K.I.S.S. Me!

What a weekend! We viewed 7 houses and I was nearly in love a few times. But now I am back to square one. Each house has it's own pros and cons. Everything must be considered from the age of the furnace, to the type of flooring to the neighbours. Oh this is so daunting! And we've barely begun.



I think the process has helped solidify my needs and wants, dreams vs. reality. We looked at one hobby farm yesterday. It had 33 acres, with 6 acres cleared for house and pasture. There's a barn and fencing. I left after walking through the house twice and felt for sure we would put in an offer. Then at home reality set in. The house is huge but it needs work. It needs a new furnace, new windows and half a roof. The upstairs bathroom needs to be redone and the light fixtures need to be replaced in all rooms. Add this to the fact that the house was already stretching our limited budget.

Those cons aside, the 27 acres of bush is another bone of contention. The forest is protected from development (yea!) and we can remove as much as we would like for firewood (bonus!) but that means extra equipment, sweat equity on weekends and hard work for my husband who does not function well on his leg for three seasons out of the year. I fear if we bought the place the pasture and barn would sit empty for years and I would be in over my head as far as everything else goes.

The other houses we viewed were a mix and match of needs. One house had okay land and a decent house but the kids bedrooms were small with no closets. We could put in closets but that would reduce the bedroom sizes even more.

Another house had a unique layout with tonnes of potential inside, but almost no sun or clearing for a garden of any kind. I need a moderately sized garden, that is a deal breaker.

The house on the top of my list is the same floor plan as the farm house but on two acres in an estate subdivision...er...not my idea of country freedom. We have to check rule book at the Township Office. Hey, maybe they will allow chicken, who knows?

And it seemed all the houses were over priced for the market, according to our Real Estate Agent. She and I seem to be in agreement over that. I have seen numerous houses sit on the market all summer with nary a price reduction. Some people just refuse to admit that the money they could have made two years ago is not the case right now.

After viewing all the homes and going through slight heart break over the hobby farm, I have adopted a new motto when viewing houses.

Keep.It.Simple.Sweetie.

There is no point biting off more than I can chew. Feeling overwhelmed by my property and house is not my idea of simplicity. I can live simply without living on a hundred or even ten acres. This is my firm conclusion after looking at a few houses and trying to envision my life there. The search continues...