Okay, now on to the topic of the day... I'm kind of an impatient person. It's not that I'm impatient in general, but I'm impatient about all the BIG things. When I was in high school, I just couldn't wait to graduate and go to college.
Seniors '07!! Haha.
After a couple years of college, all I wanted was to graduate and get married. I was ahead of schedule on my college classes anyway, and I just went ahead and graduated after three years and we had a wedding and it was lovely and beautiful and I wouldn't change a single thing for the whole entire world.
When the wedding was done I was relieved. It was nice to have some free time and just live my life without something big on the horizon (LSATs, graduation, wedding, etc.). We settled into a stable little life -- law school, cute apartment, blah blah blah.
One of the greatest moments of my entire life!
But now, I'm starting to get impatient again. I just want to move on to the next thing. Maybe it's because I don't really like law school, or maybe it's just my personality, but I want to get my law degree, or get a job, or buy a house, or something.
So when the most perfect townhouse in the whole entire world showed up on my weekly "just for fun" browsing of the Houston real estate website, it wasn't good. You guys, this is like the house of my dreams. It's got everything on my checklist and then some. It's recently renovated... new roof, new double-paned windows. It's in the perfect little area... not far from downtown but close to grocery stores and shopping centers. The asking price was well under the amount we said we would spend when we bought a house, and a 20% down payment was completely do-able. And even if we were to buy it for the FULL asking price, our mortgage payment would be over $700 less than our apartment rent each month. Can you imagine all the things we could do with $700 every month?
Wanna see it? I'll show you some photos! I'd put a photo of the outside, but I think that's a bit of a privacy issue or something, so just imagine it - it's perfect Mediterranean cuteness. I'm obsessed with Mediterranean architecture, and it's just adorable. Okay, now the inside...
Perfect, right? So we talked. And we considered. And I giggled and squealed a little bit and told the picture of the kitchen that I loved it and was going to make it the happiest kitchen in the world with plenty of cheesecakes and homemade bread. And we did a whole lot of math and factored in every number we could possibly think of. We calculated how much it would cost to rent a moving van and get our stuff transported (not much). I looked at photos and mentally placed our furniture in new rooms (perfect!). We looked up nearby Catholic churches (a beautiful one right down the street). We looked up crime statistics (low).
But then we panicked at the thought of spending such a large chunk of our savings account all at once. It's just a LOT of money, you know? And we weren't really planning on buying a house for at least another year or so, and we're big "planners," so it was just all a little daunting. Spontaneity = not my strong suit. I mean, we JUST hung curtains! Haha. So we decided against it without even going to see the house in person.
But it's been a couple days now, and I can't stop thinking about that little house. And when I think about how much money we're paying for this apartment every month compared to what we would be paying in mortgage payments... sigh. I think we need to just call the realtor and go look at it. Surely I'd find something wrong with it and stop thinking about it if I saw it in person, right? But I'm desperately afraid that I wouldn't, and then I'd want it even more. And again, we just hung curtains! Being a grown up is SO difficult!
Somebody look at those photos for me and find something wrong with that house. Please. I just need to get it out of my head and go back to being perfectly content in my cute newly-curtained apartment!!
So when the most perfect townhouse in the whole entire world showed up on my weekly "just for fun" browsing of the Houston real estate website, it wasn't good. You guys, this is like the house of my dreams. It's got everything on my checklist and then some. It's recently renovated... new roof, new double-paned windows. It's in the perfect little area... not far from downtown but close to grocery stores and shopping centers. The asking price was well under the amount we said we would spend when we bought a house, and a 20% down payment was completely do-able. And even if we were to buy it for the FULL asking price, our mortgage payment would be over $700 less than our apartment rent each month. Can you imagine all the things we could do with $700 every month?
Wanna see it? I'll show you some photos! I'd put a photo of the outside, but I think that's a bit of a privacy issue or something, so just imagine it - it's perfect Mediterranean cuteness. I'm obsessed with Mediterranean architecture, and it's just adorable. Okay, now the inside...
I JUST LOVE THIS KITCHEN SO MUCH!!
Stainless steel undermount sink. Epitome of the American Dream.
See that panel sliding out? It's a SPICE RACK. Isn't that the most clever thing ever?!?! Plus, look at the beautiful tiles!!
Kitchen. I'm dying over the adorableness of that pendant light.
