Some notes we're making about hunting for a new house, that will help us narrow down our search and also help our realtor (yes we have a great realtor) find properties to suggest to us.
Things about us
we have lots of clothes
we have lots of books
we have 1 dog & 4 cats
we have 3 cars
we recycle everything (and need to store recycling)
we both need office space
we both have craft projects/board games (table space separate from dining)
we like interesting architecture
we like having friends visit, and occasionally having parties
Needs
3 or 4 bedrooms - (space for offices, guests, craft room)
at least 1 and 1/2 bathrooms (ours and room for guests)
shower - bigger than a stall
8'6" ceilings - for bookcases
2 car garage or better
fenced in backyard for Spike (or ability to easily fence in)
kitchen with lots of storage and easy to cook in
good mechanicals
neighborhood we can walk around in and enjoy
reasonable commute to work for both of us
outdoor living space - front porch or patio area where we can entertain, and yard where we can garden/grow raspberries
little to no renovation or improvements necessary
quiet street without lots of traffic & noise
lots of light - large windows, southern exposure
interior house style that's artistic and interesting
ability to have friends park nearby when they come to visit
Wants
walk-in closets and lots of room for clothes
pantry area for food storage and to hide recycling collection
wood floors!!
recent updates to plumbing, heating, AC
space to display VW collectibles
ability to install solar panels someday
medium-sized yard (decent distance from neighbors)
exterior house style that's artistic and interesting
attached garage
paved driveway
Herron-Morton neighborhood/downtown neighborhood
Broad Ripple/Monon area?? Meridian-Kessler? Butler-Tarkington? Rocky Ripple?
Dreams
enviro-friendly house (heating, efficient appliances, solar panels)
gazebo (with Rolf)
room for kitty jungle gym
this is so exciting! i can't wait to hear more about the house search.
We looked at a house last night; I have some pictures. It was cool from a design standpoint, but didn't fit enough of what we need and want. It could make some other person with a design eye a really interesting home, though. I'll try to throw the pictures on Flickr sometime soon.
One of my problems is that while house hunting, I react too much to the exterior of houses I see for sale. In reality, you don't stand around looking at the outside your house all the time, you look at the interior more often. I need to place a greater emphasis on the interiors.
And remember not to get hung up on things that are easy to change, such as paint colors. You probably already know that having renovated your current home. My house was fugly when I bought it, but it was structurally good, with a large yard. Everything else was easy to fix!
i think it's natural to respond to curb appeal; that's why HGTV has devoted an entire show to it. i was the same way when i first started house-hunting, but after looking at a lot of places, i got over it.
still, there is a lot to be said for a really great front porch. i would have been flipping out over that bungalow you looked at, too, from the way it looked on the outside.