House Hunting

I've been house hunting for almost 2 years.  The house we own now is large enough, about 2200 square feet, but it's OLD.  It's outdated.  There are some things about our house that I don't understand.  Sometimes I wonder how people could've thought so differently in the 60's and 70's when they built a house...such as the one we own.  For example, we have NO PANTRY.  Where did they expect to store all of their food?  I wish I knew.  Also, why would someone build a 2 story, 2200 square foot house with only ONE bathroom with a shower or tub?  What's the point of having one and a half bathrooms?  Also, did people back then not have the need for a bathtub large enough to take a bath in?  Ours is so small, our 2 year old barely fits in it.  Our home is comfortable.  It is a good house, but I'm ready to upgrade.  We've been here 4 years and we're not fixer upper people.  There are projects that we intended to do to our house, that aren't done.  They will never be done.  My husband is NOT a handy man and I'm completely clueless when it comes to remodeling projects.  We can't handle a fixer upper.  I want an "everything's perfectly ready to move right in" kind of house.

So, in my search for a new home there are some things that I've figured out to be MUST HAVES. Number one,  I want a big house.  Not enourmous, but big enough to have lots of company and overnight guests.  Big enough for HPK to have a play room.  Big enough to have at least 2 guest rooms, family room, dining room, living room and at least 3 FULL bathroooms.  We have a large family and I want them to come visit!  The more the merrier! 

I want a large-ish kitchen that is somewhat updated.  By somewhat updated I mean, no green or blue countertops, none of those fake wood laminate countertops.  The cabinets don't really matter to me because they can always be painted.

I want a HUGE bathtub.  Yes.  That's right.  Huge.  And I deserve one, because I haven't been able to take a bath in 4 years.

A two car garage. 

I want a pantry.  Yes.  Just someplace to put our food.

I want a fenced in yard, so that HPK has a place to run and play without the worry of him running towards the road or getting attacked by a dog.

I don't want to build a house.  I want one that's already built.  Already done.  I don't want to have to stress out about picking major things out.

I want privacy.  I don't want neighbors right next to us.  Don't get me wrong, I love my neighbors, but I also love privacy.

And that's it.  

I'm okay with ugly paint.  I'm okay with wallpaper.  I'm okay with ugly floor and carpet.  These things can easily be changed.

 I've left out many things that I would LOVE to have but they're things I can live without, such as a fireplace with a pretty mantle, stainless steel appliances and a pool.

So far, we haven't found anything that satisfies and this is probably because my list of must haves is too long.  I feel like the pressure to get-it-right is very overwhelming because the next house we buy will more than likely be our forever house.

I keep telling myself that the right home for us will come along and it will all work out.  I'm crossing my fingers that it will happen sooner rather than later.

Homes.com has an awesome Printable House Hunting Checklist:

Print the checklist HERE.

Actually THIS home would be perfect:

HGTV's 2013 Dream Home Giveaway

Seriously. Have you looked at this place?  It's AMAZING!