Jill's househunting ramblings

[JillMelissa]

I am soooo depressed right now. I went out with our realtor this morning and we looked at 5 houses. The first one was *ok*, the second one I didn't care for at all. The third one I liked a lot! The fourth one was the exact same model as the third one, but without all the upgrades. And the fifth one... was my dream house. It was absolutely perfect in every way. On the way home, my agent called the listing agent to ask a question about the taxes, and he told her that there is already a strong offer on that house! :doh: And there's no way we'd be able to match that offer because we have a house to sell and they don't, so their offer is obviously stronger than ours could be. I was so disappointed! :cry:

Anyway, here are some pictures from our trip. This is house #3, the one that I thought would be great until I fell in love with house #5. Some pros and cons:

Pros: So much light - big huge windows, and 5 skylights thoughout the house. Great upgrades - marble countertops and kitchen island, extra-large water heater, recessed lighting, marble fireplace. Gigantic walk-in closet in master bedroom (almost as big as Emily's room is now!!), even a big walk-in closet in what would be Emily's room. Huge basement. Great eat-in kitchen. Cathedral ceiling in family room.

Cons: No living room, although we could definitely use the dining room as a living room since we are not really formal dining room people (we don't have any dining room furniture anyway!). Carpeting upstairs would need to be replaced because I don't care for the color, but it is in good shape so it would not be a rush to replace it.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df02b3127cce8776881cb15d0000003510

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(more pictures in next post)

[JillMelissa]

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Still more pics in next post!

[JillMelissa]

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So, I really liked this one! But then I saw my perfect dream house.... and suddenly I feel like if I were to buy this one, I'd be settling and that I should wait until I find something just as perfect as "the one that got away" - pictures of that one in the next post!

[JillMelissa]

It's hard to get a good feel for the house from the pictures, especially because I couldn't get entire rooms in the shots. But here is the perfect house - so bummed...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df02b3127cce87760c5b30680000002510

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(more to follow in next post)

[JillMelissa]

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This one really was perfect. It had a living room, family room, and dining room, a nice big kitchen, two pantry closets, a big laundry room right off the kitchen wiht plenty of room to add shelving for even more pantry space, a separate study, a nice big master bedroom with his-and-hers walk-in closets, a big master bathroom, and 3 nice-sized additional bedrooms. Sigh...

[MaryNH]

Oh, Jill...I'm sorry you're having such a hard time selecting a house. I'll pray that you're able to make the choice that is best for you...Mary(who loooooveeeeeeessssssssss marble countertops)

[JillMelissa]

I know, it stinks because that second one was absolutely perfect and we would have made an offer on it and I would have been so happy! But... if I had never seen the second one, I would have been perfectly content with that first one - but now I feel like I'd be settling for less than the perfect house if we bought that one. I'm driving myself crazy!!!

[aphi1872]

Namesake, I am in love with both houses. The first one is so light and airy and I am loving the deep tubs in both bathrooms (you can tell I am a soaker tub girl)

[Wendy]

Those houses are beautiful! Hang in there....the perfect house will come along :)

[Nocona]

Those houses are gorgeous. I can see why you are in love with the 2nd one, though I really, really like the first one too. Is there anything in the 2nd development that's the same model??

[cimberdog]

Cool houses! Yes there are always others (coming from people who looked at close to 40 houses BOTH times we bought...)

[SarahK]

Yeah, we looked at around 50 houses...and ended up with this one--I think it was the second one we looked at! :lol:

I like both houses--I really like the eating nook in the first one.

[Ami]

I like them both! Very nice. Sorry your dream house got away.

[Jenn]

Both of those houses are great! I really love the kitchen in the first house! I love the idea of having an island in the kitchen. Was this your first day looking? I know you loved that second house but maybe your dream house is still out there or maybe the offer on the second house will fall through. :crossfing

[JillMelissa]

Yup, this was my first day looking. I really liked that first one, at least enough to keep it on my list of contenders for Chuck to go back and take a look at (he didn't go with me so that he could stay home with the baby - I didn't want to drag her around to all those houses, especially since we're moving 40 minutes away - that would have been a long day for her!) but not enough that I said, "Oh, this is the house for us", you know?

I wish I hadn't even seen that last house! :)

[AahRee]

:bighug: I'm so sorry for the one that got away. :( That's such a bummer! I love them both!!! I think the first one is awesome, though. I don't think you'd be settling a bit, but if you're not head over heels in love with it, you definitely should keep looking around!

[JillMelissa]

Thanks, Anne! DH really likes the one that is still available, but I feel like we might regret not having both a family room and a living room. We do plan to finish part of the basement (and keep the rest for storage) so we would have additional living space down there, but I don't know...

[AahRee]

We currently have a family room in our unfinished basement. (We have cement floors in our family room... a little weird...). Anyway, it can definitely work, but I can see wanting to have both the family room and living room up, and not in the basement.

You currently own, right? Were you thinking you'd put an offer on *the one that got away* right now, or wait until you sold your house? We're not working with a buyer's agent yet, so I'm not sure how that all works. It's kind of scary to anticipate finding a house we like, but having to hassle selling ours before we can make an offer. :eek:

[JillMelissa]

Yup, we own our current home. The average time on the market for homes in our neighborhood is less than a month, so I'm not too worried about selling ours. We're working on getting it in good shape to sell (cleaning out closets, getting rid of clutter, etc.) and then we'll put it on the market. If we don't have a new home lined up yet, the listing will have to state that any contract is subject to us finding suitable housing within 30 days - if we don't, our buyer would be released from their contract and get their earnest money back.

So, now we're thinking of building... sigh. I didn't really want to because I was not looking forward to moving out of our house and our new house not being done for 2 more months (since they are never, ever done on time). But, our agent thinks she can negotiate with the builder that we won't have to take posession until our current home is closed - so if they told us the house would be complete in July, we could set closing on our current home for late September and not have to close on the new house until then even if it did somehow happen to be finished in July. Good friends of ours are building in a new development in the town that we're interested in, so it would be nice to be neighbors with them! Plus the basements in this development are finished as part of the base price - so that would be great, not having to finish the basement ourselves.

Here are some of the houses in that development:

http://www.homesonparade.com/liberty.jpg

http://www.homesonparade.com/harding.jpg

http://www.homesonparade.com/grandsycamore.jpg

http://www.homesonparade.com/jefferson.jpg

http://www.homesonparade.com/madison.jpg

http://www.homesonparade.com/wellington.jpg

[AahRee]

Nice! Those are gorgeous, Jill! And it would be so nice to live close to friends, especially if they have kids Emily's age... or are planning to have some soon.

I need to start working on getting our house in shape to sell, too. Have you ever watched *Sell this house!*? I'm getting lots of good ideas from that show. Good luck with everything!

