Pros and Cons

House hunting is exhausting. You keep looking for the right one in the right place at the right price. Your standards and must-haves are adjusted or lowered with each passing day. This is when it can get a little risky. Buying a house is not like shopping for a dress to wear to your not-really-your-friend-but-she-insisted-on-inviting-you friend's wedding. You don't shop and shop and then just pick something because you're running out of time and they're not your wedding photos anyway. Buying a home is very permanent. As least it will be for me and Jeff. We like where we're living, we have steady work, and we're pretty much equidistant from both our families.

It's not my dream home but I don't think we'll ever be able to afford something that I would consider a dream home. The house does have a lot to offer and it meets 20 of my 24 House Hunting Criteria. The 4 items it doesn't currently meet can be changed later. The main issue is the house is over budget and it needs work--work to make it livable and work to make it a beautiful home. When faced with tough decisions many people suggest creating a pro/con list. So, here it goes...

Pros:

• Location. This house is in a great neighborhood. When I drove through the first time with my Realtor I was certain I couldn't afford anything in that neighborhood. I'm the one that requested to see the house, and yes, I knew it was out of my budget. When I show the rest of the house photos you might understand why I thought I could offer a lower price and it be accepted. It's a great area for jogging, the lots are all fairly large (close to an acre for ours), and all the power lines are underground so our days of losing power at the lake house every time the wind blew will be over. It's closer to work, to my gym, and maybe even Jeff's beloved Kroger. Lowe's is also closer and we'll be going there on a daily basis pretty soon. 
• Storage. Life at the lake house has been surreal most days. The view can't be beat and we have a lot of privacy. But, sometimes it's more than obvious that we are lacking space. Jeff has embarked on a landscaping business and that involves a trailer and large equipment that needs to be protected from the elements and theft. This house has a large two car garage and a work shed in the backyard (with electricity!). There's also a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, large closets in the other two bedrooms, and, best of all, there's a pantry and laundry room. There's also a bonus room upstairs in the attic.
• Potential. The house does not currently have an open floor plan which is something we really enjoy at the lake house. There is potential to create a great room by knocking down the wall between the living room and kitchen. It's most likely a load-bearing wall but this isn't a change that would take place any time soon. We would need to save lots of money for that kind of renovation and there are other options when dealing with a load-bearing walls. The whole attic could be converted one day to livable space if we ever got that adventurous. 
• Overall space. Sandi and Remy are our only kids right now and we want them to have a nice yard to play in. This house has a huge backyard, and front yard for that matter, and we know they will love having all that room to roam. The master bedroom is large enough for our king size bed and other furniture, the two other bedrooms are large, both bathrooms are large, and the entire attic is accessible. The garage has two storage rooms with shelving.
• Cuteness. The house is cute and has great curb appeal (or it will after Jeff works his magic). I'd love to paint the whole house a nice grey, paint the shutters black so they'll pop, and maybe a juicy green front door for some whimsical fun. Or paint the shutters navy and have a yellow front door. I think it would be fun to decorate the house for Halloween, too. 
• Longevity. Jeff and I fully intend to love and take care of this house for many years to come. It has room to grow for kids if we have any in the future. We can see ourselves living there for twenty years or more. 
• Bonuses. It has a split floor plan for the bedrooms, the master is on the opposite side of the house from the other two bedrooms. Gas hook-up for the stove. There's also a gas fireplace but we're not certain it works. It has a separate dining room which we may or may not enjoy. The yard has a sprinkler system. There's an attic fan! Did I mention the PANTRY?!?!?

Cons:

• Price. This house is over budget. Based on what I wanted my monthly mortgage payment to be, plus what money I could contribute to a down payment, I had a modest budget for a first time home buyer. Then I viewed houses within that budget and it wasn't looking good. Even if the house was in poor condition I was willing to put in sweat equity to make improvements. When you're in a bad area you will not see a return on your investment. So I upped my budget a little. This house is at the tippy-top of my budget plus improvements need to be made. There are also the unknowns that go along with owning a home like when the A/C dies or a pipe bursts. Combine all that and it's financially terrifying. 
• Current condition. It's a mess. No joke. Every nook and cranny needs to be cleaned, stripped, re-painted, replaced, updated; everything. All the windows are caulked shut for heaven's sake! There are the big things like replacing the floors and the remodels I would like to do down the line--kitchen, bathrooms. Then there's all the little projects that are also time consuming and costly. The yard is an absolute mess, it hasn't been cleared since the snow and ice storms we had earlier this year and it hasn't been cared for in many months, maybe years. 

