The first weekend in December, Jared and I came to Wheeling to house hunt. The girls stayed with friend in Valparaiso. We didn't want them to miss school and they had other activities going on the weekend that they wanted to be a part of. Katy was playing Mary at the ward Christmas party so she stayed with the Tanners. The other girls went stayed with th Hofers. Bella and Alenna saw this as a chance to have one last hurrah together. We took Jacob with us but dropped him off at my parents' house Thursday evening. Friday morning we drove down to start our search.
I was close to crying as we drove into town. Everything looked run down and dirty. Jared could tell I was close to a panic attack and assured me it was just the part of town along the river and would get better as we went towards the mountains. The neighborhoods did start looking better but it took a while to get used to everything being old. There were no new neighborhoods. The only new houses had been built on old lots randomly interspersed through the old homes. I still have only found 1 new sub-division. Its just very different from the suburbs we've lived in the past.
Our search did not start well. There is currently a housing crisis here. There are tons of workers coming in temporarily for the energy projects. As a result, the demand for rentals is greater than the supply and the price for rentals is OUTRAGEOUS. I've even heard stories of long-time renters being kicked out so landlords could triple the price and make more money. We spent all day looking at houses and didn't find any we liked. Some we didn't even go in because the neighborhood was so run down we didn't feel safe. Other houses turned out to be pre-manufactured homes sitting on beautiful lots on top of the mountain. But, although it was a pretty view, the houses were small and not very sturdy. There was no storage and the price was still more than we've ever paid in rent. They were also in school distrcits that were not known for the best education. After hours of looking, we were getting pretty frustrated. We had one last appointment scheduled for the day. When we met with this landlord I was impressed that at least her homes were clean and in safe areas. They were still small but do-able. As we talked with her she said she had one more house she thought we might like. She thought it sounded like the right size for us. She had been hesitant to show us because she was in the process of renonvating it and it wasn't ready yet. She had just bought it as a foreclosure and it was all tore up as she was updating it. We assured her the dust and constuction would not offend us.
It was so much better than anything we had looked at yet. It would fit all of our things without needing to rent storage. There was a detached garage- a major step up from other rentals, and a shed in the backyard. It had a small fenced backyard. Better yet, it was not only in the best school district in the area, but in assigned to some of the highest rated schools in that district. It was also HUGE and I loved that. W had been very cramped in the house in Valpo. It was more than we had wanted to pay but when comparing quality vs price with the other places we had looked at, it wasn't so bad I still wanted to keep some of our appointments the next day and was hesitant to commit. It helped knowing she wasn't officially showing it yet. She was going to half to work really hard to get it ready for us. So another bonus was we wouldn't have to pay double rent in Devember to hold it.
We went to our hotel and I made some calls to confirm appointments for the next day. Jared was humoring me, but just wanted to take that last house. While confirming the appt to look at a small 3 bedroom, 1 ba home (which was going to be a TIGHT squeeze) with no garage, basement etc, in a less than desirable town, the landlord informed me the price was $3000/mo!!!!! RIDICULOUS!!!! I knew then that Jared was right. I had done my best to find cheaper housing but it just wasn't available. I hadn't wanted to just jump on the big house because we didn't NEED a house that big even though it was nice. I wanted to make the most responsible financial decision but we both felt good about this house. We were able to get to the price down a few hundred a month when we went back. All in all, I know we are where we are supposed to be.
The homes on the mountain would have proved problematic since our van decided to stop working during the move. After having it in the shop about 6x, I think it is fixed but it doesn't do well on the mountains. Jared's co-worker has a company truck and lives not far from us. They are able to carpool in the company vehicle, which saves us a ton on gas. It also allows Jacob and I to drive Jared's smaller more reliable and less gas-guzzling car during the day.
I wouldn't want to live here forever, but it is fun to live in an old Victorian home. IT is 98 year old.
I also have to thank my wonderful extended family who came and helped us unload over the break. My parents and Alex were coming to help instead of hosting the annual Buchkovich game day, so some of my relatives came and helped also. Aunt Karen, Uncle Phil, Marcus, Emma and grandma came. As well as my cousin Elizabeth, Rob and Evelyn. We were be forever grateful that they used their Holiday vacation to come help us.
1 comment:
You sure have some adventures. Sure makes me appreciate my house hunting - but especially that it's over!
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