the yard:
It was built in 1912 and Mike and I thought if we got it we could have a 100 year party in a few years. Wouldn't that have been great? Well after dreaming about it for 2 plus months I couldn't take it anymore and told Mike's family about it and his mom offered to go take a look. Well, she said it wasn't perfect but was just as cute as it looked in the photos and there was a problem - the neighbors:
And though some of you may not think that's a big deal - we've had junky neighbors before - though they didn't have anything on those people. But it still got old - really fast. No matter how much you fixed up your house - you couldn't do a darn thing to their house. I was always so tempted to ask them if we could trim their bushes back for them - not that our yard was anything to shout about but at least we didn't have a beehive in the side of our house! Anyhow, after seeing those images ALL of my excitement is gone and I have moved on. Which is good. I am not even close to tempted anymore. In case you were wondering - it's not just that that ruined it for me - that was just the last straw.
And in fact, I am now looking in newer neighborhoods. They don't have the interest and character BUT they do have sidewalks, young families, and TONS of kids. So that's where we're at. And I've found another that I like - though these are a dime a dozen there so no need to get Mike's family over there. We'll find one just like it in a couple months. But just look how just a little paint can take a boring house to a cute one(at least in my opinion) :
Before:
After:
Ok, so I also made the grass green, made the tree bigger, and gave it some shrubs but the paint really did so much for this little place...
12 comments:
that neighbor's house is nasty. how do people seriously live like that?
also, my cousin lives in boise in a house that seriously looks identical to the second one you posted. i'm sure there are a billion neighborhoods like that, but she loves hers and there are like 80,000 kids on her street and they have a great time. it would be cool if you moved in by her-- she's really fun.
You should find out where she lives - I'd be interested to know...
Cute house. It's all about what you can do to make it different than the one next door, right! Definite possibilities
wait, i'm so in love with that first one you posted. maybe the run down neighboring home brings the price of the dream home down? i mean, those neighbors will eventually leave/die/move on...the cycle of life and you- young family will be left with your dream home and such a cute yard! That said, i know you can make any house you move into very cute.
another thought- maybe the neighbors were caught during a bad time period? maybe they are getting cleared out to do a garage sale or renovating something or had a flood of some sort? or have some kind of family crisis or difficulty so they can't focus on their home at the moment. maybe they're really cool and that makes up for junk laying around- seriously, don't give up if you're in love. (but then you did say that was just the last straw of many things).
Pat - I like your optimism! Well, the realtor said that was a big reason it hasn't sold yet - it's been on the market for a year now. and that's not just across the street - the same family owns the house next door too. And that wasn't the only thing - it needed all new flooring - bad - and there was no wood underneath as I hoped. And it just had lots of other little things - and just down the street is a really junky trailer park. And though I have nothing against trailers - I tend to have this fear of trailer parks as pedophile havens. So, I decided not to push it - it's a small house and we would have had to add on or move - and in the end we want more land than that so we would have had to sell and would have faced the bad neighbor problem again...
I know we can't afford a place we could stay in long term and so I decided to do a place that would be fun for everyone AND would be easier to resell. I was against it at first but now I am feeling better about it. We've never done the young neighborhood thing and it does seem like a good time...
Man, I'm jealous. Boise would be fun. My brother Peder lives in Kuna and we went to visit for his wedding and decided we could live in Boise and love it.
I like the house in the second picture.
Neighbors do make a big difference.
oh dear, they own two lots and all the flooring along with having to build on is no good. that sounds crazy. looking into resell potential is very smart...and with the younger neighborhood you know you'll be able to resell easily, especially in Boise, since I hear its such a desireable place to be. happy house hunting!!
Don't worry about looking at homes way too early. I have been looking for a home in houston for 2 years now and am a little obsessed. We are hoping to move in the next 6months to a year. We will see. Isn't the internet great when looking for new homes.
ooohhhhhh - i LOVE that first house - looks like some beautiful ones i've seen (when i've looked) in Prince Edward Island. perfect little house, beautiful yard. it's always been a dream of mine of mine to live out there like Anne of Green Gables. anyway - the second house it great though, and you really don't want nasty neighbors. good luck with your search - and i agree with the previous comment - never too early to look for a house.
I have to admit that we live in a young neighborhood and we love it. B has so many kids to play and go to school with. Bad neighbors can really change the entire atmosphere of the street. Something you should consider are school districts if you haven't already. I'm learning that not all are created equally. Schools where we live are terrible. Everyone is trying to get their children in the charter school lottery- a year and a half wait list. Did I say cute houses though. You'll make any house into a home with your creativity.
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