3 homes we liked through our house hunting journey

I know you all are eager to know what home we bought and what it looks like and how much work is ahead…is it a major fixer upper? new build? old? farmhouse? land? I can’t wait to show you, in just one week I’ll be sharing all of that with you! Until then why not share with you 3 of the homes we looked at and one of which is THE HOME!

With our house hunting situation we started looking within 20 mins of the school our kids would be going to. We knew there were busing options and we wanted to find an area that we both gravitated towards and keep our options open. I mentioned in our last blog post that we did not put too many boundaries on our house hunting process. I think our realtor thought we were a little crazy because I said show us everything. Land, new, old, commercial opportunities, low end and ones at the top of our budget. Of course my biggest concern of all of them was finances. With private school being a new expense and a very insane market I really did not want to be very high…but the market did not leave us too many options. The price range we preferred to be in…there was nothing! We talked about renting too until the market came down, but again we left all doors open. Whatever we liked we saw and we gave many options a chance.

We started our process back in November when we decided on a school but did not have a definite guarantee yet with the school, so we were more so getting to know different areas of Pennsylvania. What I did come to like a lot about seeing so many different towns and counties was that PA is cozy! It still has its run down areas, but so does NJ. So we kept an open mind and just went about what felt like home or felt like a good move for us.

We saw quite a few houses but I am also not a “I need to see every option to make up my mind type of person”. I don’t actually love a lot options. When it comes to restaurants, grocery shopping, clothes shopping…all of it…the less options the better! I know what I like and it could be different than what I envisioned but I am a quick decision maker! Of course if I did not find something I liked we would have kept on looking.

Here are 3 houses we really liked the good the bad and expensive!

Option number 1:

This first home has much of what we have on our checklist. Farmhouse, pond, a ton of space, a detached barn with potential for a market (but needed to be re-done), land, a great neighborhood, a pond, and tons of old character. What we do not like about this home the price was at the top of our budget, the flow of the house is not great since there were multiple renovations over the years, the rooms are small, and the ceiling is low. We feel with this house we would have to open up the opportunity of commercial use since it is at the top of our budget but that might take away from home renovations. It also iss the furthest from the school about another 7 mins further than the other two options. The story behind the homeowners who had passed and left the house to their children tugged at our hearts. They were DIYers too maybe even more craftier but I love the idea of this home being molded by two visionaries. We felt we could definitely take on its legacy and make more memories and beauty to this space.

House Number 2:

The next house house has all the charm and character within its property, the house, and neighborhood. This house needs the least amount of work since it really is in pristine condition. The plaster walls, the original floor boards, the renovated kitchen (which of course still needs my touch). We felt this house would need more cosmetic touches and would be the most move in ready. We love that it has the original post office across the street, the overgrown ivy, and a stream that runs right through the property. You bet the ducks would be happy here! This house is also at the very top of our budget but has the best potential for income property and commercial use with its separate general store building. We love that this gives us an option to open up a shop here, have a separate office, and there is a renter in the back area which would be great to help pay down the mortgage. The property alone is massive and we talked about many options to use this space for weddings or events, markets, and so much. Some negatives besides being at the tippy-top of our price range is the rooms are very tight. The house itself is not very big and we are not sure if it would be a long term solution for us as a family. We like the idea of getting a business started here and then maybe moving on within a few years with rental or airbnb potential. The neighbor also came to stop by and let us know we were in a flood zone and that the property had been flooded badly back during a recent hurricane. That has us a bit worried too + flood insurance. We did find out through the realtor she was trying to sabotage the sale of the house since she wanted to buy it for her family. Overall super charming a ton of business growth and the most serene property.

House #3

This third house was a bit of hike to get to as its at the top of a mountain. The charm of the exterior intrigued us immediately, we automatically loved the stone exterior, corbels, and unique windows and structure. Some positives on this house is that it is the cheapest of the three options. The rooms were large and the ceilings high. The unique windows, original hardwood, potential in the space, and that it was the largest. Moving from NJ we know we will have family come to visit and having a place for them to stay is important for us. The style of the home is definitely something I loved even in its outdated look.The original details and charm of this space was very inviting and has much potential. We envisioned some room changes to this space particularly the kitchen (which I don’t even have a photo of) and the primary bathroom. Both very tight of all the 3 houses and we could picture how to bring some modern upgrades to this old home to work for our lifestyle. Some negatives, much renovations are in store for this home with a third floor gut, landscape help, no pond or water for the ducks, or commercial options. We have talked about this one being something we could turn into a great airbnb down the road since its close to ski attractions. This too had homeowners that took on a major renovation of this space when they first bought it. Something we connected with as they put so much heart and soul into this space upon buying it many, many years ago. We felt this too could be a home where we could pour into it and continue its legacy.

Now each house was wonderful and we could see different potential in so many. We also saw a “newer” house in the process and liked it as well, but I wanted something with old charm and I’m glad we found a house that had that. I have given some hints here and there on my instagram stories and other blog posts that you may have a good shot at guessing which one is “the house”. Of course my decorative brain is already envisioning my stamp on it.

I know not the best photos (I did not want to share the listing pics but just ones we snapped while visiting each of the houses). I hope this was fun to dive into since we didn’t take you along originally. I had thought about it but with so many decisions being unknown we decided to keep things a bit of a secret for a while until the time was right. As soon as we close I’ll be sharing exactly which house it is and then dive into all the blog content and ideas of what we plan for the new home. We close next week on both houses but again will be here in our current house until July.

Do you think you know which house it is? number 1, 2,3?