For more on this (so far) three part blog series on our adventures in relocating and house hunting see: relocation, and adventures in house-hunting round one and two.

If you have been following so far we looked at 20 homes in three days and walked away with two strong contenders after seriously considering a half dozen others. If you have been wondering through this process how we could so easily turn down some of these options (beyond the issues I described in week one) it might help for you to know a little bit more of mine and my husband’s background.

I grew up in a spanish colonial home in SoCal built in the 1920’s. My parents have lived there for more than 26 years. My dad is  has taught woodworking and, drafting as well as he has experience doing custom cabinet jobs, furniture pieces, renovating/repurposing antique furniture, and loves spending time outside re-doing the front and backyard. My mom is a excellent interior decorator (although most her practice has been on her own home) and she has taken up upholstering furniture in the past few years.

So both of my parents are well experienced in home ownership, renovation, home layouts, curb appeal, and redecorating. Also, my father-in-law has his own construction business and has been a contractor for years as well as home owner and renovator. My in-laws have lived in their current home for more than seventeen years and have previously owned/renovated other homes.

So Luke and I both have the eye for not only the surface level issues but the costs for repairs/changes, resale value, and problems common to older homes.

On Tuesday the 8th of July we did our last round of looking at new homes. Our list only included four new homes, two of which were taken off the market.

Of the two homes left, we started with one on our original list which was a high contender from the very beginning. For several reasons we were unable to view the home until now. This modern 1980’s home is up on a hill nearby the south end of town and the freeway. It has 6 acres of land, huge separate workhouses/shop, a open updated kitchen, and good sized rooms and bathrooms. The house would require the least amount of immediate changes and is for the most part move-in ready. The current owners are not physcially capable of the exterior upkeep of the backwork houses, the yard, and the plants around the house so the house currently feels darker and less appealing from the curb.

The second option on our list was a new listing that came up after our first day of searching. On the main road out of town, this 1920’s farmhouse sits 1.6 acres of land. The home has an open floor plan, hardwood floors in most rooms, a wrap around porch, great large windows and plenty of natural light. It also has a large amount of storage space both in a attic and basement. The only problem is that although the kitchen is a good size/shape there is little to no counter space and even with renovations little can be done because of 5 doorways in the kitchen.

Both houses we looked at we walked away confident in. They both had their positives and negatives but we felt after this last trip that we had a good solid 3-4 options to consider without any further looking. We took time this past week thinking, praying, and waiting to get answers to questions and disclosures on the homes we visited. Now it’s time to weight the pros and cons and decided on which home we are ready to start the bidding process. More on this to come!