[JillMelissa]

I know, they look really nice. The only 2 we're really considering because of price, are...

http://www.homesonparade.com/jefferson.jpg

The Jefferson model... 3,365 square feet (wow, that's big... I imagine that it includes the finished portion of the basement in that figure). Here's the floor plan:

Basement:

http://www.homesonparade.com/jeffbase.gif


First floor:

http://www.homesonparade.com/jeff1floor.gif

Second floor:

http://www.homesonparade.com/jeff2floor.gif

What I already like/dislike about this model...

Pros: I like how much of the basement is finished. Chuck's always wanted to have his own little "sports bar" in the basement to display all his memorabilia and stuff. So there would be plenty of room for that! (And Emily can join him at the bar and drink apple juice out of her sippy cup... I know they make Flyers and Eagles sippies!) If we chose to, we could always put a door in between the 2 finished areas and use one for storage (in addition to the storage space in the utility room). I like that there is a separate study, so we wouldn't have to use one of the bedrooms as a computer room. I like that there is a center hall, so you don't have to walk through, say, the living room to get to the kitchen. And of course I like the 2 walk-in closets in the master bedroom! And the price is wonderful - base is $263,900 which is terrific for that much house.

Cons: So much of the basement is finished that there is not a ton of storage space. I don't see much in the way of a kitchen pantry. The kitchen is too small for an island, which I would have really liked to have. The 3 bedrooms are smallish and the linen closet is also pretty small.

http://www.homesonparade.com/wellington.jpg

The Wellington model... 3312 square feet.

First floor:

http://www.homesonparade.com/well1floor.gif

http://www.homesonparade.com/well2floor.gif

Pros: Beautiful exterior. More storage space in the basement. Love the kitchen island, nice pantry area. I like that the kitchen is right next to the family room with only a half-wall, so that I could be in the kitchen and still see Emily while she played in the family room, or if we had company I could be in the kitchen and still be able to be part of whatever was going on in the family room. Sitting room in master bedroom.

Cons: First is the price - $276,900 as a base. This would mean we really wouldn't be able to put in any upgrades! Chuck's not too concerned about this, he figures in down the road we can replace the carpet, put in recessed lighting, etc. (And of course having a portion of the basement already finished as part of that base price is a good thing, when I'm looking at other houses I need to factor the cost of finishing the basement into the price!) Also, if we wanted to give Emily one of the bedrooms with a walk-in closet, she'd be pretty far away from our room. Ideally I'd like to keep her on the same side of the stairs as us, so that if God forbid there were a fire, we could get to her more easily (the airflow on the stairway can make it impossible to get through in a fire, so I am told).

Weather permitting, we're planning to go check out the models tomorrow. It may snow, so we'll see. I don't know, maybe we are better off buying an existing home?

[AahRee]

It's so hard to envision them from just the floor plan, but I wonder if you couldn't put an island in the kitchen of the first one - sort of at a diagonal, so it would be in between the kitchen and the nook? Or is there not enough room for that? Also, if you didn't get the desk in the kitchen, you'd have more room for an island someday...

I really like the columns in the first one - on the way into the dining room. Take pictures of that when you go see it, okay? I bet it looks fantastic.

They both look gorgeous! I can see your points about the cons, but I think they're both beautiful houses. Maybe one of them will just feel right when you go visit? I hope so!

[Julie]

Both of those are beautiful homes, does the second one have an unfinished basement? If that is the case, I would say that the second one is definitly worth more money, as you could add on to your house later when you have it. That although it is more money now, there is alot more 'future' use.

[Nocona]

I really liked the 1st one until I saw the whole master suite of the 2nd one. I really like that! I hope when you see them in person that you will have a better idea if this is the road you want go down.

[JillMelissa]

So, yesterday we went to check out that Jefferson model home. Emily had a great time playing on the floor as we walked all around and checked everything out. I liked the house a lot, especially because so many great things are included in the base price of the house - a massive finished basement (big plus), cathedral ceilings, a huge volume foyer, columns at the entrance to the dining room, bay windows, and a family room fireplace - things that other builders would charge for as upgrades. The only thing I didn't really like about it was that the kitchen isn't next to the family room - so if Emily were playing in the family room and I wanted to do some work in the kitchen, I wouldn't be able to see her. (Or, if we were entertaining and people were hanging out in the family room, and Chuck or I were in the kitchen, we couldn't be part of what was going on!) Plus, the vinyl exterior (as shown in the picture below) didn't thrill me, and I knew I wasn't going to want to spend the money to upgrade the exterior. But the model was beautiful (as they always are) with a beautiful stone and stucco exterior, gorgeous crown molding and wall panel molding, stone tile foyer and hallway, and marble fireplace.

When we got home I went on the builder's website to see the model that friends of ours are building (theirs is a huge freaking mansion, at something like $400,000 - must be nice!) and saw that the exact house we were in today is being offered for sale, with move-in in July. How perfect would that be? We wouldn't have to rush to get our home sold, and we'd get all those gorgeous upgrades for only $3,000 more than the base price of the house! A great bargain. I emailed our agent last night to have her see if it's already under contract (I hope it's not!) so hopefully she'll have good news for me...

Here's a picture of the house and the floorplan... the picture shows the plain vinyl siding, but the model that we're hoping to purchase is all stone and stucco - so pretty!

http://www.homesonparade.com/jefferson.jpg



http://www.homesonparade.com/jeffbase.gif


First floor:

http://www.homesonparade.com/jeff1floor.gif

Second floor:

http://www.homesonparade.com/jeff2floor.gif

[Nadine]

First of all, the houses you've seen and the ones to be builr are beautiful!
Tell me, in which States do ppl tend to live in houses and in which do ppl live in appartments?
Would you believe that the base price of our 4-room appartment (that is 3 bedrooms and I living-dining room area) was 160,000 dollars? We upgraded it and bought an underground parking lot and a storage room so that total cost was around $185,000. When we bought it, the whole thing was on paper and it took ages to build it- Yumi was 1 year old when we signed the contract and 4 yo when we moved in.
Back to your options: if running after handymen and construction ppl etc is not as much of a pain in the @$$ as here, you might wanna do that and add your personal touch to your house. If it is, go for on that is ready.
(Coming from someone who spent 10 out of 12 weeks of her maternity leave chasing after those darn ppl to finish things up...)

[AahRee]

I love it, Jill!!! I hope you guys get it!!! :crossfing:

[JillMelissa]

Well, I'm still waiting to her from my agent... I know she's in a broker class today so I probably won't hear from her til later tonight.

Nadine - we wouldn't have to hire the contractors, etc. - the builder takes care of all of that. The downside to building a new house though, is that they don't expect to to be ready until January (which means March, in reality) and I don't really want to spend another year in this house! And to be honest, I don't really want to pick out all the different options, it would be a pain in the neck for me to drive down there every time another decision needs to be made, plus we don't want to spend a ton of money on upgrades (which is to say that we would want to, but don't have the money!) so I would get depressed looking at the flooring I *could* have had, and the cabinets I *could* have had, and so on. Whereas if the house is already built and complete, I don't know what I'm missing! :lol: Plus the model home has a ton of upgrades (since they want it to look extra-nice to potential customers!) so I'd be getting a great value for our money!

