Pluses and Minuses

This post is mostly my thoughts on the house, so feel free to skip.

Pluses:

I can afford it! I mean, really afford it.

It's on a quiet road and has a little bit of land (1.8 acres). The road dead-ends a few houses past this place, so there'd be little traffic.

There's a large (9 x 32) shed out back with electrical service that I could use for storage.

It's just the right size - I could afford to heat it in the winter.

It has washer and dryer hookups, and comes with a washer and dryer, albeit ancient ones.

It's not a kabillion years old, like some of the stuff I looked at.

There's no creaky basement (just a crawlspace), so I don't have to worry about basement flooding. The furnace and water heater are in a room off the bathroom and easily accessible.

There's a deck! A beautiful deck that wraps around two sides of the house.

The house across the road is in nice shape, and the house next door is huge and beautiful, so I probably don't have to worry about trailer trash next door.

The electrical service has been updated, and there's tons of outlets.

There is overhead lighting in all the rooms, and ceiling fans in the living room and kitchen.

The living room has a wooden floor, albeit one that would have to be refinished.

There's a brick barbeque thingie in the backyard.

I could move all the plants from my current place in the spring, and have an instant garden. And I could put in more gardens! All the gardens I want.

Well and septic means no municipal water bill every quarter.

It's close enough to work so I wouldn't have a long commute. (For the record, it's fifteen miles and twenty minutes from the office.)

This little house gives off a good vibe. I could be happy there.

Minuses:

There are some huge pine trees, some of which are already dead, in between the house and the shed. These would have to come down pronto, and that's very expensive.

The last quarter-mile or so of road to the house was not very well plowed this morning, although I managed to get up and down it with no problem.

There is a large hill directly behind the property, and a small creek at the bottom of the hill. I don't know if runoff from heavy rains or snowmelt could cause that creek to flood.

There is no garage or carport.

There is only one closet, and not really a lot of room in the bedroom to put in another one, although I could put one in the kitchen.

There is always a possibility that a developer could buy the land at the end of the road and put in some monstrous housing development.

I'm not sure if there's an outdoor hose spigot.

I would have to learn how to use a lawn mower, although really, at 46, I think it's about damn time. (true of any house)

I would have to shovel the driveway, and the end of the driveway where the road plows dump the snow, in the winter. (true of any house)

There are no streetlights on this section of the road.

Well and septic means possible well and septic repairs, although I will have these inspected.

I would have to move in the dead of winter, which is no fun at all.


That's all I can think of for now. I'll probably be adding to this as time goes on, or until the holders of the first contract cough up some money, at which point it'll all be moot. I keep telling myself that either way, it's all okay, that if I don't get this one, something I like even better will come along. Keep telling myself that ........