This morning I am at the airport. Seth and I are lightly packed and headed South and we're on a mission- a mission to find the perfect house in Sunny Arizona!
Alright, alright... so there probably isn't a "perfect house" so to speak but, we're sure hoping to find something "pretty perfect for us". We don't need much... just a nice area... with nice neighbors... and nice schools. You know, a place we can make our own.
For those who have been house hunting before, you know that this means I've been doing a lot of 'list surfing' lately and it can get old, fast. But sometimes when I'm bored, I spruce things up a little bit and bump up my search qualifications way way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay above and beyond to see what it looks like at $1,000,000 and going up- no limit. You guys... SHEESH! I get lost in those listings... like for an hour at a time.... there are some truly stunning homes out there!
For those who have been house hunting before, you know that this means I've been doing a lot of 'list surfing' lately and it can get old, fast. But sometimes when I'm bored, I spruce things up a little bit and bump up my search qualifications way way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay above and beyond to see what it looks like at $1,000,000 and going up- no limit. You guys... SHEESH! I get lost in those listings... like for an hour at a time.... there are some truly stunning homes out there!
Ridiculously Amazing Mansion #2
(Link- photo credit)
Ridiculously Amazing Mansion #3
(Link- photo credit)
Yeah, so I've been having some fun. A waste of time albeit, but still a really great time!
Okay, but back to my reality..... I'm curious as to what you LOVE about your house? What you DON'T love about your house? And any tips or suggestions we should remember as we are looking? Sometimes I think we get so excited and caught up in the moment, we forget about the little things- like a fully fenced in yard or location of the laundry room. So, help a sista out and tell me what your experiences have taught you- the good and the bad :)
p.s. I need to apologize for not responding to emails and comments as of late... you guys, I am frazzled... like really, really frazzled. There is so much going on and I am barely finding the time to get on here and blog :-/ Please be patient with me and know that I read every comment you write and that you are not being looked over... I'm just struggling to stay on top of it all right now.
Lots of love,
Jacy
Hey Jacy, I am often frazzled over way less than moving to a new place! Don't sweat it. It will all work out and your new life in AZ will be wonderful!
ReplyDeletemy parents and brother are all in AZ. say hi to them for me! I want to move there too. You lucky duck!
ReplyDeleteMake sure: the rooms are situated to your liking. For example, I hated having the guest bedroom right by mine. Also, check that the house has the right hook ups for your appliances. Sometimes to cut on cost, they don't place a gas hook up for your washer/dryer. They used to make houses with both but lately to save money, they don't put in things they don't "deem" essential. Good luck house hunting!! XO
ReplyDeleteThose houses are beautiful! One day, right? :) I LOVE my open floor plan. It's so nice to have the kitchen and front room all together - it makes it so nice to prepare dinner and still feel like your a part of everything, especially when entertaining guests.
ReplyDeleteNegotiate everything. Ask for everything and more.....you won't get all of it, but some things might surprise you. Make sure not to forget about basic house things that should be in place and never ever forget to have an inspection by someone who is reputable.....not necessarily the recommended one by the realtor. They all work together and give each other business.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Corner lots suck (more work, less backyard for kids) and pie-shaped lots give the most space.
I just moved to Henderson, NV right next to Las Vegas. Its super hot like AZ if your going to be in the hotter area I would totally recommend a house with a pool. I don't know how people live through the heat without one. We have a simple house, but my outdoor area was really important to us. We love being outside. So a pool was a must! We also made sure the neighborhood looked safe, good schools, and parks. Good luck on the move. Im from Utah and I loooove living outside of Utah. Utah will always be my home, but its fun to try new places.
ReplyDeleteHouse hunting is both exciting and terrifying! I love seeing new places and imagining how I can make them mine. But the idea of having to find new spaces for everything and changing up my routine scares me!
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband and I bought our first house we had a list of "Must Haves" and "Nice to Haves". Our musts included at least 1.5 baths, three bedrooms, and a two car garage. As we looked at more places we added a few things but mostly stuck to that criteria. Everything else just got worked out once we moved in.