[JillMelissa]

I'm still waiting to hear back from our agent, I know she was in a seminar all day yesterday so hopefully I'll hear from her today. There's another home (4 years old) that I'm hoping to go see later this week - it's got a nice front porch, a deck, ceiling fans in the bedroom (I like having a fan in Emily's room in the summer, it's so hot and humid that I like giving her a little extra air circulation), crown molding in the family and dining rooms, hardwood floors in the foyer, hallway and kitchen, upgraded cabinets and countertops, a gas fireplace, and a partially finished basement. And a big lot, as far as I can tell. All things I want! I don't have a picture of it to share online because Anna gave me a paper copy of the listing to look over when I saw her on Friday - so I never got it over email.

[Nocona]

You guys have so many great options, surely something is going to work out soon!

Is there an MLS # on the printout she gave you?

[JillMelissa]

Yup, but it's downstairs! :lol: I'm just about to wake Emily up to go to the pediatrician, I'll post the MLS # tonight!

[SarahK]

Have you heard back from your agent yet??

[JillMelissa]

Yup, the house is available... I am torn though. I really think that not having the family room next to the kitchen is going to be a problem for me. Especially as Emily gets older and more mobile, I'll want to be able to work in the kitchen while still keeping an eye on her as she plays in the family room. Which is a shame because it really was a gorgeous house, and I know Chuck really liked it - especially the enormous finished basement.

So now I'm looking forward to taking a look at this house (thanks for suggesting that I use the MLS number, Nocona (kind of a DUH moment for me for not thinking of that! :lol: ) :

http://homepics.realtor.com/image3/http/trend/listings/large/046/4292481.jpg

http://homepics.realtor.com/image3/http/trend/listings/large/081/4292481b.jpg

http://homepics.realtor.com/image3/http/trend/listings/large/082/4292481c.jpg

http://homepics.realtor.com/image3/http/trend/listings/large/083/4292481d.jpg

http://homepics.realtor.com/image3/http/trend/listings/large/084/4292481e.jpg

Pros right off the bat: Hardwood floors AND carpeting (I want carpeting for Emily to play on, but I like to have *some* hardwood since it's so pretty!), gas fireplace, crown molding in family room, chair rail and bay window in dining room, deck, fenced-in yard, basement is partially finished. Love the exterior with the porch.

Cons: Family room looks pretty darn yellow (I hate painting!), dining room wallpaper and kitchen border may be ugly and have to come down, there is an above-ground pool which I do not want (would take up all of the backyard, and I don't want to worry about Emily and/or random neighborhood children around a pool) so we'd have to get that removed and have the yard resodded where the pool used to be, kitchen and family room seem kinda small from the pics and the measurements. Sellers are not including the washer, dryer, refrigerator, or kitchen and dining room light fixtures so replacing all of those things would be an added expense.

[SarahK]

I'm anti-pool too...but I like the layout of the kitchen/family room.

[Nocona]

They are taking the fixtures?! You've got to be kidding me! I'd definitely recommend ditching the pool. We have one and I'm hoping to remove it this spring. Such a space hog and overall PITA to maintain. You could probably get someone to do your painting and border removal for fairly cheap.

How is the basement? Finished?

[SarahK]

We took our dining room light fixture when we sold our condo...but before we put the place on the market, we put back up the cheap crappy one that was there when we moved in. What are these folks going to do, leave wires hanging out of the ceiling?

Remember, you can always put in an offer and ask for some of that stuff. The people we bought our house from were going to take their fridge...but in our offer we requested that the fridge remain...they decided it wasn't worth haggling over and so they gave it to us.

[JillMelissa]

Yeah, I'm definitely not into the pool thing. Aside from the safety issue, there is all that maintenance which I am just not into. And lots are so small here in NJ that the last thing I want is to have the whole backyard taken up with a pool! And my IL's have a pool, so Emily could go over there every day to swim if she felt like it.

Talked to my agent today, and the sellers of that yellow-family-room house can't have it shown tomorrow (not sure why, maybe they are going to be sacrificing goats in the basement or something) so we're going to go on Friday instead. Which is a PITA because I have to bring Emily along, whereas tomorrow Chuck is going to be home (he's taking the day off to get some cleaning and stuff done around the house) - and of course I don't mind bringing Emily but it's a long trip for her, and it's cold out, and she's going to need to eat while we're out, and so on.

I think that the rooms in that house may be too small anyway. Since Chuck's off tomorrow we're probably going to go back and look again at the model home that we liked (the one where I'm not so sure about the floor plan since the family room is not next to the kitchen). I want to get another look at the location of the house, the size of the yard, etc. - since when we were there last we were only looking at it in terms of having that model built somewhere else - not at the actual house itself.

There's another development near there that has a former model for sale - a little more expensive, and the basement is not finished, but I like the floorplan better. If we do end up going down to Williamstown tomorrow, we'll check this one out too. Here are the details on that one...

http://www.hovhomes.com/findahome/yardley/b-brick.jpg

(not sure if it is this exact elevation, but it has a stone front so this seems like a good example)

http://www.hovhomes.com/findahome/yardley/kitchen.JPG

http://www.hovhomes.com/findahome/yardley/mbr.JPG

Floorplan:

http://www.hovhomes.com/findahome/yardley/floorplan1.JPG

http://www.hovhomes.com/findahome/yardley/floorplan2.JPG

http://www.hovhomes.com/findahome/yardley/floorplan0.JPG


Upgrades and Custom Options Include:

Premium Lot with custom landscaping
Stone Front
Extra Windows in Living Room/Dining Room/Family Room
Gas fireplace with custom surround
Expanded Basement
Attic Fan
Upgraded kitchen faucet
Upgrade appliances including a refrigerator with water line
Laundry Room cabinets with washer and dryer
Tray ceiling in Master Bedroom
Upgraded Master Bathroom, tile floor, vanity and top
Upgraded carpets and pad throughout
Stained stair balusters
Ceramic foyer floor
Upgraded vinyl flooring
Custom light fixtures
Alarm system
Custom paint and trim
Wallpaper and Window treatments throughout
Crown and Chair rail molding
Recessed lights throughout
Some pros and cons (as always!)...

Pros: I like the way the kitchen and family room flow together. Nice open foyer. Two separate walk-in closets in the master bedroom. Closets in the 3 other bedrooms seem like a nice size. And of course all the upgrades listed by the builder.

Cons: Kitchen looks small. Basement, of course, isn't finished.

So we'll see...

[Brooke]

What are these folks going to do, leave wires hanging out of the ceiling?
We looked at one house where the listing said that the dining room light fixture was not included. When we got into the house and saw the thing, we say "take it PLEASE!" It looked like a bunch of snakes sticking out of the ceiling!

I guess we shouldn't have been so shocked. The same house had corinthina columns in the living room! And they were just standing there, not nailed down or anything.

