Mummy in the foothills

I've never fallen in love with the houses we have bought right away.
I ticked all the boxes I needed to and went from there, making it home and doing it the way we wanted.
But then I did really like and want two other homes that Dh vetoed, he was right (of course) neither would have been right long term, even though I really liked them both. The one we got had everything needed and more (fantastic un-obscured views across the hills to the central valley and on a clear day Mount Diablo)
Dh also looked at saleability, unlike me who just looks for what I want for now.

sile

Listen to your own inner voice on this. A home is a very important part of your life.

sallysimmons

Good advice everyone and food for thought.

lf1, I think you helped me hit the nail on the head. The first time we visited, the owner wasn't there, this time she was. But both times I had the same sense that I have only just put my finger on: this is a house that has been renovated throughout by two people who loved it to death. Two people who would never leave if they had their way. Sadly, one of them died and the other now finds herself unable to cope with living such a rural life.

But when you walk in the house, it's so clearly stamped with their DNA all the way through - and they are so different from us personality-wise - that I think I'm picking up on that and having a hard time picturing myself there. It's not that it's not to my taste because it is. It's just that it's clearly a house built by and loved by other, very different, people.

All your advice has made me see one thing: we don't have to decide right away. We can look at other houses for comparison, we can think about it, we can go back again if we need to. Honestly if someone else put in an offer, I'd be fine with that. I'm not going to buy it until I'm ready. (Maybe that's my answer right there).

Thanks everyone for responding. I really appreciate the help and advice.

sallysimmons

Honestly it's just that I'd rather not post my address on the Internet. I may end up buying this house and I'd rather keep that private. I hope that doesn't sound rude.

Mummy in the foothills

That sounds very sensible.

cheers

I'm glad you wrote that because I was dying to see it!

Celticspirit

Not rude at all.....I would do the same :-)

Mummy in the foothills

If you do buy it Sally, we want to see lots of pictures, before and after, you can smudge out the house number.
The when we move I'll post our pics we have a nice view but a 70's house, not nearly as desirable or expensive as the houses you seem to look at.

jasper123

Thanks Jerseygirl,
I loved the original Dallas decades ago ---- never missed an episode, it looks like I will enjoy this new series as much if not even better, the second episode starts tonight at 9pm on chanel 5 in the U.K.

jasper123

Real good cheers, my recovery has been surprisingly fast, I dont need pain killers anymore, on Monday I went to the Doctors office and a nurse changed my dressing and I saw the scar for the first time, the wound is healing nicely and the stitch job was nice and neat, quite a long incision though, its been as you say a week now since the Op and already I can walk quite normally without pain, so Im happy about that, Im not ready to start training for the Rio Olympics yet though ----- but I figure Ive got four years to train so theres not that much hurry

jasper123

Nope Sally thats not rude at all, most people on here would feel the same way ----- I know I would,

My Mum & Dad bought the house that we live in now in 1967 ----- full price £3,700 its a terraced house built in 1935, it originaly belonged to my Mums Aunt, and she owned it from when it was brand new,
Suddenly for a reason I cant remember her Aunt put the house up for sale, and she gave Mum first chance at buying it,
When My Mum first walked into the house she told me she knew right away that this is the house that she wanted to live for the rest of her life ----- she is still here, she told me on many occasions through the years that everything just (FELT) right, it had lots of character it has a nice big back garden, and built in a very nice neighborhood, directly across from us is a large school and huge football pitch for the students with big trees, and the grass is always green and everything well looked after, ------ the very same school that my Mother went to when she was a child,
Mum always told me she loves the fact that when she looks out of her living room window she does not see other terraced houses across the street,
So we were quite poor, but a couple of years before that time they inherited a small terraced house from my Grandfather, so they sold that house for £2,000 and put it down as a deposit for this house, so the balance was £1,700, my Mum didn't want to have a long mortgage so she got a bank loan for the balance and paid it off in 7 years

Bevm

I know what you mean about someone else's DNA, Sally. We had one house that was perfect when we moved in and I never felt it was "mine" but it seemed stupid to do stuff just because, especially with two young kids.

We moved on 20 months later for reasons other than the house, but I wasn't sad to leave it.

Most of our houses have been bought in a hurry for whatever reason at the time, mostly location, and have needed work. Over the years of doing the work we made them what we wanted them to by following our tastes.

If you feel you won't be able to change the house, you might end up feeling uncomfortable. OTOH, if you can imagine new paint and then put your stuff in there in your mind, you might banish the DNA.

Bev

dunroving

No, I wouldn't want us to know my address, either.

If that makes sense.

cheers

So I finally showed DW the iPad I bought and now I can't pry her hands off it. For the last 3 hours she has been on Rightmove and looking at homes in Harrogate and now she is in Herefordshire. She would normally be watching CNN news?
What should I do?

Jerseygirl

Get yourself another one.