I don't know where in AZ you're looking, but if your in the valley, you shouldn't have trouble finding a house with a fenced in yard. It's the norm here.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, for us we bought our house because of the size of our lot. The house is fine. And we can change anything cosmetic. I would have loved to put our rental house on our lot that we have, but we bought an existing house and so that couldn't happen. If I could change one thing about my house, it would be to make my kitchen more open. But that can happen in the future. (oh and #2 would be expand my closet LOL)
Good luck with the house hunt!
I could live in AZ if I lived in those houses! LOL. I have never owned a house but I would say for AZ, a POOL is a must. Six months out of the year is a long time to be cooped up inside and the only way you can be outside is if you're around or in water. So yes...a pool. I also recommend something with character and charm :) If it has character and charm, you can look past any other things that don't seem perfect because you'll be in love with the home itself...does that make sense?
ReplyDelete(For example, our cute little rental right now is so cute and quaint and charming! Sure there are things I don't like but there are so many things I love and the charm factor really helps).
Windows in the kitchen are a must!!! We live in a twin home right now and the kitchen/living room are connected, with the only window being a sliding glass door. The other day I made waffles for breakfast, and of course we had to have sausage, eggs, and bacon too... Well three days later you could still smell the bacon! It is so hard to get potent smelling food residue out of your house when you dont have windows!!
ReplyDeleteAlso, his and hers sinks are so great. Its amazing how much cleaner girls are than boys. Even with all my makeup and hair products, my side stays organzied and clean, and he gets to see that when you leave a blob of toothpaste in the sink, no one is going to clean it up but you!
Good luck with the house hunt!!
Arizona?! I'm sad that you'll be moving so far away. But what an exciting new beginning. Good luck house hunting. The most important thing to me when looking at homes is that there is enough storage, like decent size closets, pantry, and cupboard space in the laundry room, etc. It's a nightmare when there isn't enough space to put stuff. I would much rather have a small, organized home than one that has lots of big rooms but lacks good storage space. We bought our home because it had an unfinished basement so that we could grow into it without moving. Do they do basements in Arizona. I know they're aren't as common sometimes in other areas.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to look at those houses. It brought back fun memories of always going the hte Parade of Homes. But I'd much rather only LOOK at those homes rather than be responsible for CLEANING a home that size!
Oh, and if a home has a mud room or shoe/coat/backpack area, just get it! :-) I soooo wish I had a mud room area.
ReplyDeleteArixona is HOT, yet, because of cost of digging through the hard clay the builders insist on building up instead of down. Keep in mind that your astronomical summer AC bills will be even higher with an upstairs. If we had to do it over again we would definately pick one story over two. Or pay extra and go down instead of up. Good luck! (For reference, our home is 2500 sq ft, we keep the air around 78 degrees in the summer and our summer AC bills (approx May-Oct) are over $400 per month.)
ReplyDeleteI love that our house is close to the elementary school. My car broke down once and it wasnt a big deal because we walked to school anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt took us over a year to find the right house. Yes we were stuck in a tiny apartment for that long but I think it was worth it. We almost got stuck with a nightmare of a house because we felt so much pressure to buy. After that little mishap and nearly being sued, we changed realtors. Some of them just want to make the sale and could care less what happens to you. So make sure you're comfortable with your realtor and that they are on your side. And there should never be a rush to buy a home. I think it's totally ok to rent for a while till the right one comes along. It's a big purchase and you're gonna have to LIVE in it so it shouldn't be taken lightly.
ReplyDeleteI'd also recommend talking to the neighbors and other locals to find out where the good schools and neighborhoods are. By law, at least where I live, the realtor cant tell you jack squat about the quality of a neighborhood or school. So get talkin to the people you see out and about!
And last I'd have to agree with the people that are recommending a pool. I've visited family in AZ in July and if you don't want to die from the heat a pool is a must. But I guess you've also got to be careful to make sure those things are locked up tight from kids. So maybe see about a local community pool instead.
Best of luck!
We don't have a pool because of the cost of upkeep (it adds about $150-200 to your monthly bills to keep a pool, between water, electricity, chemicals). However we frequent a neighborhood pool in the summer. I don't know what we would do if there weren't a pool closeby. That is really the only outdoor activity that is bearable June-Sept.
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