Sunday, November 4, 2007

House Hunting Grievances

House Shopping is daunting, frustrating, overwhelming and not as exciting as I thought it would be. I've lived in rentals almost my whole life. I grew up in New York where the apartments were huge, had hardwood floors and incredible architectural details, oh and of course Supers who took care of all those pesky little maintenance issues. In my married life renting has afforded us many luxuries--we’ve lived in some pretty fabulous places. There was the old historic home full of charm, (which we would never buy because they’re money pits) the high-rise downtown apartment with amazing city views. We’ve lived in a quirky old building with our best friends on the floor above us, and nosy old ladies who kept tabs on everyone. We’ve had all the good stuff with no commitment and therefore no chance of disappointment. We’ve been livin’ the good life. The thing is it's time for us to make some better financial choices, that, and we are now a family of four, and my children must be able to play outside without going to the plastic playground.


What we want is an old bungalow with charm, but we don’t want to move to neighborhoods that have shootings every week, and as afore mentioned these adorable houses come with serious baggage. Actually no what we, ok, I, really want is a brownstone in Manhattan. But our choices are cookie cutter homes in the boonies that have no character, hideous kitchens, and can I say honestly, no offense because really it’s all about personal tastes, but those hideous enormous mirrors in bathrooms with the kitchen cabinets as vanities…NOT good. Oh and tiny rooms, hideous light fixtures, hollow core doors, beige carpet, ugly tiles…shall I continue. These homes are completely devoid of any architectural details and quality craftsmanship. I have literally only seen one house with crown molding. And by the way, this is not about size, size has never been an issue for me, honestly I think the size of homes now is absurd, people buy huge homes they can’t manage. They hire maids and gardeners (for their tiny little yards) all so they can “save” time, which is a whole other post about what they do with that time, like spend it at malls where they spend more money on stuff that just ends up in the garage. And honestly I hate to sound ugly and be this person, (because honestly I would hire a housekeeper too if I could, not really, I like cleaning but I would I’d hire someone to fold my laundry) but this is my thing..my home. I don’t want luxury cars or clothes I want a beautiful home.

Anyway, I think I’m suffering from house commitment issues among other things. This really is a good thing, to be able to own a home, but this is a huge commitment, there is so much work ahead and so much to lose. Who will I call when the dishwasher leaks, the fridge is on fritz or there’s a bug problem. How about crazy neighbors? Anyway, below are some images of our current home, and yes I call it ours because we have been pregnant in this home, brought a new baby here, had dozens of parties, a ton of friends, laughs, cries, and memories. I may be saying this prematurely but for my sanity I have to begin to admit it’s time to say goodbye.


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1 comment:

Liz Harrell said...

Oh, I hurt for you. I agree on EVERYTHING you said here. New homes give me the the heebie jeebies. I wanted a bungalow home so badly, and when we ended up buying a house built in the 50's I felt like I was selling out. However, our house has so much more character than the others we looked at (newer homes) and the old 50's style neighborhoods with sidewalks and big trees are so wonderful. Anyway, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! No matter where you buy, you'll decorate it and make it what you love, which is what is most important!