Renovation is our option...

Every time I watch a house hunting show on HGTV, the buyers always say that they want something turn key or with only a small amount of work. I think this is probably the case for most homebuyers. I mean who wouldn't want to just open the door, drop their stuff in the room and go on living their life. But if you've ever watched an HGTV show from start to finish, then you know how rare it is that the buyer is able to find exactly what they want down to every detail. I think it would be safe to say that even though most buyers want turn key, the reality is they want it customized to them more.

The good news for Nicki and I is we don't have to stress over the decision of turn key versus renovation. Our budget and locations of choice are making that decision for us. At our price point, anything we see is going to need some renovations. My goal in our hunt is to find a house that has updated systems. Meaning, I would prefer only cosmetic updates versus having to replace a roof, plumbing, a furnace, or god forbid the electric. But even this might be a stretch for us.

The mantra that I'm going into this house hunt with is a house can be changed, but the location can not. That's not to say that I'm going to buy the worst house in the best location, I'd just like it to strike a happy medium between good location and good bones. We are almost certainly going to be updating a kitchen, which in truth kind of excites me. I love the thought of being able to make the kitchen my own. Lay it out exactly as we'd like it for function and beauty.

I love looking in a house and seeing that it would be possible to take a wall down and open the kitchen up into a living room or dining room. I'm not the type to use a formal dining room, so that space is just going to be wasted for me unless I can turn it into an expanded kitchen or family room extension. I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside when I look at house floor plans that would allow for that option.

But there is one room in the house that I don't want to have to touch, the bathroom. The idea of redoing a bathroom or both bathrooms is not something I'm looking forward to. I don't really know why the bathroom scares me so much. Maybe it's because I know I'm going to have to do some of the demo work myself and the idea of having to remove the toilet grosses me out. Or maybe because realistically you can live without a fully functioning kitchen for a few weeks, but a bathroom is not something you can live without. So I'm making a promise to myself (one that let's be honest, I will probably have to break), I will find a house with 2 bathrooms and at least one of them will not have to be renovated. Fingers crossed!

Pinterest is a Home Buyers Best Friend

It has been about two weeks since I got bit by the house buying bug. Since then I've spent a lot of time doing research on the Internet. I've been perusing Zillow and Trulia, looking at home prices in various neighborhoods. I've visited blogs and government websites and company sites researching mortgage products and qualifications. I've spent time googling the phrase "tips for a first time home buyer". But the most fun I have had in my research is looking at renovated spaces (on a budget of course) on Pinterest.

I've come to appreciate Pinterest for what it really is, a home buyer and decorator's best friend. Granted, this is the obvious use of Pinterest, but what I discovered last night is that if you search for the phrase "first time home buyer" in Pinterest, it keys up a bunch of info graphics and on point blog posts that are perfect for someone like me. I was able to find a bunch of information, that google didn't pull up for me. So I've decided to create my own Nesting in New York Pinterest account. I'm pinning designs of my dream rooms and I will pin my blog posts as well. So in the spirit of creating an online community on Pinterest...please follow me and my boards.