• Outdoor lounging space. We had lots of outdoor lounging space at the lake house. There's the covered porch and the deck along the back side of the house. There's also a concrete space below that back deck and the dock on the water. The new house has none of that. There's an enclosed porch which Jeff loving refers to as the Florida room but it's not a place I want to spend any time in it's current condition. There is an uncovered deck between the master and the Florida room but it's tiny and rotted. To me it doesn't seem worthwhile to repair/replace it. The front porch is pretty small. There's enough room for some potted plants and maybe a chair but it's not the wrap around porch that I've always envied. 

• Oddities. I've already mentioned the tiny deck between the master and the Florida room. There's a half bath in the master--in addition to the full bath. Say what? The living room has a knee wall and another section off that room that is just...I don't really know how to describe what it is. There's no direct path from the kitchen to the backyard so when we want to grill we have to walk through the living room and then the Florida room OR walk through the master. That's right, there's a door from the backyard into the master. Jeff loves that part, me, not so much. The path from the garage to the rest of the house (past the kitchen) means you walk through the eat-in area. The door from the garage into the house doesn't open all the way because the railing blocks the door. It doesn't have a linen closet.

Our original closing date was for May 16th, then May 28th, and now it's today. This has been an uphill struggle from day one with this house and it will be for many years. But, I think the pros make it worthwhile. 

Katherine Hepburn's Home

It's apparently for sale. Katherine wasn't my favorite Hepburn but her house is certainly something to envy. It's located in Fenwick, Connecticut. Don't know where that is but it might be worth a visit if this is the real estate. The following photos are from a Yahoo article today and I just had to make a post about the photos.

Aerial shot

From the back, facing the sound

Family room. LOVE the ceiling

Dreamy kitchen. Do you see the size of that sink under the window?!

Screened in porch for indoor/outdoor dining 

Not a lot of color or pattern but tons of character in this master bedroom

With a great view like this there's no need to focus on decorating

Another bedroom

Another bedroom with another stellar view

I don't love the abundance of periwinkle in this room but you'd have to pull me away from that window reading spot

Gorgeous patio

Everything is so lovely. I love the lighting, the light blue color of the ceiling, THE VIEW, everything. Hepburn certainly loved and appreciated this place and lived there her whole life. It can be yours for the bargain price of 14.8 million--that's at a 50% discount. Count me in as one of your permanent guests.

Noteworthy

It's a holiday weekend and I don't know anyone who isn't thrilled about a 3-day weekend. I'm thrilled but I'll mostly be doing school work (only 4 weeks left to go!). Here's my noteworthy stuff...

• I finished this game this week.

It was a really fun, long game. There was no strategy guide included which kind of stinks but most of the time if you go to Big Fish Game Walkthroughs you'll find a step-by-step guide to help you when you get stumped. There are dozens more Big Fish games on my iPad waiting to be played--I'm giddy with excitement.

• I saw this picture on a blog post titled 8 Dreamy Spaces

That bench/stool with the goat looking legs creeps me out. Hate it. This entry way does not look dreamy but I do like that green wallpaper to the right.

• The TV movie version of Petals on the Wind airs on Lifetime on Monday night.

I've got it set up on the DVR and I'm excited to watch it. The first movie in the series, Flowers in the Attic, was descent so I'm eager to see this installment. I hope they do the whole series. 

• Have you ever seen Mark Ryden's work?

This piece is more PG then most of his stuff. I like his technique but his art is very bizarre and often inappropriate. I'm not really sure how a person goes about acquiring an art collection they want to display in their home. I certainly can't think of anything in the middle Georgia area. The only time I'm ever exposed to art for sale is at the Georgia National Fair. I don't attend many festivals--that might be a good place to start.

• I volunteered at a local triathlon this Sunday. 

I don't feel that I helped much during my three hours. For the most part I just felt bad about my own level of fitness (or lack of fitness). There were 60 and 70 year old participants that would leave me in the dust in any of the events. 

That's all the highlights I had for this week. It's been a busy one with school and my house buying agenda. 

