revjim.net

We looked at new homes for a bit yesterday and, literally, all day today. We found one we really liked yesterday. Then, after looking more this morning, found one we liked even more. Not perfect, but much better than the one we found yesterday. We figured it was the best we could do. Then, this afternoon, we found one we *really* loved. Aside from it's location (which is a difficult point) and the size of the land it's on (which is another difficult point) it's *perfect*. So, we put in an offer. We're getting it for almost $30,000 less than they were originally asking for it, plus, they've thrown in a few other nice incentives. If all goes well, we'll close in the first week or so of September.

It's a 2 story, 2146 sqft, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home with a big kitchen, an open dining area, a game room, a garden room, 2 covered porches (one up stairs and one down stairs) and a 2 car garage. The kitchen over looks the living and dining rooms which both have huge vaulted ceilings. The garden room is like an enclosed, tiled, patio with *lots* of windows. The game room is at the top of the stairs and will work perfectly as an office and sitting area for guests who like to entertain themselves near computers. If you'd like, you can see a drawing of "the front of the house":http://revjim.net/archives/2004/08/house-front-elevation.jpg, the "first floor plan":http://revjim.net/archives/2004/08/house-first-floor.jpg and the "second floor plan":http://revjim.net/archives/2004/08/house-second-floor.jpg. I'll get some better, real pictures soon.

As you probably know, I stress out about everything. And I've weighed the options over and over again. The truth of the matter is, if we could transplant the house closer to friends and family, and put it on a bigger lot, it would be a perfect first home. Hell, it would probably be a perfect second home. It might even be the perfect home, period. But, that isn't possible. So, my mind goes insane trying to rationalize everything. And, when it comes right down to it, we *loved* the area, the ameneties, the floor plan, the house, the space, and the price. So, to let two small go in exchange for all of that, is a small price to pay. However, just so you can follow along, here's my rationalization for each of these shortcommings.

As far as location goes, well, ideally, I'd like to live in downtown dallas. Only, I'd like to live on the edge of my version of downtown Dallas so that, to my left, downtown would sit, with all of its high rises and endless miles of concrete. And, to my right, would be nothing but trees for miles and miles. I'd like to work about 20-30 minutes away (just enough to relax and enjoy the morning) and I'd like all of my friends to live next door. Well… that just isn't possible. So, this is a bit of a different approach. Despite the fact that we live near the city, we don't go that often. When I lived nearer, I went *more* often, but the rate at which I visit the city seems to decrease exponentially with distance. So, we decided to move further into the country. You get much more house for the money out there, and everything is simpler and quieter.

Since we don't go into Dallas very often now, as it is, out trek out there twice a month, now, won't be a huge deal, despite the added distance. Plus, Denton is very close and has lots to do at night. My trip to work has increased by, according to Yahoo! maps, 10 miles and 13 minutes, which isn't bad. The distance will stay about the same, but the sime will shorten a bit when the tollway finally reaches us, in a year or two. It's about 18 miles from our current apartment, which seems like a long ways but, unless you live South East of our current apartment, in most cases the added distance is probably much less.

Just to give you an idea, we're about 23 miles (19 miles or 27 minutes more) from Justin's house, and 19 miles (10 miles or 15 minutes more) from Joel and Emily's. We're about 40 miles (8 miles or 8 minutes more) from my parent's house. However, I think that, despite the additional mileage, I could get to my parent's house quicker using an alternate route.

I'd offer you a Yahoo! Maps link to our house, so you could compute the distance for yourself but the street our house is on is so new it isn't on the map. I'm not sure what "Navo, TX" is, but it's pretty close to where our house is, and MapQuest/Yahoo! Maps seems to understand what it is so you can use that as a reference point.

Now, for the lot size. It's small. Period. Add to that the fact that it has a rear entry garage, and it seems even smaller. But, within a 5 minute walk, tops, we have access to several parks, walking trails, some small ponds, rivers, and three large pools… all part of the housing division. So the need for a yard becomes less and less. With a yard this size, maintanence becomes much easier. There's still plenty of room for kids to play, a swingset, a coy pond, a tiny garden, a dog, a hot tub, a barebeque grill, or a couple decent trees and a hammock. It seems that, when you really think about everything that's near us that we don't have to maintain, it's just the right size to make nice without spending a fortune, and keep clean without spending too much time doing it.

Another incredibly nice thing is that the house is in one of the more rapidly developing areas of the metroplex. In 10 years or so it'll grow a lot and property in the area will be worth much more than it is now. Couple that with the great ameneties, unique style of home, and the excellent deal we got on the purchase price, and we're sure to have great resale value when we decide to move far, far away, closer to the city, or into a bigger home.