Our home in Florida was on the market for quite some time.
It was frustrating at times,
when all we wanted to do was move and get on with our dreams.
It finally sold at the end of December,
and we are now living in the great state of North Carolina.
Mission accomplished.
One good thing that came out of all that waiting,
was that we developed a wish list for our new home.
With time to think about our ideal homestead,
this is what we came up with:
It was frustrating at times,
when all we wanted to do was move and get on with our dreams.
It finally sold at the end of December,
and we are now living in the great state of North Carolina.
Mission accomplished.
One good thing that came out of all that waiting,
was that we developed a wish list for our new home.
With time to think about our ideal homestead,
this is what we came up with:
2-5 acres
No HOA
newer home (15 years or newer)
front or wrap-around porch
wood floors
2-car garage
outbuilding or barn
open concept
3-4 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
1800-2000 square feet
pond or stream on property
partially wooded
sun exposure for veggie garden
neighborhood feel but space between houses
near farmers' market/library (within 20 minutes)
It's obvious to us now that we've been looking,
that we will not find most of what's on our list.
The idea of putting it in writing
helps to solidify in our minds what we want,
but it will have to be amended many times.
One very hard lesson we've learned since being here
is that the market is very different than even a few years ago.
We have found that the acreage will be right,
but the house is either too small or dilapidated.
The house might be fairly new and the right layout,
but it's in a neighborhood or only on 1/2 an acre.
We've come to the conclusion that we will most likely
have to be satisfied with 3/4 to 1 acre, at most.
Many properties here have no garage,
which is one of Big K's top priorities.
Our biggest obstacle is location.
We still don't really know where our ideal location is.
As Big K is only working a temp job,
our options are open.
That's a blessing and a curse.
Being near a busy city doesn't suit us.
The towns that we have preferred in the past
are now more populated than we like,
and sometimes out of our price range.
Another issue is that homes are being bought up
before we can even go look at them.
The market is very similar to the way it was
when we bought our Florida home in 2004.
It's a big task, finding a forever home.
So many things to consider.
I know it's out there.
I think it will have to find us.
"Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment,
all you have is all you need."
-Sarah Ban Breathnach
It's obvious to us now that we've been looking,
that we will not find most of what's on our list.
The idea of putting it in writing
helps to solidify in our minds what we want,
but it will have to be amended many times.
One very hard lesson we've learned since being here
is that the market is very different than even a few years ago.
We have found that the acreage will be right,
but the house is either too small or dilapidated.
The house might be fairly new and the right layout,
but it's in a neighborhood or only on 1/2 an acre.
We've come to the conclusion that we will most likely
have to be satisfied with 3/4 to 1 acre, at most.
Many properties here have no garage,
which is one of Big K's top priorities.
Our biggest obstacle is location.
We still don't really know where our ideal location is.
As Big K is only working a temp job,
our options are open.
That's a blessing and a curse.
Being near a busy city doesn't suit us.
The towns that we have preferred in the past
are now more populated than we like,
and sometimes out of our price range.
Another issue is that homes are being bought up
before we can even go look at them.
The market is very similar to the way it was
when we bought our Florida home in 2004.
It's a big task, finding a forever home.
So many things to consider.
I know it's out there.
I think it will have to find us.
"Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment,
all you have is all you need."
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