Sunday, March 7, 2010

The House Hunt Is On!

I've decided to take the plunge and go full speed ahead with house hunting - EEK! I met with a realtor this weekend, got pre-approved for a loan, and even looked at a couple of houses! I can't believe I'm actually moving towards buying a HOUSE!  Three months from now, I'll (hopefully) be a homeowner!

On Saturday, I met with a realtor who came highly recommended to me by some friends who bought a house with her help a few years ago.  She had chosen a couple of homes / townhomes in my price range in the area of Raleigh that I'm looking to buy in, to give me a taste of what's out there. Below are pics of three of the four that we looked at this weekend.

Townhouse #1 (built in 1995)
This townhome is in an established neighborhood that has a good mix of townhomes and single-family homes.  It was a cute, 2 bed / 2.5 bath house with hardwoods downstairs and a great wooded area in the back.  But, it had popcorn ceilings, which I despise.  I know they can be removed, but ugh...I really do hate them.  The HOA fees in this neighborhood are really high (like ~$200 a MONTH!), which I have to factor into the price.

 

Townhouse #2 (built in 2003)
This townhouse is a bit newer, so things were a bit more updated than in townhouse #1.  But, I felt like the neighborhood was a little too cookie-cutter for me.  It also backs up to another row of townhomes, so you don't have any privacy in the back.  Not a huge fan, but it was still a cute place.

  

Single Family Home #1 (built in 1998)
I hated this one.  Nothing good to say.  It did have a garage, but that's about the only plus.  Definitely not interested in this one!



So, that was what I saw on Day 1, just as some options my realtor had selected to get my feet wet.  I'm supposed to be going through the MLS listings posted online, and I can let her know what ones I'm interested in going to visit.  I'll probably go out with her next weekend to look at a bunch.  I think my mom is going to come up to help me do some searching the weekend after next, so I may bring along a friend this coming weekend for a second set of eyes and opinions.

This is a very exciting, but scary time!  I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

Have a great week!

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