House Hunters: Glenwood Springs
I don't think I've mentioned it but we started our house-hunting search in early March. I think in total we have looked at 14 homes & one thing I realized is that house hunting in a smaller community can be a very emotionally draining task; while at the same time, it's a task I feel very blessed to even have on my to-do list.
After we looked at the first few homes I realized it would be good to sit down and write out a list of our "Needs" and then a list of our "Wants". We promised ourselves that if something wasn't on the "Needs" list, it was a deal-breaker, no matter how cute the house was (I'm a sucker for cuteness- maybe this rule was mostly for me to follow). I think the list helped me retain some rational sense even though it was heart-wrenching at times. P.S. There are some seriously adorable, and very tiny, houses out there.
We told our Realtor that we were open to look at just about anything and that we weren't afraid of having to do some work. To sum it up, the houses we looked at seemed to fit in one of three categories, which always included a "but...":
I know it's not like we've been searching that long and it's not like we looked at hundreds of homes but I started to feel defeated. It felt like we couldn't compete in this market. We're careful introverts who don't make rash decisions and every time we considered putting in an offer, there was always this prevailing thought of, "Wellll, I think we could make it work". There was no resoundingly clear truth that the house would fit all of our needs. We also started to worry that we'd run out of options (small community = limited availability) and when people started buying these homes for the full asking price, that we thought were too high, we worried the market might dramatically shift higher and we wouldn't be able to afford anything that would fit what we are looking for.
Enter Divine Providence: Stage left.
To make a long-ish story short, our Realtor got a call from a guy looking to sell his home and when she went to look at it, she knew we would love it and scheduled for us to see it on Friday afternoon.
She said things like:
"You will LOVE IT"
"Bring your checkbook because you'll be buying this house"
"It's the best kept secret in town"
I always worry when something gets super hyped up ahead of time - I don't deal well with a lot of disappointment- but she was right. When we got to the house, she was on the front stoop and greeted us with a big smile and said, "Welcome Home!" We walked around and it didn't take long for us to say, "Where do we sign?"
I always say perspective is a tricky son of a gun. I honestly think if this had been the first house we looked at, I don't know that I would've realized what a gem it is. I was so attached to my grand vision of a giant Victorian home with a wrought-iron fence that I would've missed it. Even though I love the perfection of God's timing, I hate that it's usually only clear in hindsight. It's hard to live in the unknown- as most of you can attest to.
This house has everything on our lists. Both lists. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Plus more than we could have ever dreamed up. We've written up an offer, but the timeline is a little unique. They don't plan on moving until September- at the earliest- so we are on pins and needles hoping that nothing falls through in the next 4 months. I made a spreadsheet (I know, Brian is totally rubbing off on me) of all the due dates until the closing. This way, we can check things off and feel like we're making progress even though I'll probably be holding my breath in between each one.
I just can't wait to get my hands on it. I want to decorate the crap out of it.
Our first real house! With a yard and no shared walls!
Oh, I've got plans, people, and it's going to be awesome.
After we looked at the first few homes I realized it would be good to sit down and write out a list of our "Needs" and then a list of our "Wants". We promised ourselves that if something wasn't on the "Needs" list, it was a deal-breaker, no matter how cute the house was (I'm a sucker for cuteness- maybe this rule was mostly for me to follow). I think the list helped me retain some rational sense even though it was heart-wrenching at times. P.S. There are some seriously adorable, and very tiny, houses out there.
We told our Realtor that we were open to look at just about anything and that we weren't afraid of having to do some work. To sum it up, the houses we looked at seemed to fit in one of three categories, which always included a "but...":
- Totally adorable but had some deal-breakers and was way too expensive
- Had potential but way too expensive and would cost a boat-ton to make it what we wanted
- Totally adorable but way too expensive and barely made the cut on our deal-breakers
I know it's not like we've been searching that long and it's not like we looked at hundreds of homes but I started to feel defeated. It felt like we couldn't compete in this market. We're careful introverts who don't make rash decisions and every time we considered putting in an offer, there was always this prevailing thought of, "Wellll, I think we could make it work". There was no resoundingly clear truth that the house would fit all of our needs. We also started to worry that we'd run out of options (small community = limited availability) and when people started buying these homes for the full asking price, that we thought were too high, we worried the market might dramatically shift higher and we wouldn't be able to afford anything that would fit what we are looking for.
Enter Divine Providence: Stage left.
To make a long-ish story short, our Realtor got a call from a guy looking to sell his home and when she went to look at it, she knew we would love it and scheduled for us to see it on Friday afternoon.
She said things like:
"You will LOVE IT"
"Bring your checkbook because you'll be buying this house"
"It's the best kept secret in town"
I always worry when something gets super hyped up ahead of time - I don't deal well with a lot of disappointment- but she was right. When we got to the house, she was on the front stoop and greeted us with a big smile and said, "Welcome Home!" We walked around and it didn't take long for us to say, "Where do we sign?"
I always say perspective is a tricky son of a gun. I honestly think if this had been the first house we looked at, I don't know that I would've realized what a gem it is. I was so attached to my grand vision of a giant Victorian home with a wrought-iron fence that I would've missed it. Even though I love the perfection of God's timing, I hate that it's usually only clear in hindsight. It's hard to live in the unknown- as most of you can attest to.
This house has everything on our lists. Both lists. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Plus more than we could have ever dreamed up. We've written up an offer, but the timeline is a little unique. They don't plan on moving until September- at the earliest- so we are on pins and needles hoping that nothing falls through in the next 4 months. I made a spreadsheet (I know, Brian is totally rubbing off on me) of all the due dates until the closing. This way, we can check things off and feel like we're making progress even though I'll probably be holding my breath in between each one.
I just can't wait to get my hands on it. I want to decorate the crap out of it.
Our first real house! With a yard and no shared walls!
Oh, I've got plans, people, and it's going to be awesome.
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| Since it was never listed, all I've got is the Google street view image. Cute, right? I want to get my hands on those shutters and paint them a fun color. It would also be a crime to not put up a white picket fence, amiright? Would you believe there are 4 good size bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms in this little guy?! |
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