[JillMelissa]

You know, Brooke, I think my brother worked in Linthicum at one point or had a job interview there or something.

Just a random thought! :lol:

[Nocona]

That last layout does seem to meet your needs better, but that pic of the kitchen does look small. Hopefully there's more to it. The basement doesn't look that large, especially if you try to section off storage and if it's more AND not finished...

[kim]

when we bought our house the sellers took the fixtures too.....not that i really cared but i would just never do that.


the drawing of the last house looks too small for the plans if you ask me.

[JillMelissa]

Yeah, I think that last house is too small too. I keep coming back to the whole family-room-not-next-to-the-kitchen thing and wondering if I'm putting too much pirority on that...

[AahRee]

Honestly.... I don't think you are. In our house, our family room is in the basement, living room is sunken and the kitchen is on the top floor. So, there are NO common areas on the same level as the kitchen, which makes it really difficult to supervise Katie and work in the kitchen at the same time. It might be better if the family room were on the same level, but just down the hall. It depends on how independant Emily is, and how much you trust her. :lol: But it would definitely be easiest if the family room was near enough to the kitchen for you to keep an eye on her. :nod: Especially after she starts walking....

[Jenn]

Honestly.... I don't think you are. In our house, our family room is in the basement, living room is sunken and the kitchen is on the top floor. So, there are NO common areas on the same level as the kitchen, which makes it really difficult to supervise Katie and work in the kitchen at the same time. It might be better if the family room were on the same level, but just down the hall. It depends on how independant Emily is, and how much you trust her. :lol: But it would definitely be easiest if the family room was near enough to the kitchen for you to keep an eye on her. :nod: Especially after she starts walking....

I have to agree with Anne here. It would drive me nuts if I couldn't be in the kitchen and see Peyton in the family room.

Is there anyway you could modify the plan at all? I'm not sure how willing the builder would be, but maybe you could move the floorplan around a little? I wonder if that's even possible.

[JillMelissa]

Well, the house with the family room not next to the kitchen is officially out of the running. We drove by there today to get another look at where the house is located. When we were there originally, we were just looking at the model with the intention of possibly having that same house built in a different neighborhood, so we didn't bother looking at the yard, where the house was on the street, etc., since we weren't looking to buy *that* house. But now that we are considering buying that exact house, we wanted to check that all out!

Well... the backyard backs right up to a main road. No, thanks! So, no more need to worry about where the family room is.

Tomorrow afternoon Emily and I are trekking back down to Williamstown with my realtor to look at the yellow house posted above and that Yardley model home. Honestly, I think the Yardley house is too small, especially for $276,000 which is not super-expensive around here but definitely a price range where we could realistically expect to find something larger. And I'm thinking that the rooms in the yellow house may be too narrow. We'll see!

[SarahK]

Well, good luck today. Hopefully even if these two houses aren't right for you, your comments are helping your realtor get an idea of what IS right for you.

[kim]

have fun today jill! i'm having fun just following you :lol: i love looking at houses. although i am not planning on ever moving, i still look at houses online and pick up the flyers at the supermarket.

[SarahK]

Me too, Kim--I was just looking at houses online yesterday even though we just bought our house in October.

[Stacy]

Good luck today!!

DH is a realtor so I know all to well the ins and outs of the housing market. Well at least where I live that is.

[JillMelissa]

Today's trip gives us mixed reviews! (And a big thumbs down from Emily, who screamed her head off the entire drive down to Williamstown... but she did sleep in the car the whole way back so that was nice. Oh, and she barfed all over herself in both houses, so I'm not sure if that was directed at the houses themselves! :lol: ) Chuck was not with me, he was at work, it was me, Emily, and our realtor Anna.

First we went to the former model home that I was thinking was too small. Never got to find out because it's been sold! That was quick.

After that we stopped in at a new development that's just going up that Anna thought I might be interested in. They have 2 models in our price range. I didn't get to see either of the model homes because they hadn't put in banisters yet and they aren't allowed by law to let anyone in until those are up. Fair enough, we're going to go back next week. We did tour the one model that was open, way out of our price range but seriously the most unbelievable house I've ever seen. We sat in the sunroom so I could give Emily her bottle and looked over the 2 floorplans in our pricerange, and it was depressing to sit in that huge house and look at those (comparably) tiny plans! :lol:

Here's the first model, the Degas Grande (they're all named after artists, and all the street names are art-related. How quaint.)

http://www.fieldstonehomes.com/images/arbors/tn/dg_home_3_sm.jpg

and the floorplans:

http://www.fieldstonehomes.com/images/arbors/floorplans/dg_1stfloor.jpg

http://www.fieldstonehomes.com/images/arbors/floorplans/dg_2ndfloor.jpg

Pros: Price - starts at just $247,900 which is great and would still leave us about $30,000 to make upgrades before we hit our max price point. Nice kitchen/breakfast room/family room flow. Double sinks and soaking tub in master bath, upstairs laundry room. Two-story foyer, cathedral ceilings in the master bedroom.

Cons: Not huge, at 2300 square feet. Everything is an upgrade, whereas with the other builder we looked at things like the gas fireplace, columns, bay windows, even the finished basement were included.

Here's the Raphael model:


http://www.fieldstonehomes.com/images/arbors/tn/ra_traditional_sm.jpg

and the floorplan. The website has virtual tours of some of the rooms in this model available and they look beautiful.

http://www.fieldstonehomes.com/images/constitution1stfloor.jpg

http://www.fieldstonehomes.com/images/constitution2ndfloor.jpg

Pros: Slightly larger, at 2500 square feet. I love that the stairs go down to the foyer one way, or down to the kitchen the other way. This model has the extra room (the study) which is nice, to use as a computer room so we wouldn't have to use one of the bedrooms as an office. Pedestal soaking tub in master bath, two-story foyer, cathedral ceilings in the master bedroom. Downstairs laundry room may be both a pro and a con - less convenient than upstairs, but also less noisy when Emily is asleep.

Cons: More expensive starting at $268,000 which means pretty much no room for upgrades beyond a fireplace.

[JillMelissa]

(I'll post pictures and a report from the existing home we visited tomorrow... I'm not feeling well and I think I'll go get in bed!)

[SarahK]

:bighug: Feel better!

I like the sketch of the second one a lot better. Would type more, but I'm one-handed...

[JillMelissa]

Well, I'm still feeling lousy (I have a bad cold :( ) but since I'm still alive (for now), here are the pictures from the other house I saw yesterday. I think it's too small - although it is larger than the pictures make it seem.

Exterior:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5a28571da0000002510

This house had a really nice-sized backyard, which was a big plus. Here is the right side of the yard

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f59328b0c70000003510

and the left side

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5935f31800000003510

The view down the hall from the front door

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5ab0b31c80000003510

The kitchen... I actually liked the border when I saw it in person, and the backsplash is this beautiful stone tile which was a really cool touch.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5aa3f71640000003510

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5958831540000002510

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5ab5eb0ad0000002510

More in next post!