Built-ins. Plenty of sunlight. Can lights in the ceiling. Sigh.
Look how new and clean they are!!
This connects the garage to the house. It would be the perfect place for our patio furniture, and my husband could get his green thumb fix without having to mow a lawn regularly. Perfect.
All of the bedrooms have nice fans and super cute windows.
Master bedroom - adorable doors that lead out to a little balcony!
Oh, and it has TWO walk-in closets!
Big trees, little fountain. Beautiful.
Study w/ hardwood floors AND french doors. So, so perfect! And there's a half-bath around the corner!
This is the GUEST bathroom...two sinks!
Master bathroom. Love the granite tiles. Love the floor. Love the framed mirrors. Love, love, love.
Perfect, right? So we talked. And we considered. And I giggled and squealed a little bit and told the picture of the kitchen that I loved it and was going to make it the happiest kitchen in the world with plenty of cheesecakes and homemade bread. And we did a whole lot of math and factored in every number we could possibly think of. We calculated how much it would cost to rent a moving van and get our stuff transported (not much). I looked at photos and mentally placed our furniture in new rooms (perfect!). We looked up nearby Catholic churches (a beautiful one right down the street). We looked up crime statistics (low).
But then we panicked at the thought of spending such a large chunk of our savings account all at once. It's just a LOT of money, you know? And we weren't really planning on buying a house for at least another year or so, and we're big "planners," so it was just all a little daunting. Spontaneity = not my strong suit. I mean, we JUST hung curtains! Haha. So we decided against it without even going to see the house in person.
But it's been a couple days now, and I can't stop thinking about that little house. And when I think about how much money we're paying for this apartment every month compared to what we would be paying in mortgage payments... sigh. I think we need to just call the realtor and go look at it. Surely I'd find something wrong with it and stop thinking about it if I saw it in person, right? But I'm desperately afraid that I wouldn't, and then I'd want it even more. And again, we just hung curtains! Being a grown up is SO difficult!
Somebody look at those photos for me and find something wrong with that house. Please. I just need to get it out of my head and go back to being perfectly content in my cute newly-curtained apartment!!
I say go for it...a little spontanaeity in life is a good thing! It looks gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThat place is gorgeous! Love all the built in bookshelves. And if it's seriously cheaper than your rent, I'd say go for it. It's hard to find great deals like that in Houston!
ReplyDeleteThe house is adorable!!!! It is worth the investment- that is what savings is for!!! You should go look at it and see how you feel. If you can't stop thinking about it, then you need to jump on it. I know putting a down payment is a lot of money to spend (I would feel the same way), but just think about how much you are SAVING each month. You could totally build up your savings again!
ReplyDeletePS: Thanks for posting about my giveaway! I appreciate it!
You guys definitely need to go check it out! I know it would be scary using all your savings for the down payment, but if you stay in your apartment for another year, you guys would basically be throwing away more than $8,000. That just doesn't make sense when you could be living in the home of your dreams! The timing might know be perfect, but if everything else adds up, I say go for it!
ReplyDeleteThis probably doesn't help you, but the house is gorgeous!! I just bought my first house recently. Let me tell you-- it was really scary (especially since it was just me). But it's totally worth it. I'm so glad I did. As long as you budget well once you purchase, you'll build your savings back up in no time. Plus, now is a great time to buy-- such a buyer's market with really low mortgage rates. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a gorgeous house!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I were just like you guys--we were planning on waiting a year or so before buying. But I met a wonderful realtor and decided the Homebuyers Credit may be worth it. Approximately a week later, we'd bought a house!
Signing those papers is the most terrifying thing in the world, but I am so happy we did it.
Ok, that looks amazing. GO LOOK. If you look at it and love it and it's meant to be, you'll know! It's definitely scary, but it's SO fun to be a homeowner. And it's nice knowing you're investing in something instead of throwing money away on rent (my biggest reason for wanting to buy a house when we got married).
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to the wanting to get to the next big thing - I graduated from college in three years too because I was 'over' that period of my life. But to be honest, now that we're married, working, and own a home, I'm perfectly content with where we are! (No babies in the near future for us!)
Keep us updated with what you choose!
Stopping by, thank you for the visit and comment today...
ReplyDeleteI always say...it is better to look back and say I wish we hadn't, than spen the rest of your days thinking I wish I had!
Go for it!!!
Cheers!