We’ve had moves that went so smoothly, it was all a piece of cake. This is not one of those. If only we could find a house that works. I think my quilting obsession is to blame for most of the problems we’re having . . along with wanting to have a few acres and not be in town.
We’re to the point that I’m having to trust Vince to find the right house and I probably won’t get to see it before the deal is done. The mobile home and land and buildings probably isn’t going to work. Our realtor told Vince it’s really hard to sell a mobile home there, no matter how nice the setting and if we face reality head on, there’s a slim chance that what we buy now will be where we stay forever.
Vince is spending every evening with the realtor. The house that he was kinda leaning towards after seeing three houses yesterday had me in tears again last night.
Some people love painted kitchen cabinets. There’s nothing wrong with them but I do not like them and have always said I didn’t want them. Here’s the kitchen! This house is at the top of our price range and the per square foot price is way over what seems normal to me but goodness, all the houses in this town are way over what we think they should be. Any updating is out of the question because of the price of the house already. Do I see painted cabinets? Do I see an electric stove? Do I see a microwave over the stove? All of those are NOT what I want. I can live with the electric stove since it isn’t a glass top but I cannot live with the microwave over the stove. That could be fixed pretty easily but where would you put the microwave in this tiny kitchen and though I could live without a microwave, Vince could not. The painted cabinets . . not much I could do about that.
This is where Vince thought I might could sew! What is that man thinking? I don’t know how wide this room is but I can see that the treadmill has to be turned at an angle to fit. Where would the longarm go? Hmmmm . . there’s a sunroom where it might work!
And, in this closet is where he thought I might could store my fabric, thread and quilting supplies.
What does Vince love about the house? The view! This is the view from the back porch.
You can see halfway across the county.
Who needs to sew? I guess I could sit out on the back porch and look at the horizon all day! And then go out to eat every night because I don’t like the kitchen! 🙁
Vince comes home tomorrow and as of the writing of this post, we’re no closer to finding a house than we were when we first started looking. There are two houses he might can see this evening. One we had already said we didn’t want because of the price per square foot and because it’s so old and ugly. He’s going to look at it because . . I don’t even remember why . . maybe because it has 5 acres and even though the price per square foot is high, it’s not as high as most and we could add a separate building for quilting and still be below our absolute maximum price.
The other doesn’t have a garage, is 300 square feet less than the minimum we said we have to have but I kinda like the outside. It’s red! Painted red! Kind of a pumpkin orange/red. I could see adding purple shutters. Maybe if I got real creative, I could make it look like this! Vince doesn’t like it because it’s wood but it has 5 acres and it has a pond and it’s a relo house and they’re sometimes willing to negotiate a bit more than an owner will. Don’t ask me how I know this right now! 🙁 It kills me for the relo company to tell me what my house should sell for when I know what we’re going to have to pay for a house in TX.
And, it has 2″ x 6″ walls and that makes me happy. I love the deeper window sills and that will make plantation shutters fit much better, which is what I’m putting on every window!
Even at the asking decent price, we could add a shop for Vince and a sewing room for me and a garage and still have less $$ in the house than the asking price for the house Vince liked last night.
This is getting more frustrating by the day!
Vicki S says
Cabinets can be unpainted. I’d be concerned about the overall storage in the house if there’s a dresser in the utility room. Good luck. I can only imagine how frustrated you must be.
Vicki W says
You know what’s funny. I designed my kitchen to have the microwave over the stove! lol! But I don’t cook like you do. I’m sorry this is turning into such an ordeal. You should be looking forward to moving, not dreading buying a house you don’t like.
pdudgeon says
tell Vince that can be his TV lounge so he can watch TVwhile he’s keeping an eye on the wash.
and the closit is where he can keep his woodworking supplies,
of course. ROTFLOL
Kathy B in TN says
I never thought I’d want a white cabinet kitchen either – but I’ve changed my mind after living with them for 5+ yrs. Plus that kitchen has crown moulding trim and under cabinet lighting. Pretty tile too.
Yvette says
Would it be that horrible to stay in a hotel for a bit to look more?
Lee Ann L. says
It IS frustrating. We had our hopes dashed with the latest house. It was jerry rigged with everything. It was like an Amishman built the house and then someone bought it and tried to modernize it by adding hot water heater, A/C, lights, and more. It was just too odd for us both. So, onto looking some more. *sigh*
I hope y’all get a house. It’s not fun. Especially since you’re in the middle of a move! Fortunately, for us, we do not need to move right away as we rent.