[JillMelissa]

Here's the view of the center hall the other way - from the kitchen

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5970eb0e30000003510

The dining room wallpaper. I am not really a wallpaper person, but I could live with this - it was pretty in person.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5913bb0d50000003510

Dining room, with the nice bay window. They had a decent-sized china cabinet in the room, out of the picture to the right, so it is bigger than it seems in the photo.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f597e7313a0000003510

The living room.... they've obviously already started packing. Out of the picture to the left was an upright piano. It's not a huge room, but it is decent-sized.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5a0b671e80000003510

This was cool, a hand-painted baseball mural in the little boy's room. This was such a cute room, they had a ceiling fan whose light was a big baseball, and sports terms painted as a border at the top of the wall, and they even used hockey sticks instead of curtain rods. It was very Trading Spaces in there!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5932cb0c30000003510

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5916db0830000003510

The master bathroom. Pretty small, the door is to a linen closet (which is actually pretty large), and the shower is out of the picture on the left. No separate soaking tub, like the other houses I've been looking at. Also has only one sink instead of two.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5a0dbf0b50000003510


Master bedroom closet. This was a good size, with two walk-in closets in one - a full closet on the left side, then an area for a dresser, then another full closet on the right side. This is the left side, you can see how they have a dresser in there as well as the hanging clothes.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5afdf311e0000003510

More in next post!

[JillMelissa]

The master bedroom sitting area:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5afecb01d0000003510

Another view of the master bedroom:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5afe931280000003510

How sweet is this nursery?

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5afa0b0510000003510

The upstairs hall bath was very interesting. They had a fishing theme in there, and that's actually rope above the wallpaper!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5ad13b0e30000003510

Fish netting over the shower curtain...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5ad87b0770000003510

These were very "theme-y" people. Not necessarily my style but they had some adorable ideas.

And, just cause the sunset was so pretty, the view of the street to the right and left of the house.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5ad4fb0bf0000003510

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df11b3127cce87f5ac9c71c40000003510

[SarahK]

one handed again...

love the backyard and the boy room...the fish bathroom is weird! The kitchen tile is pretty!

[JillMelissa]

Not much new to report, DH and I (and Emily!) are going to check out the two most recent new construction possibilities tomorrow. Hopefully Emily won't barf all over the place (she is a big spitter and threw up all over herself in the last two houses she was in!) as I am afraid that they might have a "You vomit, you bought it" policy. :lol:

Oh, and I have to add that I'm a little offended that someone took the time to rate this thread and only gave it THREE STARS! :lol: I think my angst deserves at least four stars. :lol:

[SarahK]

Yeah, I was surprised to see that rating...how weird!

[AahRee]

:lol: I forgot to post, but I thought the fish bathroom was cute for a cabin or something like that... but not for a house! They are really into themes, aren't they?

Emily, have you guys sold your house yet? Or are you looking to buy first, and then get a bridge loan until you sell yours? Phil is freaking out that we're looking at houses, because our house isn't sold yet. But we DID find a house today that we both love, so I'm going to attempt to get our house sold before IT sells. (It's never going to happen, but a girl can dream!)

[JillMelissa]

Emily, have you guys sold your house yet?
Actually, Emily is my daughter! :lol:

Nope, we haven't sold our house yet. Since we've been leaning more and more toward building, we've been planning to wait until spring to put our house on the market (if we build in the development we looked at today, we're looking at a 6-8 month completion) and make it known that we aren't able to close until, say, September. Houses sell very quickly in my neighborhood (I think average time on the market is something like 3 weeks) and since we're in a townhouse, a lot of people buy here as their first home - so they aren't under the time constraint of selling their own home. So... I don't imagine we'll have too much trouble with either selling the house or with the delay to close. At least that's what I'm hoping! :)

So... we went to see the houses today. We left Emily with my IL's to insure a spit-proof trip! It was a really good thing we did, because we were in spec houses with no flooring, no banisters, no steps in from the garage, and piles of sheetrock, etc., all over the place. Not a good place to be trying to carry a baby around! We liked both models a lot, so now we have to decide which we like better.

The first home, the Degas Grande model, is a good $15,000 cheaper than the second home, the Raphael. For that extra $$ the Raphael has an extra room (a study), a much bigger basement, a 2-way staircase, and a downstairs laundry room (which I like because I do laundry at night, when Emily is asleep - so it would be less noisy for her). Once we extended the family room ($4200), and added a sitting room to the master bedroom ($7500), we wouldn't have much room for any other upgrades.

But... some really nice things are standard, like hardwood in the foyer and hall, chair rail in the dining room, crown molding downstairs, stained oak handrails on the stairs, and marble vanity in both upstairs baths. The standard kitchen cabinets come in a choice of oak or maple wood (so they are nice, solid wood) and I can even get a nice dark wood color as standard. I wouldn't spend the money to upgrade to marble counters in the kitchen (even though I would love to!) but upgrading the laminate to a marble-look laminate would only be $500 which is much more reasonable. The kitchen flooring is pretty plain, but with Emily now mobile, I don't want a fancy floor that she's just going to scuff up and spit all over (same goes for the carpet... with a baby and 3 cats, I'm not much for expensive carpet). So, what I'm thinking is that I wouldn't really feel the need to upgrade the cosmetic stuff, which would keep the price right where we wanted it to be.

[AahRee]

Actually, Emily is my daughter! :lol:

:lol: Where was I? :lol: I think I was typing faster than I could think. :lol: Sorry about that, Jill. I do know who you are! :lol:

[JillMelissa]

:lol: Anne... It's okay, people on UB seem to call me Melissa a lot for some reason!

So here's the latest home-building news. Chuck is feeling a little gun-shy about going too far over $250,000. They're revamping his compensation plan at work and he's concerned that his commission may decrease. So... I was looking at yet another builder's website and found some gorgeous homes just around the corner from that last development, for a good chunk less. Emily and I are going to drive down there after her nap and investigate!

Anyway, here's the basics.

The Bradbury model, starting at $237,950. 2177 square feet, so smallish - but we would definitely add the sitting room so that would bring us to 2300 square feet. Still small, but the same size as the Degas model in the other development, for $20,000 less!

The builder's description:

As inviting as it is intimate, this wonderful two level family home strikes the perfect balance between luxury and practicality.




Two-story entry foyer
Gourmet eat-in kitchen with center island
Formal living and dining rooms
Magnificent family room with optional fireplace
Lavish master bedroom suite with optional sitting room

The large kitchen area provides easy access to all corners of the house, and features plenty of counter and cabinet space, as well as an ideal pantry -- perfect for the at-home gourmet. This opens directly into a charming family room with optional fireplace and entertainment center, creating the ultimate space for family movie night or relaxing after work.



