Maybe, the Regret

Oh, spring loveliness here today. Blue sky and reasonable temps, I just had to get out of the office and drive around. Days like today I love KY and am so happy I ended up here (pure luck, I say!) And, the fact I have been here almost three seasons is just amazing to me.

Other days (and even sometimes into the evening), I feel panicked. My husband is a lot more adventurous than I am. He says, "Sometimes you just have to take a chance..." He is excited and happy about the move. Me? I have always been at odds with 'chance'.

Tomorrow, I am setting off to see too-good-to-be-true house and land (I've been there several times now, but the realtor does not know this fact). I saw they reduced the price by $15,000. The place is beautiful, but remote...or at least it seems that way considering one has to track up a mountain and down into a hollow. You can only see other folks' houses way off in the distance on top of a different mountain (okay, hill, but a mountain to this former flat-lander). The house and property are just perfect. I think maybe too perfect.

I am on the fence about the location. I am not sure I want to be remote again. Back home in IN, our house is rural, but the in-laws live just down the road. We can't see our neighbors, but they are there. This weekend, back up North, I managed to get both my vehicle and our pick-up stuck in the blessed wet snow. Husband was at work. My eldest child had a birthday party to attend later and we needed a gift. I was able to call up my MIL and she took son to store and party and my FIL and step-BIL (also a neighbor) came to my rescue with a tractor. In KY, we will be on our own. And this scares me.

So, I found two other homes to check out near the edge of Louisville. Both are 'city' houses, but both offer large (as in 2+ acre) lots. Both are convenient to the city and decrease our work commute. Well, it will shorten my commute (the other house is actually closer to hubby's work) and I am not sure I want to go back to an hour one-way commute to work. I love being home quickly when the day is done. The closer city homes offer a chance to know our neighbors (possibly) and have someone to rely on if ever there need be a reason.

I think my worst fear is regret. Maybe I will regret selling our lovely 10+ acre lot in IN. Maybe I won't find anything in the same price range. Maybe my job here will end. Maybe I will have trouble with childcare. Maybe I will be lonely here...or maybe I will love it. Maybe I need to let chance (aka fate) have her way. Until we sell the IN property and get Dh down here, it's all just a pipe-dream anyway.

Sneak Peek

Disclaimer: I stole these photographs from the MLS listing. I had to share!

(One of FIVE barns)

OK, so I am trying really hard not to get my hopes up on this "too-good-to-be-true-did-I-dream-this-place-up-in-my-head" house and land, but it is a "too-good-to-be-true-did-I-dream-this-place-up-in-my-head" kind of house!

(wood burning stove in living room)

I am looking at it week after next (due to work travels) and will take my own photos to share (always amazes me how Realtors take photos. I saw this place in person and the land photographs in the listing do not do it justice).

I found an awesome Buyer's Agent after some initial trouble getting my phone calls returned. I even called the listing agent and he was slow to return my call. She is excited and willing to work with our needs (this is the first time I have used a 'buyer's agent').

I am not going to hold back: I am in love with this place! It is everything I could dream up in my head (even the colors throughout the house: yellow, my favorite color; turquoise, lime green in one bedroom and lilac in a bathroom!)

House Hunting and No Shopping Update

(Don't you love this fireplace and, look, pocket doors! All doors and hardware are original. Windows have been replaced.)

First, I made an appointment with a realtor today. We have talked and talked about housing in KY since I moved down here. I've looked through freebie real estate 'zines and made 100's of mental notes on houses I see for sale around here. My mind keeps going back to one we looked at back in October. When a house feels right, it feels right.

The above picture is one of the five fireplaces in the home. There is also a wood burning stove in the dining room/kitchen. It's a big house, an old house and is need of demolition some major TLC. I have the L in that particular equation!

The house comes with 2 acres of land. Certainly, a step back from the 10+ acres we manage now. I really don't think I would be horribly unhappy (I can still have my chickens and garden); however, I would like to negotiate for an extra acre or more as the property is surrounded by rolling pasture. The owner has not portioned off the homestead from the rest of the farm, yet, so there may be a chance I could get the extra land. Sadly, there are no outbuildings, not even a shed! This could be an issue. I like my storage and this house also lacks a basement. It does have storage under the stairs. (like Harry Potter's bedroom!)

(Don't you just love that stairwell color? I would completely do the entire bottom of the house again in that gorgeous color! The banister, stairs and railing are in perfect condition except for the need for serious refinishing. None are loose!)
From what I saw in October (when I found the key under a pot by the front porch, LOL!), the house has fairly good bones. The back stairs (yes, from a master bedroom upstairs!!!) has a painted mural, however, time has not been too good to it (I'll take pictures on Sunday). It has a new roof and new gas furnace (although, with a wood stove heating cost should be assisted, I would think; wood is everywhere cheap in KY).

The best part about this house (not counting cost of repairs needed), our mortgage payment would be half (with insurance/taxes) what we are paying for the current property! Oh, and did I mention I am in love with this house? I have never been in love with a house. It may be the "one"!

Keep your fingers crossed for me...especially for the hope that my kids don't squeal about our October trespassing!

OK, next up: Shopping. Well, that would be "no shopping". Overall, I did fairly well. I did end up in four retail shops this week and two of those were Goodwills. I went to Target to price something I was thinking of ordering online (future purchase) and bought three bags of frozen vegetables (on sale for 89c), gallon of water and a bulk package of sugarfree gum. I use the gum to curb sweets cravings since I am back on the SB (and doing rather well for now!!) I spent $6 (total rounded to next dollar). I also stopped at KMart on my way home to price same item (like the Target one much better) and found Xmas stuff on 75% off. I bought two hot chocolate tins (2/2.98), a large Frosty tin with popcorn (2.00), two bags of M & Ms ($1.64), a gingerbread kit ($2.00/I skimped out on the boys this year, so we'll do it here this weekend) and a package of 12 coffees in a holiday sampler ($6). I spent $21 at the K. I actually may go back and grab a couple more of the gingerbread kits for later projects and possibly buy a couple of items for future gifts (maybe). The kids never eat the houses, but they have so much fun putting them together and $2 is worth the time to me (I used to make the dough, cut the pieces and put it all together). Everything I bought from new retail was food or food-ish.

I did much, much worse at the thrift stores. I am too embarrassed to put my totals (baaad), but I did end up with a lot of clothes, books and a gorgeous picture frame for a print I have (ended up being too small, but I have another one that will fit instead. I am back to the drawing board of spray painting the boring black plastic poster frame it is currently housed inside). I'll just put a few items up each week for Thrift Share Monday.

As hard as it is going to be, I need to either sell some things (yes, stop being chicken about it all) or stay out of the thrifts for right now (or both would even be better). I really, really want the house above referenced and this means getting projects done at the current 'stead and the start of saving towards down payment, repairs and closing costs on the new one (provided it is not falling into the ground or the septic/well are bad. Big NO if anything is beyond reasonable cost or considerable repair. Cosmetic I can handle or hire out; mechanical or structural issues are another story).

So, I need to print out a photo of the house and tape it to the debit card. I have a "No Spending" goal. I want to be in this house by summer! I also need to carry cash when I go into ANY store (including grocery...Oh, yeah, I also spent $20 at the grocery tonight for chicken breast on sale-stocked up. I did give blood though in the bus parked in the parking lot-so be nice to me! Or at least that is what the sticker says...!)