on househunting

just don't do it... haha ok ok just kidding. but really do your homework. OMGoodness there is so much involved.... Dev and I were all like ok well we want a house, we know where we want to stay and we know we want a family soon....so bring on the houses.... we looked, we loved, we swooned, we hated, we wished..... first off.... don't fall in love with one of the first ones you find *yay go us, we so did this* we were looking at how perfect this house was for US.... not how perfect it would be for OUR family we will have oneday (come on surely the kid can sleep on the couch?) haha. After putting a lot more thought into it in the next few weeks, we came up with a "must" have list and this is a replica of that list
~big living room
~dining room... that I can so totally paint red and have a cute cute old hutch and 6 seating table with a bench seat preferably. I don't ask for much :)
~3 bedrooms. one must be a large master with large closets... i am so over sharing a small closet with this wonderful man, 2 closets i believe make for a happy marriage. and of course one for guests and one as a drum and craftroom... that is until one day we decide to give up that glorious room to a baby... ehh we'll see. haa
~2 bathrooms. i mean really this is a must. noway am I ever again dancing outside the bathroom begging devin to hurry up. again. key number 2 to a very very successful marriage in my eyes. 2 bathrooms, one for me to shower and get ready in and one for him to shave and have facial hair all over the place?
~yard yard yard. I don't know about anyone else but growing up I lived outside, i would if i could have. I want a yard big enough for my dogs to run and play and for my (future) hubby to run and play lol.... i want a tire swing. i want a firepit. i want a patio. we don't always get what we want but a yard is a good start.
~garage..... music to my ears. because god forbid if that boat sits out through one more rainstorm :)  and we also need a place to store our one toolbox haha.... hey tools come with time, one day we will be proud owners of enough tools for any project... maybe
~utility room. yes i like to throw my clothes into the laundry room and not have to see them. its the one place that I believe is allowd to be "messy"
~kitchen last but not least. i crave a dishwasher. growing up I was considered the dishwasher, I have mixed feelings on it, I don't mind doing dishes most of the time.... but when i don't want to cook because I don't want to do the dished... thats when we have a problem lol :) I need roooom, I want to cook I really really do. and maybe one day when I get out of this 1x1 counter space of a kitchen I will cook because I'll have room too.  also I really feel that having a paula dean pot and pan set (preferably in blue) that I will cook a lot :)
    those are my few things that definately stand out in my mind!! oh ya and good plumbing and electric would be nice too :) haha.
....Also I learned that sq. footage is very important... who knew? haha. also look at age of the roof, windows, appliances, upgrades, does if have a basement of crawspace? is it on a concrete slab? how much are taxes? what do the utilities run.. average and highest? is it something you can grow into? how old is hot water heater, central heat and air? I know theres much much more but like I said we are newbies at this whole dropping a few grand on a home haha.
One of the most important things is to sit on their couch. yeah whoever owns the house will never know. but sit down look around lay back. does this feel like a place that could be home? This is just my experience thus far. and remember when one door closes another opens up. and its so much fun house shopping with someone your spending the rest of your life with because its like you picture your future self growing in this house with your family :) oh yeah and the house must have a peaked roof because its so much more entertaining watching Devin hang the christmas lights that way :D
~wish us luck and we continue on this adventure!!