The elevation of the base model (if it's not too much more, we'd add the front porch) :


http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/e3dsgbcspfzxygwhtoac5vaipwbgmvvsuhcdxpxuufarnqgwg57m45bp4s5lxstnaia6qsfxrynhxvbxi2unqxt3g3c/Bradbury+II-Traditional.jpg

With the porch:

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/eyxgo3rucc5xj3oncyvianxbc4kf6p2gfigpgydadsrxynro6toscw7bixfcjsdqhvtr2huzrt3qkska2wzcdao4geb/BradburyIIFarmhouse.jpg

And the floorplan:

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/e2stunvev4vb4ydp5m7ufy5izyjvzchupbr5yzess2wzmukmcpkgbbywiryl5kuolsvxbeoxkei56g7t6swpro3mdfh/f-bradburyII-1.jpg

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/eh7z2g5lmp7xcxytigtmtp77muk36dudjmx52jzxy3yummvtvctgbw2sky555j2l3j2x3fl55hzmssvdny7kjpc3qec/f-bradburyII-2.jpg

Pros: Price is a HUGE plus. We could add the sitting room and fireplace, and some cosmetic upgrades, and still possibly stay just under $250,000 which would be so wonderful. Some other nice features: 2-story foyer, kitchen island, nice-size walk-in closet, open landing upstairs, cathedral ceiling in master bedroom, double sinks and separate tub in master bath.

Cons: Size, obviously. No laundry room - washer and dryer are just in a closet in the hallway.

[JillMelissa]

If we decided to spend more money after all, there are 2 other larger but still very reasonably priced models.

The Amhurst model... 2667 square feet, starts at $257,450.

A photo of one of the elevations:

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/ehs2mti3ct7ldpftulfdhjysbgz2xc2agfl34iljpico3uepdfbwhneaau3tv557r4xsjuh35ttp3rncs2i6dl2jbif/AmhurstIIexterior2.jpg

The builder's description:

The Amhurst II offers a most distinctive design - from its formal living room to its spacious kitchen and family room, perfect for holiday parties or for simply relaxing at home.




Grand entry foyer
Formal living and dining rooms
Magnificent 2-story family room with optional fireplace
Cozy library
Private master bedroom retreat


Sketch of the other elevation (which I actually prefer) :

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/elmlvdfc4kjjesuiwiwjbcyfr76co25ffbdxfgo4aa46hxwyoahq3zhl74fcubheusdgzmgovin6nv7bxfv6vjmhcjh/AmhurstII.jpg

Floorplan:

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/e27ux5c4pn2pmqlsegfe6vr365y43lyt6a5we4dlzs5c3g5nir7pqzpxfxln7zlqukhfm25guytxdmcseqlf44mfn4f/f-amhurstII.jpg

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/eqyeaaut7pmfyxmqvvq35ip2sdurn4ahxhptwh4qmf7iwz6kcdk3wlvjtvrenyv4hoakdecg36clwufhog7fc3wqz5c/f-amhurstII2.jpg

Pros: Larger home, beautiful exterior. Nice big foyer, an actual laundry room plus it's on the first floor which I like better. An extra room (the study) with its own walk-in closet for extra storage space. Vaulted ceiling in family room, cathedral or tray ceiling in master bedroom.

Cons: High family room ceiling would be pretty but a pain to dust, hang pictures and window treatments, and would be a waste of heat and a/c. And of course price... $20,000 more than the Bradbury.

Some photos:

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/el6izqjoujzpvowrfl4c2zn6xhyjunpwqm3t3p2sczfx45eqwftbxqe4s5g7tsb4acxczy2viachxatbl5gmghvtskg/AmhurstIIFR.jpg

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/edbhww7fxcxjodugoog64blqje4vnzz7zcv4pheivwzsicifhjezy5iw5lxnyiuobrniyzj34kdnqdn7d5wepxywe6g/AmhurstIIkitchen.jpg

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/ek4xoaezggx3sgsmqomagifml75inwlh3be5vfrlohoa26jq5hfhlqcaik33ad2tssu4hdnxmpz6fd4nqan6zsixhxe/AmhurstIIMBR.jpg

[AahRee]

Jill, I LOVE them both, but I really love that second one!!! :biggrin: It's gorgeous!!!

[Nocona]

From everything you've said, I really think the 2nd one meets all of your needs/wants better. I really like the W/D being in a mud room (breeze way is what I think you call it up there??) type set up like it is. Really nice for coming in from outside and not tracking snow, etc. all over the house. Also, loving the garden tub in the master bath :aok:

[SarahK]

Call me crazy, but 2000+ sq feet is not small in my mind! :lol: Our three bedroom house is 1700 square feet...so I think all these houses are a good size.

I like the exterior of the first house (with the porch) better--and the price is great. I do like the library/study and the laundry room of the second one though.

[JillMelissa]

Well, Em and I did end up going down there today. Unfortunately they didn't have a Bradbury model for us to see but they did have an Amhurst model. It really was a beautiful house (I'll upload some pics in a bit) but I guess it's too expensive. :blue: So we'll have to go back down there and go into one of the Bradbury homes that are under construction right now (I didn't want to be climbing around in an unfinished house with Emily with me!) and see how small it really is...

[JillMelissa]

Latest news on the existing-homes front... just got an email from my realtor. She has two new places for us in the town where Chuck's parents live (a plus, I like them :lol: plus the closer we are to them, the easier for my MIL to babysit which would make me AND her very happy!). The town we've mostly been looking in is the next one over, but I like Washington Township (where the IL's live) a lot, the schools are terrific and the taxes are somewhat reasonable.

Plus, the taxes would be about $2,500/yr LOWER if we bought an existing home vs. a new construction. That's a lot of cash. Plus, we wouldn't have the drama of a new house not being done on time and having to find somewhere for us and the baby and the 3 cats to stay until it's done...

Anyway, here are the 2 houses under consideration right now.

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/427/4277578.jpg

Listed for $248,000 which is great. Not much to look at on the outside but the inside seems to have some potential... trying to look past their questionable decorating choices...

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/427/4277578A.jpg

Nice foyer, love that staircase.

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/427/4277578B.jpg

One word about this room and that is YIKES. The mirrors would have to come down, the carpet would have to be replaced (although I guess Emily could barf to her heart's content on it and I wouldn't care) and the border and window treatments are beyond words.

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/427/4277578C.jpg

Oy. But, with new carpets and our non-scary furniture, could be OK.

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/427/4277578D.jpg

Not crazy about the brick, and again with those mirrors...

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/427/4277578E.jpg

I do love that staircase though.

Here is the listing description:

2 Story Home With 2 Story Foyer. Ceramic Fl. In Foyer & Kit. Custom Kitchen Cabinets,Balcony Deck Off Great Room. Large Master Bedroom With Sitting Area. Finished Walk Out Basement With Screen Porch To Wooded Yard. Located In Desireable Area.

I think this one would be too much work for us. We're just not do-it-yourself people...