And The Hits Just Keep on Coming, Part 2

I've already chronicled my house hunting adventures but the actual process of purchasing home has been brutal as well. Jeff and I found a house that we want to make our home so I put in an offer. A low-ball offer. It was rejected. Then I offered again at a 15K increase, they countered with about one thousand off the asking price. I countered that with an increase of eight more thousand. They countered with only a difference of $500 from their first counter. Then we had a biding war and I put in my best offer. It was accepted and the paperwork onslaught began. I chose USAA as my lender because I think they are a great company and I've been with them for my insurance for many, many years. About two weeks into the closing process an appraisal was done. The valued amount came in extremely low and USAA asked that the seller replace all the flooring, paint the interior, and get a stove. Did I mention this house is a foreclosure? The "seller" is a bank, not the traditional homeowner. Plus, the changes required by USAA are cosmetic. The seller terminated the contract. I got with a new lender that same day and the paperwork onslaught began again from square one. Forms and data were collected and sent to underwriters. During the underwriting process they discovered some questionable information about my tax filing. The loan was approved but they wanted details about the ten thousand dollar loss I filed, details about my pet care business, and why my address is in Alabama but my loan application had Georgia. WTF?!?!!? This was last Thursday, the same day I discovered my textbook issues at GSU. On Friday I was told to file a police report, fill out IRS form 14039, and a few other things. I think my sister said it best when I texted her.

I filed my police report, visited the local IRS office yesterday to get my form 14039 stamped, and then I've got to contact the FTC, the three credit companies, and possibly the social security administration online or over the phone. This ordeal has been a major blow to my confidence as a citizen and I'm really worried about what else this person has done with my social security number. I've said more than a few curse words over the last week and lost some sleep. Other than that I seem to be coping fairly well. I am stressed but I'm trying to focus on all the positives in my life to keep me afloat. I've got a lot to be thankful for.

And The Hits Just Keep on Coming, Part 1

There's only so much a person can take before they give up. I'm on the brink. Going back to school has been an absolute nightmare. Everyone knows that I thought I was done last summer and then earlier this year I was informed I needed to take one more course. I have been enrolled in that course since March, purchased and read the textbook cover to cover in April, and May 19th was the first day of class. Last Thursday was a dark day for me. I found out that the textbook my teacher told me to buy/read was for the undergrad class and I'm enrolled in the graduate course. We were working it out so that I could stay enrolled in the graduate course, do the undergrad coursework, complete the graduate project, and get credit for the graduate course. On Monday I found out that I cannot be enrolled in either course and that I needed to complete that course requirement at a different institution. I've been emailing, calling, and filling out online forms to change my student status from graduate student to post-baccalaureate student. As a post-baccalaureate student I can take the undergrad class online which will count toward my media specialist certification. Don't ask me to explain how this happened or why I can't just take any online class I want, the explanation will not make sense at all. Basically, you cannot earn the Media Specialist certification online at GSU, as advertised, without major problems. The same person keeps pointing the finger of blame at me when I'm just trying to go to school and pay them thousands of dollars. It's become crystal clear that I should have completed this certification through Valdosta State rather than GSU. When everything is done and I have my blessed certificate I will be writing a very long letter to the GSU President detailing my misadventures with this program. All I can do at this point is wait for it to get sorted out and have the correct class in my portal. The silver lining is that I did read the right textbook after all. However, I've already paid my tuition for SPED 6130 but I need to be enrolled in SPED 3331. That will need to be corrected by the computer fairies as well. I paid my money, I'm ready to learn, so let me get to work!!

My left eyelid is twitching again

Noteworthy

This week seemed really long. I think maybe it's because I'm in a transition stage right now. We are in the process of searching for a new director where I work, my final (it better be!) media specialist certification course starts on Monday, and we're all counting down the days until prep and college graduation. I'm almost giddy with excitement about the summer. Hate the heat and humidity but love the laid back atmosphere at work. Here are some other things that made me giddy this week:

• I can't wait to see this movie!

I'm not a huge Angelina fan (Team Aniston for the win!) but Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite Disney movies and I really wish it were in theaters this weekend instead of the 30th. 

• In other movie news, I don't know if you've heard but...

Channing Tatum has been cast to play Gambit in the next X-Men movie. I'm thrilled, not because I like Channing Tatum, but because Gambit is one of my favorite X-Men characters and he's who I named my little Remy after (Gambit's real name is Remy LeBeau). The only thing I've liked Tatum in is 21 Jump Street but I think he'll do justice for Gambit. I told Whitney about this and her response was, "How many X-Men movies are there going to be?!?!". The correct answer is as many as I want. 