Judi says
Have you thought about buying the one with the trailer and living in it while you build a house then the trailer could be your studio. Sorry you are having so many problems finding something.
Sandra Neel Hutchins says
Thank you again for sharing your house hunting stories with us. Only you and Vince will know when you find something just right. My personal preference of all the houses that you have shown us was the brick one story house located on the golf course. It looks less like a Texas house and more standard with good resell potential. However, goats and chickens are very likely not welcome on a golf course!!! Seriously, good luck in your continued hunt.
lw says
I think Judi’s on the right track– depending on the cost of the property, you could move into the mobile home and then build a small house on the property. This would raise the value of the property, so it might be a good investment. I sure loved the views on the mobile home property.
Kari in UT says
I am sorry that you are having such difficulties in finding a home. Sure hope something comes up soon that will fit your needs. You and Vince are in my thoughts and prayers.
Shirley Albertson Owens (sao) says
OH NO – I am sorry to hear that things aren’t going as you had hoped!
sao in Midlothian, VA
Linda in NE says
Yes, the view at that house is nice, but Vince seems to have under estimated the size of your longarm and fabric stash hasn’t he? As for the kitchen, it’s bigger than what my son & DIL will have in their new home, and I appreciate the white cabinets after so many years in a kitchen with dark walnut cabinets, dark trim and a mostly brown floor. I actually painted my cabinets & trim white, the walls terracotta & put down lighter flooring last fall and am still amazed at the difference it makes. Hmmmm, maybe Vince could convince the company to transfer him somewhere with a decent housing market?? I keep hoping you’ll find a nice house at a decent price before you have to pitch a tent on a vacant lot somewhere. My fingers are crossed for you.
Barbara says
I vote with Judi.
Kathleen says
I can’t imagine how hard this must be – especially since it feels like you have to hurry such an important decision. Sending good wishes your way!
glen in Louisiana says
I think my mother in law made that clown on the top of the laundry room cabinet. She must have made 6 000 of them and sold them for $20 each. That is how she got enough money to buy Frank all those new toothbrushes and underwear until he was 50.
glen: geez………….
Diane in CA says
Hang in there.. I still like the mobile home… Maybe they don’t sell because the realtors keep scaring the buyers off. ..
Kate says
I’m feeling real sympathetic for Vince – how hard it must be for him to go hunting over and over, and not be able to find the ‘right’ house… he needs a collective hug.
norma huff says
Judy, just curious, why don’t you want a microwave over the range? Norma
Chris says
For a sewing room, it certainly does look too small. Hmmm. But the kitchen! I *love* painted cupboards and have been cursed with wood ones in our last three houses. One of these days, I’l going to figure out how to fix these. 🙂 Isn’t it amazing how different we all are?
Hoping you find *just* the right house, soon.
Chris
Donna P. says
I do empathize with you about house hunting. Especially when your choices get less and less. We were a military family and never had much chance of finding something as we would move again in a couple of years. Once dh retired, we only had a 3 month period in which to find a house. Never could find one I truly liked and the one we live in is only ok. Praying you find one that makes it feel like home and that there’s enough room for sewing and quilting.
Glenda in Florida says
Are you sure those cabinets are painted? In my area, we have cabinets that could be any color–I think they start with some pressed wood product, and then a thermofoil(?) is what has the color/design. Some choose one that looks like a wood grain, but many choose white. I do understand about not wanting painted–if it’s wood, I want to see the wood grain. I am NOT happy about my painted baseboards, but I didn’t get a choice in that.
Freda Henderson says
I’m so sorry Judy, that the house is taking so long. I loved my microwave above my stove. It had the light and fan built in and worked great for my use. Hope you find something soon.
Lori in VA says
I have a couple of things for you to ponder You could measure your sewing room as it sits now and send Vince the measurements, instructing him to measure what he thinks could be your potential sewing space in the next house as he’s looking. Nothing wrong with house hunting with a tape measure And it would give him an idea of what sizes just will not work!! Failing that, since you two are looking for a bit of property with this move, is it possible to build a sewing studio for you in the yard? You can do it fairly inexpensively, at least in theory…with no bathroom or wet sink area. It might give you a bit more wiggle room in deciding what houses can stay in contention. Good luck, this is really hard!!
Lori in VA
Romonia says
Looking for the perfect house is sooooo! frustrating. Is there possibly a lower price house that you could buy and live in until the ONE comes up or you could build and then sell it or even rent it out, even if it’s in town for awhile. I hate to see you settle for a house you don’t like, long term. Hang in there!