[JillMelissa]

This one is listed for $269,900 and is in a really nice neighborhood with pretty houses and lots of trees. It is also SUPER close to the highway (not in a bad way, it's not like ON the highway, or anything, but in a convenient way!) which would make Chuck's commute easy.

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/431/4318963.jpg

It only has a one-car garage which is a downside.

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/431/4318963A.jpg

No obviously frightening things here so far...

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/431/4318963B.jpg

Wallpaper in what appears to be the foyer... gotta go! Carpets, while blue, are not bad enough that replacing them would be an emergency... :)

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/431/4318963C.jpg

Kitchen looks nice, hardwood floor, center island. Border obviously must leave the premises... what is with people and borders? Just say no! :lol:

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/431/4318963D.jpg

Family room is nice and neutral, I am not crazy about the fireplace but it's not hideous. And I actually don't mind the stenciling on the half-wall. Our dishes are blue and green so it would match!

http://imageserver.trendmls.com/431/4318963E.jpg

Holy wallpaper, Batman! That would have to go or I wouldn't be able to sleep. But it looks like it has a sitting room which is nice.

Listing description:

Lovely Well Maintained Home With Island Kitchen, Center Hall, 6 Panel Doors, Ceiling Fans, Deck, Fireplace, Master Bedroom Has Bonus Room, Fenced Yard - All In A Very Desirable Community. End Of May Closing Requested.

So, this one would take *some* work but not an overwhelming amount. A deck would be wonderful (if it really is a deck and not just a back stoop!) and the end of May suits us nicely.

[AahRee]

Oh, my word. Can you imagine what the fab 5 would say about that place? YIKES!!! Underneath their gaudy junk, though, is the makings of a really nice house! :up:

I was looking at the floorplan of the Bradbury again, and I really like it. The only thing I'm not wild about is the staircase being one of the first things you see when you walk in. But you'd have to see the actual model, I think, because it's hard to tell what that really looks like from a floorplan. I hope you get a chance to go back and see it. For a house that size with that many features, it seems like a really great deal!

[JillMelissa]

Anne... I know, I'm not wild about that either. My parents' foyer is like that too. But... I'm thinking that the 2-story ceiling in the foyer will make it feel larger?

Anyway, here are the pics from the model we visited today:

Exterior: (that's my silver Matrix!)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb8688e2b71020000001510

Huge foyer:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb868885df0470000001510

More foyer, into the family room:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb8688e20f0390000001510

Kitchen:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb86888a5f0bf0000001510

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb8688ccbf0d30000001510

Living room:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb8688de031500000001510

Master bath:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb86882dcf0c30000001510

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb8688364b0e30000001510

Master bedroom sitting room:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb86883a331140000001510

Walk-in closet:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb868839eb0190000001510

(more in next post)

[JillMelissa]

Master bedroom (and Emily!)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb86881e5b0630000001510

Upstairs hallway bathroom:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb8688696f08b0000001510

View from the stairs:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb868849471b80000001510

View from the upstairs landing:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc28b3127cceb8688539b0bd0000001510

[JillMelissa]

Oh, and I am sick right now... I was reading through my old TOC journal on UB and found a post from Sept. 2002 where I had been looking at houses and posted about the exact development I was in today and the model that is starting at $257,000 right now was starting at $223,000 then! I could kick myself...

[AahRee]

Okay, they just don't make master bedrooms around here with sitting rooms in them, but I LOVE that! I wish we had that option. Are you finding that the houses you're looking at (the new construction) come with the white millwork, or is that an option? I can't believe how much it costs here for that little upgrade. :rolleyes:

Anyway, the one you just posted pictures of gets my vote, based on that bathtub alone! :up:

[JillMelissa]

Yeah, I really liked that one too... but I just don't think we can justify spending an extra $20,000 on that house. But! The less-expensive model does have the separate soaking tub - just not in the corner like that.

Millwork - do you mean the molding at the floor?

[AahRee]

Yeah, the baseboards, the window sills, the door frames, etc. All of the indoor trim, basically. All the models I've seen have white, but getting white costs a bundle! Is that standard where you are, or is it an upgrade? It seems like your market has a lot more standard features than ours does.

I totally know what you mean about the extra $20K. We wanted to stay around $250, and went about $30K over, before any upgrades. :rolleyes:

[Nadine]

Wow- so many houses and most of them beautiful- my head is spinning...
Tough choice. When do you plan on actually making a decision? Based on what? R u waiting for house perfect or the best price with the best offer or do you just need this internal click that tells u this is it? I would really be confused if i were you with all those choices...

[JillMelissa]

Anne - I'm so jealous, I wish I could go $30K over without any upgrades! :lol: Yup, the white trim is standard here. I guess because there are so many builders and neighborhoods to choose from around here, that the builders have to stay competitive by offering a lot of standard features!

Nadine - I think we're going to decide this week. There are only 2 lots left in the development I went to yesterday that don't have premiums (the builder charges extra for certain lots of land - this particular development has premiums as high as $8,000 - just for the lot!) so if we want to build there we need to decide right away. Don't want to waste any of our precious money for upgrades on a stupid lot premium! If I don't like that last existing home that I posted, we're going to go ahead and sign the contract to build that Bradbury model.

[kim]

omg jill, what is up with that guido house? the mirrors! the hideous furniture! man, i was lmao!!

anyway, i like all of your selections so far.

imho, i think foyers are a huge waste of space....but that just me. also, consider that you will actually be cleaning a huge house like those! http://www.smiliemania.de/smilie.php?smile_ID=1793 my house is only 2000sf and i can barely keep it clean! (again, that's me :lol: )

also, i just want to reiterate that those houses are so cheap i am crying.

[JillMelissa]

Kim, I know, it's so bad. The funny thing is that I always joke around with DH about how that town (where he grew up) is so guido that even he, the world's blondest, most German-looking person ever, had an alarming number of guido tendencies when I met him. Fortunately I have broken him of this. Do I really want Emily to grow up there? :lol: What if she wants an I-ROC or something one day? :lol:

[AahRee]

:lol: It's only because Phil totally LOVED the floorplan. And I've got the STRICTEST options budget. He wants me to stay under $2K! I think it's going to be more like $3K or $4K, but I'm going to try to be reasonable, since it's already so much.

I really, really like the Bradbury model. I kind of hope you don't like the existing house and decide to get the Bradbury, just because it's so fun to pick everything out new for your new house. At least, I'm having a great time doing it! And I really don't think 2300 sq. ft. is small at all. If the floorplan is nice and open, it won't seem small, I don't think. We toured the larger floorplan in our development (2610) and it didn't seem any larger than ours (2409). Plus, we like the layout and the look of ours a LOT better. So, I hope you love the model of the Bradbury!!! :biggrin:

[JillMelissa]

Well, unfortunately we won't get to see a model - we're going to have to walk through a Bradbury that's in the middle of being built for someone else. It's not easy to get an idea of the size without any furniture in there! But I guess it will have to do.

