Since the Fed dropped the rate again, it has left me in a state of quandary. Do I refinance my house, that I have almost completed my upgrades on? Or do I buy the house across the street and start over with a new project? The house across the street from ours has perfectly manicured oak trees, a beautiful column-lined porch and outdoor lighting that is to die for. Big Daddy likes the fact that it is one-story and has a three car garage. It has a huge apartment above the garage with a full kitchen and bath. And it has a pool, but the gunite needs to be refinished.
My house has a brand new pool and landscaping, new counter tops in all the bathrooms, and new tile in all the bathrooms except mine. Ours is a two-story house which we have previously managed to avoid buying (this is my 8th house in 17 years) except for one. We really hated that one because the master bedroom was upstairs. I like my master bedroom downstairs, like it is now.
The house across the street is smaller, which is good when you are talking about cleaning, but is bad when you talk about housing all your relatives at the holidays. I can't decide if the apartment is a bonus or not. We wouldn't rent it out. It could be a place for elderly parents to live, but we would have to install an elevator since the stairs leading up to it are steep. The current owner's teenagers use it as a party room - and Whoa is me! the parties they have. I've seen kids relieving themselves on their front lawn and throwing up in the street (ick!), all while the parents sleep in the quiet solitude of the "big house". But I digress.
The biggest difference between the two houses is the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the home. Almost all of our waking hours are spent in the kitchen. It's where we do homework,
prepare and eat our meals,
work on the computer (yes, I'm sitting at my desk in the kitchen), and sometimes sit and watch tv (I have a little TV on my desk - you'll have to look at the first picture to see my desk).
The kitchen in my house is huge (Mama always says that every house we've ever owned has a huge kitchen. In one house, the kitchen was almost 35% of the total square footage). The kitchen across the street is a galley style which is great if you're in it for the cooking. I'm not in it for the cooking.
,Ask my peeps. They will confirm. That stove is for heating the tea kettle. That bottom oven sees action about twice a year.
I think I have talked myself into staying put. I love the way that house across the street looks on the outside, but I guess it's true - it's what's on the inside that counts.
1 comment:
Howdy HC - thanks for stopping by and posting on my blog!
I am in my 4th house...getting smaller with each move and I host several parties a year with at times up to 70 guests and they LOVE my little 1899 farmhouse - it is small, but it is home.
don't really roam
Post a Comment