The House That Was

We moved to North Carolina at the end of December of last year
with one mission.
Find our forever homestead.
We've been looking for about 2 months now,
and it's been a lesson in patience and compromise.



This house came close to meeting our needs.
It's a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom historical home,
fully renovated on almost an acre of land.
I really felt a pull the very first time we walked through it,
and conveyed my feelings to Big K
(who was at work and couldn't see it right away).
There was a bit of trepidation,
as we hadn't anticipated buying a home that was over a century old.

 

A big front porch has been 
one of the top items on our wish list.
The view from here was a vacant field,
with no neighbors across the street.

 

We imagined ourselves rocking here on many a night,
reading, listening to music or shelling peas.

 

The backyard was level and had plenty of room for a garden
and our future chicken coop.
Since it's in a rural area, we'd be on well water and septic,
which suits us just fine.
The icing on the cake was that it literally abuts a state park.
I imagined long walks or bike rides through the park,
family picnics and lots of opportunities to photograph beautiful vistas.
I was even considering learning to catch my own fish in the lake.

 

We negotiated a deal with the sellers and set up the inspection.
That's where the story ends.
Apparently, attention was paid to the inside of the house,
with gorgeous floors and a lovely new kitchen remodel.
There were some major things wrong with the structure of the house,
and even though we would have expected to renegotiate the price
to cover the cost of all the expenses,
we just didn't feel right about moving forward with such an old house.
It was a hard lesson to learn, but we're grateful for our inspector,
who helped save us a lot of heartache down the road.

We are starting from scratch with some new parameters,
and hoping that the right place chooses us again.
We are so ready to be settled,
as we are all homebodies and just want to feel at home once again.

How did your forever homestead find you?



Simple Saturdays Blog Hop

The Wish List

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:

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

The Neighborhood

In our Florida neighborhood,

everything looked the same,

as we lived in a cookie-cutter development.

It was great to be able to walk or bike

nearly every day of the year because of the climate,

but I didn't find it very motivating.

 One thing I was hoping for when we moved,

was a place to do my daily walk that would inspire me.

 Guess what?  

I got it.

This road takes me across the street

into a neighborhood that is both unique and captivating.

One of the first homes I pass on my hike

is actually the type of house we are looking for

in our search for a new homestead.

We just love that Southern front porch. 

This home helps me to keep that vision in sight,

reaffirming that we will find our desired digs.

 In Florida, most trees stay green year-round.

It's almost shocking to see so many bare trees.

Against the blue sky, they are quite striking.

And the nature lover in me gets a kick

out of seeing where the birds have made their nests.

Imagine the view from way up there!

 Around every corner, something new is discovered.

Each home in this neighborhood is unlike any other,

and it is oh-so refreshing to see how folks have put

their individual stamp on their homesteads. 

Some have docks behind their  homes

which lead out to the many waterways here.

A few have gardens with amazing features,

like this friendly dinosaur who protects the premises.

Every day that I am able to stroll through the community is a blessing.

It gives me time to think, time to plan,

and time to just be.

I am reminded that 

the possibilities for our future are open wide.

Thanks for coming with me on this hike.

Wishing you a joyous day!

In this series:

The Sale and the Big Move

We Made It

The House