Wow! That was sure fast…
Mike and I went to tour six houses yesterday, starting our first-time homebuyer tour. And, surprisingly, we immediately found one we both like! It’s about ten blocks from where we’re living now, so we already know the neighborhood, and while it needs a little fixing up, the price is so low that we can pony up repair money out of our down payment fund. We’re going back to take a more serious look at it this afternoon, and if it passes muster, we’ll start drafting an offer immediately.
Amenities of this particular house include:
- converted 1-car garage, perfect for a weaving studio!
- large COVERED patio, great for dye work!
- big sunny backyard, great for gardening
- large storage shed (for the stuff we would otherwise store in the garage)
It’s about a thousand square feet, with three bedrooms. A “starter house” according to the real estate folks, but we don’t think we’ll need anything bigger – I mean, space to eat, sleep, and weave/sew/dye – what else does anyone need in life? And it’s priced VERY attractively.
It does have some downsides: the floor in the living room/dining room/kitchen needs to be redone, the electrical wiring needs additional circuits, the laundry hookups need to be restored (used to hook up an illegal bathroom), and a bunch of other, less critical stuff. But nothing that can’t be fixed, and within our budget.
There is, of course, no guarantee that we’ll actually get the house (there may be multiple offers), but it’s exciting to have a prospect so quickly.
Meanwhile, on Autumn Splendor, I have thread-traced all six body panels (front, side panel, and back, left and right side) and am starting work on the facings. These are a little trickier since they are underlined with organza – currently reading up on how to handle marking/cutting with a sew-in underlining. After that I will assemble the body, and then match/mark/cut the sleeve pieces. Once THAT is done, it will be time to assemble the body.
But I am so excited about the possible house deal that it’s hard to focus on anything else!
Good luck on the house. And be prepared for the joys of home ownership–or, as my mother said when we bought our first house–“you will never again be able to say ‘I have nothing to do.'”
Not that you ever say that anyway!
But home ownership is great–you can paint, change things around, make it yours, mess it up–and never have to ask anyone’s permission.
Good luck on the house. The covered patio should almost count towards the square footage out where you live, don’t you think? We have a 750 square foot Cape Cod and I adore it, although I occasionally wish I had just a little more room for my crafts. We use our garage for its intended purpose, and with 7 inches of snow on the ground right now I have to admit it does make sense! Someday I’d love to add a lofted addition onto the garage for a studio, though.
Buying a house is really exciting – enjoy it!
It sounds perfect! I hope you get it. I have many friends who have been happy in their “starter” homes for over 20 years. A bigger house is not always a better house.