The house hunt is on!

Since my early years I have loved to snoop around vacant homes and even inhabited homes.  I love houses! Old ones, new ones, perfectly maintained and trashed. All have a story to tell and their own personality given to them by their design and by all the people who have lived in them throughout the years.  It may have all started with one of my children's books titled The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. 

Through the years vacant homes have intrigued and inspired me to jump out and do a little tour.  I enjoy "The Street of Dreams" and touring old mansions and rehab projects.  I have dragged my children along and one son has been in real estate for years so sparks do turn into flames.  I too had the opportunity to work for a small real estate broker and when clients would come in they would tell me their wish list and I would search high and low to find the home that might just fill their needs, wants, and desires.  When a match was reached it always warmed my heart to know that I had been a matchmaker to help find a house that would become a home.

Recently we found that a friend who is working overseas wants to buy a house in this city when he returns.  And the hunt is on!  He was hesitant to have us assist in the looking not wanting to be a burden but after convincing him that it would be a pleasure, in fact a treat, to help with the search he agreed to let us help.  Cannot help but wonder if the pleading convinced or scarred him. 

Realtor.com is recently my most visited site.  I have looked at probably 100's of photos so far and the last two weekends have gotten to hit the road and peak in windows evaluating the merits and shortcomings of a few properties.  As the search continues questions are raised like "how much does landscaping cost?",  "what is the value of this tile vs. carpet?", "the house is a mess but the neighborhood is great, is it worth taking on the project?", "Does it meet ALL the friend's criteria and more?", and "why would anyone paint something that color?".  Finally, "what does the house FEEL like?".  Some would think this crazy but some houses have a calm feeling and some feel creepy and it is usually not based on visual impressions.  So far we have not been inside any homes and that is when the senses are raised.  How can the details all be taken in and compared to all the others that have been seen?

The PERFECT house and deal is out there.  The challege is the hunt of finding it.  It is boring, frustrating, trys the patience, fun, and compelling, and invigorating all that the same time.  I know the day will come when I walk in the door and am able to say "THIS JUST MIGHT BE THE ONE". 

In the meantime the search goes on...