This wasn't what we described to our realtor, of course. However, I think we listed off the practical things that could help us achieve these goals: three bedroom, two bath, decent yard, full basement, and fairly large common areas. Hardwood floors and a working fireplace are also things we're hoping for.
We start our search today, so let the hunt begin!
