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Thursday, April 22, 2010

How We Met Our Home

I'm linking up with AnNicole's at Our Suburban Cottage
Check out other folks' home stories & share yours!

April 27th will be our 9 month home-owning anniversary!

While hubby was at Ft. Knox training, we found out our first duty station was going to be at Ft. Benning. Tired of apartment & close quarters living (not with each other, but with neighbors) we wanted our OWN space and knew we wanted to live off post.


The cute bungalow style home. The landscaping has grown so much since this photo, and there are now 2 crepe myrtles on either side of the stairs right off the sidewalk.

I had been looking at homes online, and had a whole list of ones I loved. Then we had to narrow that list down to the ones we could actually afford. I guess I had got caught up in that game up ... let's just see what $5000 more would get. Before you know it you're looking at 5 bedroom 3 bath homes that over look a lake. Um, okay, not happening. Bye bye huge list, hello little list.

We arrived in Georgia, hubby reported to his unit, and we had less than a week to find a house before hubby left for a month long training in California. Well, we could have taken longer, but I didn't want to make that decision alone. So we had a week to find a house TOGETHER.

The back brick patio. Gravel driveway comes all the way into the back yard.

We linked up with a real estate agent and began the house hunt, some of which included homes I had found on my list. Let me just say, houses do NOT look the same online as they do in person! Some homes that I was so excited to see ... I took one step in and wanted to walk right out.

We hated just about every house we saw. We were actually a little depressed after the first two days and were thinking maybe we couldn't afford to buy a house. Well, not one that we loved at least.

The barn!! Looking at it from the far side of the yard.

At first all we looked at were newer homes in newer developments. While they were ... nice ... they weren't us. The biggest thing I just couldn't take about these neighborhoods, was the fact that there weren't TREES! I'm a tree girl, gotta see trees.

Finally ... we found a home. It was adorable. It was a breath of fresh air. A one story ranch, newly painted, quiet neighborhood (with history & trees), move in ready. It would need some updating, but nothing urgent. It had a lot of potential, and was about $15,000 under our budget. We were sold. Especially after a couple days of seeing nothing.

The back of the house and yard, standing at the very back of the yard.

Then the agent was like ... well, there's one other house I want to show you. We drove up and I gasped. It was one I had looked at and loved online, but we had dropped from our list because it was out of our budget. Well, they had dropped the price. It's a historic home built in 1928 and is in a historic neighborhood, a couple of blocks up from a very active park, oozing with charm, move in ready, great landscaping, had a barn on the property. It was one that looked just as charming - actually MORE charming in person than it did online! It was just so ... us.

We were now in love with two VERY different homes and had some serious thinking to do. The ranch home was much less money and more home. The historic home was a smaller home on the top of our budget, but the type of home you don't see every day. We drove to the first house and sat in the car in front of the house for about an hour making a pro and con list to each house. The entire time we sat there ... not a SINGLE CAR drove bar, nor did we see a single person! This was a STARK contrast from the other historic home where it was blocks away from a park, baseball fields, the high school track, tennis courts, where there was ALWAYS people and children.

A snow day, here in GA.

Truly, we were sold. And within a couple of day, a few back & forths, we came to an agreement. Hubby left for California, I went back home to NC and returned to GA with my mom to close on the house and move in less than a week before hubby came .. HOME. To OUR home.

Hubby was HOME for a little over 2 months before we deployed, and we enjoyed every night in, coffee on the front porch and movie on the couch. Now I can't wait for him to come home.

So ... that's our story. Of how we met our HOME.

Don't forget to enter the MississippiMud Give-Away at Serenity Now!

15 comments:

  1. sarita, cute cute bungalow! i love it. yes, hubby would love to be in an older neighborhood with huge established trees. that's his one complaint about where we are now.

    and yes, houses in real life compared to houses online are soooo different. we had some really depressing moments, a few tears, and one nervous breakdown in starbucks while househunting.

    thanks for stopping by pixelimpress.

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  2. Your home is absolutely charming and I think you clearly made the right decision! I once bought a home without my husband who was in California working on a flight test program for the Navy and couldn't come home to see it! He came home to a new house and was a little afraid to go away after that! ;-)

    I hope your husband returns home safely and very soon! Give him a big thank you hug from us for helping to protect our country, and one for you for taking care of home while he's gone!

    Kat :)

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  3. Wow, this is a super cute house. It is so heart warming and I love the backyard. I think I could spend hours out there.
    Also thanks for stopping by and signing up for my crock pot giveaway.
    I hope you have a fabulous day!

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  4. What a CUTE house! I love all the landscaping in your backyard - did you guys do all of that? Small and charming would have been my choice, too!

    I smiled at the picture of the snow - I've lived in Nebraska for most of my life but we did spend 4 years in GA when my dad was stationed there. It snowed once that whole time and I remember that it basically shut the whole area down! I kinda wish that an inch of snow would have that affect up here in NE... more snow days!

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  5. I love your bungalow and all the old growth around it. Moving into a new neighborhood we don't have that lush beauty yet...maybe another 20 years ;-)

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  6. What a wonderful story, and it sounds like you made a great choice. There is much to be said for a smaller home in a great area over a larger home in a not so great area. I've been there! Thanks for sharing your story and I hope you will share again when hubby comes home too!

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  7. I love your house! You are so right, it is not the kind of house you see every day - it's adorable! And I laughed when you talked about playing the "it's just $5,000 more" game - oh so dangerous! I hate reality checks. :)

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  8. My first home (over 20 years ago) was a 1920's bungelow! I have loved old houses all of my life. My hubby not so much;-) Your house is adorable and I lived in LaGrange Ga. not to far from you. I miss Georgia. We loved it there.

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  9. Thanks everyone!
    Kat, I passed along your sweet words to my hubby. Thank you :-)

    Tanya, we did not do the landscaping, the previous owners did! That was a huge plus for us! Except I need someone to help me take care of it!

    Melanie, we love Georgia too!
    Thanks again everyone!

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  10. Oh, your bugalow is so cute. I'm so happy for you and for the time you were able to spend with your hubby before he deployed. Enjoy your beautiful home.

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  11. Awesome story! It was just meant to be! I hope your husband comes back soon!

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  12. I love your story and your house is so, so cute! It will be that much sweeter to have your husband back again!

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  13. What a great story! Your house is absolutely adorable. I actually let out a little ghasp when I saw it because it's so cute...and because I'm a bit of a dork :).

    Thanks so much for sharing your story and for linking up to my party!

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  14. Oh...you definitely made the right choice. I love the historic bungalow. I live in a historic home myself. I love it. Your bungalow is super cute....

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  15. What a great story, and a great house! I totally would have gone for the historic house with charm & community. LOVE the barn! Great blog!

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