Am I being too picky in finding a home?

No, I went through the same experience. What the hell we’re you thinking went through my head so many times. I finally bought some land, went to a housing place and designed my own modular home. I moved doors around, added lots of windows, 2 sliding glass doors on the end and customized it just so I liked it. It’s amazing.

I wish I could do that but my husband doesn’t want a home where he has to maintain or find people to work on the outside of the home. He wants a town home or condo apartment where we just make monthly payments for them to maintain the property. He says there is no way that he is shoveling snow ever again. It is silly. If they just put in less bathrooms, they could add the savings to the kitchen and maybe put up some necessary walls. And lowering a ceiling to at least 12 feet max can save them money as well. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one. The fact that these home sell was beginning to make me wonder if this is all that people like these days and I should just give up and maybe find a place that is 2000 square feet to get 1600. Although, some of those still manage to f up the layout. Oh, hell no. I still don’t want 2000 square feet to clean. I don’t have a maid. I am the maid.

Not at all. You’re, no doubt, spending, quite a bit of money and/or indebting yourself to a bank for a very long time.

You will spend many, many hours of your life there. Entertain family and friends. Possibly raise a family there.

Why not be picky.

@cprevite That is what I’m thinking too but its so tiring being disappointed time and time again. So I was thinking maybe its me. Luckily, I am done raising a family which is why we want a reasonable size 2 bedroom. Its just the two of us. We do everything together, so we don’t need the extra dining rooms or family rooms or 4 bathrooms. But I really do want a kitchen that is more than just pretty. I need it to store my stuff and have actual counter space to cook. You would think such a thing to be impossible.

@Pandora I don’t want neighbors close by. My nearest one is about 1500 feet away. And I went with the 71/2 foot ceilings, although chalet style was an option. It get’s cold here. I got 1600 plus feet and it’s all useable. I haven’t gotten tired of shoveling yet. Maybe I’ll go condo when I do.

@Pandora I adore your sense of humor, and no, you are not being too picky. Keep in mind that there are 100s of houses on the market, and it just takes time to find the right one.

If you and your husband haven’t done so already, it’s just a matter of creating a list of priorities and ranking them. For example, the kitchen size should trump the desire to never shovel snow again. He can hire someone to do that more cheaply than a renovation would cost.

Good luck with the hunt, and please keep us posted.

You need an older home and spend the saved money to update cabinets and fixtures.
The trend is large open space and huge ceilings.
In the ‘70’s they isolated the kitchens. That is practically impossible to find in a new home now. If you like that, old but remodeled might be the way to go.

Look for older homes that have been updated.

@Pied_Pfeffer LOL, Thanks. I’m trying to keep my sense of humor about it. He’s dead set on it. He said I get say in everything else but that.
@Judi, We tried some of the older homes but it got really bad. So much mildew, or pet smells. He got really sick after visiting several. He has severe allergies to mold and mildew and cat. They look great in pictures but when you were leaving you felt you needed to be checked for hitchhikers who thought the place inhabitable. There was one with all new floors and kitchen and bathrooms and even a new basement but the smell inside made you want to vomit. You could smell the mold behind the walls. Found out the next day the price of the house dropped 150,000 because it failed an inspection miserably.
The only way to fix some of those older homes was to knock it down and build it new.
I don’t mind and open kitchen but please put actual counter space and cabinets. Without the cabinets that mean all the appliances end up taking the counter space. Funny that they go out of their way to make plenty of eating areas as if you are feeding an army but they give you a small kitchen to do it in.

@marinelife Yep tried that. People are PIGS! Apparently they think that homes work like self cleaning ovens. I’m convinced I found the real reason behind cancer. People live in filth and never check for water damage.

@Pandora, so sorry. My husband is a contractor and we used to buy old houses, gut them and put a whole new house in. Maybe there are contractors in your area that do that? I know not many people are as amazing as my husband~, but there has to be a few around that come close.

I believe a home speaks to your heart, it also inspires you, or not. Never mind the toilets, there are toilets everywhere! in every home to clean.

@Shippy, very few have toilets as cool as mine.

@Judi There probably is but most will only see this when they see my husband and I. $ & $. Not people. I’ve already met with some contractors building new homes. I felt greasy every time we left. Worse than car salesmen. Wish your husband lived here too. :)
My mom would love that toilet. Does it blow you dry? LOL

Yes it does!!!
The mark up on change orders for new homes is crazy.

@shippy, I’ve seen less toilets at a McDonalds, and they have a ton of traffic every day.

@Judi AWESOME! My mom would kill for that. She’s a germaphobe.

I love this concept. I want to build my own village.

I would love to live in a co-housing community at some point.

No, I went two years and probably close to 200 houses before I found the one I wanted. They put what I call “glamour shots” in the real estate guide and I’d get to the house that really looked nothing like the one in the picture. They are really sly with the wording too, saying things like “big yard” which meant up the side of a hill, “some updates” meant they put new, cheap carpet in, and “cozy kitchen” meant two people standing in it was a crowd.
It’s a lot of money and it’s a very long commitment, you should be picky.

You’re not too picky; just maybe a bit impatient. You’ll find it. I hope you live where there are a lot more possibilities to explore. Widen your search area.

Have you and your husband had a realtor look for “patio homes”? They are usually built for retirees or as time shares with lots of 2 bedroom and gemini plans. Most will have small fenced yards with that open up onto communal grounds like greenbelts. These are gaining popularity with kidless adults or couples with a parent at home.

@chyna, Amen! I stopped looking at any home that said cozy (unbelievably tiny) or active community (either, one step away from retirement home, or spitting distance to a freeway) or quiet family oriented neighborhood highly desired by professionals (No public transportation and 7–11 is the closest store 10 miles away and no street parking available)
@Sunny2 Probably am. Just wanted to be sure I wasn’t making myself miserable.
@Neizvestnaya I’ve got to look that up. Thanks. Sounds idea.

@chyna Forgot, Highly desirable location. Home priced below value. This won’t stay on the market long. Then you see its been on the market for 6 months. Means the neighborhood is great but the house is shit.
This home is a steal! Means you will either feel robbed if you purchased it or once you look at it you feel it got mugged.

I hear you big time. The modern cookie-cutter home is redonkulous.

If you can, I’d recommend as others have, and try to find an older home to fix up. Try Angie’s List to find a contractor that is trustworthy (I can’t say enough about Angie’s List). One worth his salt should be able to refinish floors to remove any signs of past pet residents (my hubby does floors and has asthma. Believe me – it’s possible, we’ve done it in our own house!) and remove any mold.

When you’re buying, even when you’re buying new, there’s going to be added costs for remodeling, so why not get exactly what you want and pay less for the house itself?