The Nitty Gritty of House Hunting.

So, in case you were wondering- we sold our house!! Yay! Cheers for us! We actually sold it a while ago, but I think we were in such shock over actually signing paperwork that I have been unable to process and talk about it. Towards the end of September we were kind of settling into a routine of our house being show ready, of having to wait a while to sell our home, about the market bouncing around the way it does, blah, blah blah. Then someone came along who wanted our house and we were "YAY!" then I said "OH MY GOD! WHAT HAVE WE DONE?" and M. said "See? I told you this would happen?" I guess I was thinking that the buying end of a house would be much simpler than the selling end. I thought we would walk into a home, I would clap, M. would nod his head and suggest an area for his drumkit and recording equipment, we would sign the paperwork, close on two houses in one day and be in. Yea, no. We started looking seriously. And it turns out that there is not as much going on as I thought in the buying world. I have looked at a ton of houses. I mean, a TON of houses. For example, last weekend I went and looked at 10. Saw one maybe, but nothing special. Which leads me into the point of this blog: 1. I understand that things can be fixed. I was raised by a contractor who believes in reusing and recycling. In every way. 2. What should we be looking for in a home? I was hunting down location, followed by house. 3. What elements can I ignore? Pink tile in a 1950s bathroom? Can I embrace that? 4. Yard. How much yard does one actually need? What do people do with their yards? I understand Captain Obvious stuff- place for kids to play, vegetable garden, entertaining friends on said deck. Because obviously there is a deck. Is my list too detailed? Or is it not detailed enough? I'm beginning to wonder if I have become jaded by what I have seen. I have become so practiced at walking into a stranger's front door and immediately judging their whole life. I shake my head at kitschy decorations, laugh openly at terrible wallpaper, and shake my head at layouts. Really shake my head at some layouts. It makes me want to spend more time discussing the subject with home architects. How many stairs are a good idea? Should a kitchen be close to a dining room or no? I have many questions for architects designing in the Raleigh area from 1950- present day. If you are one of these architects and happen to be reading this, I just want you to feel free to contact me. And Garage Space. Oh. My. LORD GARAGE SPACE. I mean, can there be a bigger question? I think that if I'm living in a suburban town (like Raleigh) I should be able to request a special space to park my car and my outdoor junk. Yea, I called it junk. It's the American Way. What I always return to and marvel at, is that when I was living in New York, I would go into these two bedroom apartments for a party or gathering with friends and marvel at how huge it was. I thought it was amazing if there was a wall to divide your kitchen from your bedroom. When I first moved up there, I was only 22, and living in a tiny studio in the West Village. I bought this microwave off CL, and went to pick it up. The girl let me into her apartment, and it was this gorgeous 1 bedroom in Chelsea with exposed brick and a refrigerator that was only a little smaller than a normal human refrigerator and she had a sofa and a bed. She was probably in her late twenties/early thirties, but I just imagined that would be me one day. Now I find myself wondering if the laundry room is big enough. Oh, the ironies of growing up.