• I saw this lovely thing on the dock this week.

These herrings, mostly blue or grey in color, are much larger than you think. Their wing span is very impressive. I'll miss seeing them when we move from the lake house.

• I still keep my eyes open surfing the web for library catalog furniture. It's all so expensive and I'd most likely have the best luck at a flea market. This is a nice concept though.

This would be great for a TV console and TV components. It has the look of library catalog drawers but there really just door fronts. That's all that was noteworthy this past week. My personal life has been a mess and I'll update on that soon. 

Series Fiction Addiction

I'm caught up in several fiction series right now. Some I'm waiting for the next book to be published and others I'm trying to read as fast as I can.

I'm reading this one right now. It's the second in the Pure trilogy by Julianna Baggott. It's a YA apocalyptic/dystopian series and the author has one wild imagination. One of our prep students recommended the series to me and I'm glad I took her advice.

I read this one earlier this year. It's another YA apocalyptic/dystopian book and the sequel will be out this summer. It's only a two book series which is kind of rare. I really admired the main character of this one.

Did you read the first one in this series, Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children? Great book. The cover looks really creepy, just like the sequel Hollow City, but the story was actually very interesting and whimsical rather than creepy.

This is another vampire book, with a little twist, that takes places in a apocalyptic setting. Surprised? I really enjoyed the first book, The Immortal Rules, but the second one, The Eternity Cure, fell a little flat. I'm still going to read The Forever Song, which came out last month, because I want to know what happens.

This is also a YA apocalyptic/dystopian book (I certainly have a type!) but I thought it was a stand alone book. Turns out the sequel, Rebel, just came out. If you don't have a goodreads account you need to get one.

They have a mobile app too. I think my old college friend Jessi (who I just saw this week out of the blue at Kroger) may have introduced the website to me but Whitney really talked it up. After I read a book I log into goodreads and put the date I finished it and leave a rating and sometimes a review. I also get weekly emails from them about new books and authors and I love that they're set up by genre. 

To read a synopsis and reviews by others you just click on the picture. I want to read that Dangerous Creatures one too! What's really great about having a goodreads account is the emails they send with new books by authors you've read. I don't think I would have known about the Rebel book without that email notification. So many fun books waiting for me to read them. I hate that I'm such a slow reader!

Noteworthy

It's been a very out-of-the-ordinary past couple of weeks for me. In and outside of work. This trip with my sister couldn't have come at a better time and I was glad to get away, even if it was just for a couple days. Here are some noteworthy things from the last couple weeks. Oh, I've changed my "Week in Review" series title to "Noteworthy". I'm spontaneous like that.

• I just love this story. Enin's comment that he hopes his story will inspire other kids to appreciate higher education is particularly wonderful. That's right, appreciate. 

• I finished this Big Fish game this week. 

Not my favorite, in fact, if I hadn't already wasted my money on the full version I would have deleted it and moved on a long time ago. I couldn't figure out what I needed to do next at all. I had to use the strategy guide for everything. Not my idea of fun. I usually love these creepy games and I like when they're challenging but not when they're impossible to complete without major hand-holding.

• I kind of want this lamp stand from Target. There are two sizes, medium and large, and I'd like the large.

I don't know what shade I would like along with it at all. This would be for my nightstand. I've been having issues with my old one and I think glass is the safest way to go right now. They only had the medium stand in stock when I checked this weekend and I'd really like to see it in person before I commit. I did buy this bag from Target during our Virginia trip.

It's my new gym bag and I love it so far. 

• In my never ending sadness over finishing all the streaming episodes of Supernatural I've been going through some of the other streaming shows. You know I watched Orange is the New Black but over the last two weeks I've watched the final seasons of 30 Rock and The Office. 

30 Rock was pretty tough to get through but I loved watching The Office. I think they ended the series well and I laughed a lot. I'm gonna miss those kooky characters. Except Ryan, I never did like him. 

• I love this sweet song and the sweet story that goes along with it. 

I actually think the live version from their wedding is better than the iTunes version available for purchase. Hate his hair. Her hair is perfect. 

• Have you tried this product?

They make my laundry smell amazing. Can't say enough good things about this product. They are a little pricey but I'm seeing coupons more frequently (like inside my Tide detergent box!).