Chuck's actually not going to be able to go with us tomorrow, he had a rough day at work and totally forgot to arrange to go in late tomorrow. So Emily and I will be down there with our realtor Anna. Luckily Anna is great with Emily, so she can hold Em while I trek through the wreckage of the home that is mid-construction! :)

[AahRee]

Well, at least you won't have the problem I did with some of the models we looked at - loving the decorations and translating that into loving the house! :lol: I hope it goes well tomorrow. And I hope it's almost done (needing touch-ups, maybe) and not a total wreck!!!

[JillMelissa]

Back from another busy househunting day!

Didn't like the existing house. Wallpaper EVERYWHERE, the carpets were in bad shape, and even the closet doors were painted to match the rooms - yikes! It did have a really nice deck, but there was just way too much work to be done in the house, and Chuck and I are sooo not DIY kinda people.

So then we headed over to the new development. Still couldn't get in to see one of the Bradbury models currently being built, but the sales rep promised me that if we came down on Saturday we would be able to - she said they are losing out on potential sales if they go another weekend without a Bradbury for people to check out. I was looking at the site plan and saw that there are actually a lot of Bradburys that are already under contract, which is great - we wouldn't feel like the poor people with a tiny house in the middle of a neighborhood of mansions! :lol: Plus I figure that there are probably a lot of families in the neighborhood too, since it's such an attractive price for families where one parent stays at home. Or am I reaching with that? :lol:

Anyway, my agent asked a lot of really great questions, so it was good to have her with me. And the salesperson gave me an enormous list of every single upgrade you could do to the Bradbury, along with the price, so I'd be able to get an idea of how much we'd really be spending.

Two things kinda suck, though:

1) There are only 2 lots left without premiums on them. Granted, one of the lots has a premium of $2500 and the other with $3000 which aren't *too* bad (but they seem like kind of a waste of money, I could do some fun upgrading with that $$!) - but the others are as much as $8500 which I am so not down with. So... basically, we need to decide on the spot on Saturday, so that we can get one of those premium-free lots.

2) The builder has this big fancy "design center" where you go to choose all your options... and it's in north Jersey. Huge PITA and would be a day trip for us. Not a big deal but a pain nonetheless.

So that's my report. We were planning to be down in that area on Saturday anyway to drop Emily off at my IL's (she is spending the night) so we'll just go early and after dropping her off, head over to the development. I can't wait to finally see this mysterious Bradbury! :lol:

[JillMelissa]

Okay, I had to share this because it is freaking insane. The builder of the development I was at today is also building townhouses in my hometown... for close to $400,000! For a townhouse! Here is what you get for that insane amount of money:

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/eijlrdc74rzye67h5gfmbdp5t5ukyqwd3zhnza4ace33wpgunvm7ohtvpr6jwkk4kwimyhnevxajqugclz3bh63q5dc/WarfieldIVIfrontexterior.jpg

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/e4zh5qxqtdw2q4rgyr77emibsbvikpsfn7yiduttaanyirhjpawdledji36tdan5vz34wwfky5ybdii4nxjdfl3t55b/GG2LR.jpg

http://www.khov.com/NR/rdonlyres/eorjxfptmvidp5p4eqqoefn6el54yjegdsgxzyrxnscbnl4yir4xadeyplfgb35hg4ldcecuik3yjvvcttucdnf36pe/GGDiningRoom2.jpg

That is such a ridiculous price!!!

[AahRee]

Oh, my word. I can't imagine paying $400K for a townhouse!

I don't think you're reaching with the *nice price for one-income families* thing. It makes complete sense to me. I think any new neighborhood is a draw for young families, because you're getting in at the beginning, but I think it's especially nice when the pricing is good for SAH-parents. I can't wait to hear what you think about it on Saturday!

[JillMelissa]

Oh, and the best thing? The largest home (which Chuck calls the mini-mansion) is so wide that only certain lots can accommodate it, so they basically have entire cul-de-sacs set up just for that model. Which means that the part of the street I'm on won't have them, so they won't be hanging around making my little house look all tiny! :lol:

[kim]

actually, that seems like a fair price for those townhouses since they're the size of brownstones :nod: at least around here that wouldn't be bad (i paid almost that much for my house, which is not very big at all).

[JillMelissa]

So here is my latest dilemma. The two lots that don't have premiums on them are marked with an X on the sitelplan below. How much of a problem would it be that there will be some people driving and coming to a dead end and turning directly in front of my house? I hate to spend the money for one of the other lots because I would rather use that money for options in the house itself...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc33b3127cceb83f36be74540000001510

[AahRee]

Jill, honestly, I don't think that is that big of a deal. Our lot is at the end of the road, so we'll have that problem as well, but our neighborhood isn't a busy area or anything like that, so I'm sure it will be fine. And from the site plan, it looks like there are enough twists and turns in there that your street would never become a speed zone or anything like that. I'd really go with one of the non-premium lots, and save the $$$ for upgrades.

[Nocona]

I don't think it would be a problem either. Plus, directions would be easy... take this street until it stops :lol:

[SarahK]

I don't think it would be a problem either.

[BeckyEsq]

Hi Jill! Just coming out of lurking to say hi! We built our home a few years ago and we are very happy. It is nice to have something brand new that is entirely yours. Good luck with finalizing everything!

[JillMelissa]

Well, here's a question then... as of Wednesday, the lot to the left of the X-marked lots was still available, with a premium of $2500 which isn't TOO bad. Is it worth it?

[AahRee]

Nope. I'd rather spend that $2500 on something else. I think the lots with the xs on them are great!

[SarahK]

Which lot would it be? Still one of the pale blue ones? Those aren't worth a premium IMO.

[JillMelissa]

Yup, still one of the pale blue ones. It would be just one lot over from the X'd lots. I guess we'll see what we think tomorrow when we see the actual street and lot, etc. etc. etc.

[AahRee]

I can't wait to hear how it goes tomorrow!

[JillMelissa]

Hey guys! I only have a second because Chuck is waiting for me to come in and watch Law and Order with him, but the big news is.... we bought the house! We put down our deposit and signed all the contracts today. A sneak preview of what our house will look like:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc34b3127cceb8c3309e3f440000001610

[AahRee]

:lol: I'm a L&O addict, too! :biggrin: Congratulations, Jill! Did you get one of the lots with the X, or one of the other ones?

[JillMelissa]

We ended up shelling out the extra $2500! :lol: We figured, why end up kicking ourselves down the road over $2500, you know?

[AahRee]

:lol: If you liked that lot better, it's definitely worth the extra $2500 to be happy with it! :nod: Congratulations again! :biggrin: I'm so excited for you!

[Nocona]

:woo: Congrats! It's beautiful!

[kim]

congrats jill!!!! :banana:

[JillMelissa]

Thanks, guys! I figured I'd end this thread and start a new one where I could babble away to myself (I mean, keep my thoughts organized :lol: ) about the building process!

http://www.onceuponalife.com/showthread.php?t=2525