Might We Move?

I know it is a bad thing that I have a job that is really slow sometimes. This job also gives me internet access. That means that I can surf the ‘Net all day and look at things I really shouldn’t be looking at. I’m not checking out raunchy sites that would get me fired, nor am I shopping for shoes and jewelry. Ok, you caught me, I do “window shop” online quite a bit, but I rarely buy anything.

Instead, I do stupid things, like look at houses for sale. If I see a house I like that goes on the market or know of someone selling, I stalk the properties like mad. The dream houses are always ones I could never afford but it’s fun to look and see how the other half lives.

On Tuesday, I stumbled across this one:

What is this? This is a foreclosure in my town. It is located in an entirely different neighborhood with much bigger lots and homes. What brought this house to my attention is the price tag. It is listed for a fraction of what other houses in that neighborhood would go for. It’s 500 square feet bigger than the house we currently have. The yard is twice the size. The style is completely different from the standard colonial we have. And the price is less than what we paid for the house we currently live in.

All that good stuff, how could I not tell EN? I texted him and told him to check out the listing online. His response was immediate, “Holy shit, we need to drive by at least!” So EN and the girls spent the bulk of the week stalking that house. I went once, on Wednesday night and peeked in the windows. There were things I liked and things I didn’t but I could definitely see that it is a great value.

And so… we bit the bullet today and went to see it with our realtor. I convinced myself that I would hate it. The master bedroom is on the first floor, so there isn’t a whole lot of family living space. The kitchen seemed to have only a few cabinets and they were white. I hate white cabinets. This house has too many doors to the outside, seven… not including the garage doors. Who needs that many freakin’ doors?

And this is what happened: I walked into this house and it took my breath away. The garage has space to build a fantastic storage area to keep coats, shoes, hats and mittens. The living space on the first floor didn’t feel as small as I thought it would. There is a beautiful wood staircase, leading up to two bedrooms, a bathroom and a huge room that is railing on one side, so one can look down below. The trim in the dining room is gorgeous. The master bedroom has a tray ceiling. There are two Jacuzzi tubs in the house. There is a separate staircase leading to a room and bathroom above the garage. This could someday be transformed into a master suite, so there is more living space downstairs.

And the bad… The kitchen is a disaster. Not only are the cabinets white, but they are bottom-of-the-barrel cheapies with a countertop that looks like plywood covered in laminate. The flooring doesn’t even go to the edges. Some tiles have been replaced, much of what is there is cracked. The wall oven sits on the floor and there are empty built-ins that seem odd. The bathroom fixtures are junk, with the sink in the master bath held up with a piece of PVC pipe. One toilet is completely missing from a bathroom. The light fixtures are bogus. While some of the trim is elegant, other spots have no trim at all. There are light switches through the house that seem to serve no purpose. There is a mantel in the family room with no fireplace installed. There is no central air and the washer and dryer are in the basement. The yard consists of nothing but weeds. 

I walked through this house in awe. I could picture it finished and it is divine. It is a castle this Ice Princess could only have dreamed of. I envision walls painted in warm colors. I see a fabulous kitchen of gorgeous cabinets and granite counters. I see a master bathroom with enough room that I could have the little built in area to do my face and hair, like I always wanted.

There are things about this house that are perfection: the neighborhood is awesome. We would absolutely be able to resell and make a huge profit. The yard is completely flat, unlike our current yard which is on a hill. The house is full of big windows, making it extremely light. Sugar and Spice adored this house and ran excitedly from room to room. They would have space to each have their own room and a playroom to share. EN stood in the garage with his mouth hanging open, knowing full well that even he doesn’t have enough shit to fill that up.

I am excited, this is a tremendous opportunity to have something for a price that is unreal. On the other hand, leaving the house that I built makes me sad. Both EN and I moved a lot as kids, neither of us have ever lived in a place as long as we have lived here. We built it and we’ve loved it. Our view of the mountain is stunning and our girls really have never known any place else as “home.”

However, opportunity knocks and I’m afraid we’ll kick ourselves in the ass if we don’t answer the door.

xoxo

Ice Princess