Just curious to see how others here would think all of this through.
We're starting to get the ball rolling on finding a new home here. We have a couple of options and have been weighing a lot of different factors, but we can't see to make up our minds. It will probably just be a matter of actually getting out there to see houses on both sides of town to see what we like best.
1) NE side of town: older but has some new home development, beautiful with trees and close to the mountains, more expensive, the best school districts for elementary-high school (based on test scores), more affluent, probably not as diverse...most of the homes we'd be able to afford here would probably be in the under 2000 sqft range on small lots
2) West-NW side of town: newer, still growing with a lot of development happening, not as beautiful with a lot of sand and probably wind, not as expensive, okay school districts (HUGE high schools), probably more diverse...for the same amount of money, we'd probably be able to afford a home well over 2000 sqft on a larger lot
On one hand we'd love to have a larger home, especially with baby on the way and Dom works from home so an office is a must for him. On the other hand, we like the schools and "influence" on the NE side of town and would love that for our kids.
Of course, I feel guilty (and selfish) as heck for leaving my job now. There are days of tremendous regret, especially when Dom starts talking numbers. (sigh) Anyway, what would you do, or what would matter most to you when searching for a new home?
I guess for me, it would come solely down to where the house was that I fell in love with. Both places seem to have a lot of pros. I want to say to look on the prettier side with better high schools, but coming from someone who's looking for their forever home next (or at least a very, very long term house) I'd be thinking that by the time the kids get older, the new area that is developing now, will be the new "Place to be", and you could already be settled and happy there.
But both have great possibilities, so I hope you find the perfect place for you guys, quickly and easily!
I think that when you visit each area your heart will lead you.
It really is a matter of what is most important to you right now. The space or the area/schools.
I would spend a little time in each area and see what you find out. Visit the area restaurants, library, parks, etc. Get the feel of the community.
Do not stress. Either way things will work out great and you have a new little girl coming soon. It is exciting times.
Thanks. Definitely trying not to stress, but it's catching up to me. :( I've been bugging Dom about finding a realtor, so we'll be making some calls this week.
I guess for me, it would come solely down to where the house was that I fell in love with. Both places seem to have a lot of pros. I want to say to look on the prettier side with better high schools, but coming from someone who's looking for their forever home next (or at least a very, very long term house) I'd be thinking that by the time the kids get older, the new area that is developing now, will be the new "Place to be", and you could already be settled and happy there.
But both have great possibilities, so I hope you find the perfect place for you guys, quickly and easily!
Thanks. This would most likely be our forever home, so that makes it tough to decide too. But yeah, I guess it would come down to falling in love with a house. I did fall in love with one on the NE side when we were visiting months ago and looking at open houses, but it was half a mil...um, yeah, I wish!
Something else you might want to consider is looking at how much value is increasing in the "established" neighborhood vs. the new neighborhood. If the new neighborhood house values are on the rise, now would be a good time to get into that area.
Another thing that I recommend doing is going to the areas in the evening and and weekends. Stop and chat with some of the people that are out. You can get an idea of the people that are around there. It will also let you see what it's like when the neighborhood is awake.
You can also start watching the police log and seeing if and what type of calls the cops are answering. In fact, you could probably visit the local station and ask them what they are seeing in those areas. (Not that they are bad, but it might give you a better picture of the stability).
I am not sure, but I think you attend church. Go to a church in the area and see what you think. It will also give you a chance to talk to people.
The bottom line is what Leah said, you have to fall in love with it. If not, you will always be thinking about how you can move or be miserable.
for me personally, i'd go with the first option, but i think it really depends on what you fall in love with. it sounds like the newer neighb. is perfectly lovely and i'm sure you'll be confident in whatever feels right. :)
Something else you might want to consider is looking at how much value is increasing in the "established" neighborhood vs. the new neighborhood. If the new neighborhood house values are on the rise, now would be a good time to get into that area.
Another thing that I recommend doing is going to the areas in the evening and and weekends. Stop and chat with some of the people that are out. You can get an idea of the people that are around there. It will also let you see what it's like when the neighborhood is awake.
You can also start watching the police log and seeing if and what type of calls the cops are answering. In fact, you could probably visit the local station and ask them what they are seeing in those areas. (Not that they are bad, but it might give you a better picture of the stability).
I am not sure, but I think you attend church. Go to a church in the area and see what you think. It will also give you a chance to talk to people.
The bottom line is what Leah said, you have to fall in love with it. If not, you will always be thinking about how you can move or be miserable.
Thank you! A lot of great info here and things I wouldn't have thought about, like checking out the police log.
for me personally, i'd go with the first option, but i think it really depends on what you fall in love with. it sounds like the newer neighb. is perfectly lovely and i'm sure you'll be confident in whatever feels right. :)
thanks! It would be nice to narrow it down from the start, but I'm sure looking at homes in both areas will be the best thing.
For me, it would be important what I could walk to, what kinds of schools, what kinds of neighbors.
I had a big house but am much happier in a smaller house in a better location.
I really like that we can walk to so much. That is so important to me.
thanks, Sonya. This is true, too...the walkability. Our old house was so close to a lot of things, it was nice to be able to walk to Starbucks, Target, grocery store, etc. I'll keep that in mind as we look around. I'm so glad that all worked out for you guys and you're much happier where you are now.
we bought out house a year before Ivy was born and I wasn't thinking schools at all....and really regret my decision. We bought in an "up and coming" neighborhood but with the downturn, not much is up and coming these days...lol now we are stuck in our home...we couldn't sell it basically.
I do love our home though but I probably could have been just as happier in a smaller home.
Good luck in what ever you decide, Jolynn (and don't stress too much) ((hugs))
IMO, i wouldn't choose a house just for space. 2000 sqft is enough room to raise 3 kids in. i think we get too caught up in having the huge house, when it really isn't necessary. i grew up in a very small home, and i loved it. we always spent time together as a family because we had to, lmao.
another thing to think of, a more diverse school might be better for your kids, if you are talking "not just white kids". when we were in indiana, we lived in an almost all white suburb. it has the best schools in the city. but, we actually have talked about moving to other areas when we go back that have some more diversity. we know they won't be *as* good of schools, but they are still great schools and we're thinking mason might feel more of a sense of belonging there.
i'd take a smaller house for better schooling, at this point in mine and the boys life.
as it is, i've done the opposite. i've taken a smaller (inner-city) house, to be inside the city and live in affluent area. sadly for me, inner city affluent area still = shit for schools.
i'd tour the schools first though, make sure better test scores really translates to better environment for your children. some of the "awesome" schools are run like boot camps, and that's how they're successful, which may or may not be something you're comfortable with for your children.
i'd say school and area tours (all at various times of day, so you can see what traffic flow and the demographics are really like) are in order before a decision is made.
I would call a realtor and tell them you arent sure. A good realtor is totally okay with that and will probably have some great insight about the concerns you have about both. They would probably be a lot less biased than me too. lol.
Like someone else mentioned, "walkability" is a really good option. We live more than 20 miles from town, so not an option for us. But since you are looking to buy in town... I loved it when I could walk to the grocery store to just get milk and bread.
I'd check out the libraries that are close to both areas and see what they are like. I love big houses, but when small houses are set up "right", you really can't tell. Our old house was only 1440 sq ft, but they used almoset every wall for storage with cupboards or closets. This house is 1650 sf, and has no storage. KWIM?
I like mature neighborhoods, but unfortunatly, as people move on from their homes, you don't know who will move in, so they aren't always as stable as you may think. We were in a place like that once.