That's it for my Noteworthy segment. I'm behind on my Pinterest craft for last month. I already know what I want to do but it's the execution that I'm having difficulty with. I obviously need to get on my two recipes and my craft for this month. I'm such a slacker lately!

Homearama Adventure

Michanne and I made it back safely on Monday afternoon and I've been recovering ever since. The trip was very rushed but that's to be expected for only one full day in Virginia and two days of travel. After we picked up our rental we headed straight to the Homearama. We parked at a local high school and rode an uber fancy charter bus to the Homearama with a bunch of strangers. The weather was perfect. By the time we got around to touring the last two houses it was a little warm but we had sunshine and no rain, rain would have really ruined the experience. John and Sherry just posted an awesome blog post about the other houses and they've given several updates on their own. It's a really great post with wonderful pictures so I'll add a few of my own (and some of theirs, the ones that I couldn't get centered) but they captured a lot of the great features in their post. I'll follow their house numbering because that's also the route we followed to tour the homes. Things got a little fuzzy around house #4 so this might get confusing.

House #1

I liked this house the least. All the interior was monotone and just really boring in my opinion. The floors were that grey pickled look that's so popular right now and all the furniture was grey or beige. I did like a few features though.

This ceiling stenciling in one of the kids room's was really precious.

I loved the bath insert tile which is the same tile John and Sherry used in the flooring for their kids' Jack and Jill bathroom.

I liked the back splash tile used in the basement kitchen. But you'll notice that all of my pictures are grey. The house needed a major dose of warmth and a little splash of color variation. 

House #2 

This was John and Sherry's house. They have posted many, many times about the details but I took pictures of some of my favorite things.

I loved the exterior style and colors used on their house. It had the best curb appeal of the seven houses. 

Here's that floor tile I loved so much. It works really well with the Kermit green vanity. 

I also loved the board detail in that bathroom in the toilet and shower area. 

I've been obsessed with this light fixture ever since they posted it many weeks ago. Gorgeous. I hate to say it but their house was not my favorite. The banquet table was entirely too large, the dining room and office were too small and their color choices in the kids bedrooms just weren't my taste. 

House #3

This was a strong contender for my favorite because of the dining room, the powder room, and the living room. I loved the layout of the first floor. 

This dining room was so impressive. It was just beautiful.

My picture is nearly identical to the one John and Sherry took but I could not get over that wallpaper. It's very reminiscent of one of my favorite bathroom designs by Sarah Richardson (seen below).

Isn't this a great idea? This was in the master bedroom and I thought it was really creative yet such a simple way to camouflage a less than design-tastic TV. 

This color combination is really great. Clean and fun. 

This was the open space above the front door entry. I loved the paneling, the chandelier, the wall color. Perfection!

Alright, the next few pictures are where it gets a little fuzzy on which house I was in. I'll try to get it right. 

I believe this garage door was for house #4. It's also the only thing I photographed in that house (I think). 

I'm pretty sure the next pictures are of House #6. The one with the pool. 

This one was my favorite dining room. Hands down. I loved the nature elements incorporated, the chairs, the light fixtures. Everything.

I believe the same house had one of my favorite living rooms. The masculine wing-back chairs, the coffee table, the stone fireplace, and the built-ins all looked great. The outdoor living space was the best of all the houses. Not just because of the pool (which looked particularly inviting as the temperature outside and in the houses started to rise) but because of the outdoor fire place, the large covered patio, the fire pit, and the large sliding glass doors. Everything was beautiful. This house was up there as one of my favorites. 

When we got to House #7 my camera batteries were really low so I had to switch to my iPhone. The pictures weren't as great but the last house had my favorite kitchen, butler's pantry, banquet, and cozy living room. 

I didn't love the wall finish in the living room or how the fireplace kind of jutted out from the rest of the wall but I liked the size and the built-ins and the furniture placement. John and Sherry have a great picture of the banquet on their post. 

So that's all the houses. It took us about 3 hours to get through everything and start with a "meh" meal before our tours. I loved all the pulley doors, the large windows, ceiling and wall paneling details, the flow of the main floors, the extra living spaces like gaming and media rooms. Now that I'll be getting a house of my own it's really helpful to see some design ideas in person.This was a great experience. I saw so many unique and beautifully showcased homes. I know there's probably something similar in Atlanta and I'll seriously look into attending in the future.