Many people (want to) pursue the dream of home ownership. Just how easy that dream is to attain depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is your own personal preference for what you want in a home. I blogged last month about the insane cost of housing in Santa Barbara, and how it drives some people to live 30-40 miles away, either north in Buellton, or south in Ventura, where housing is more affordable.For the past year or so, Allan and I have been investigating several different options for home ownership, and have been keeping an eye on the market, seeing what kinds of homes sell for what prices. We've visited many open houses and kept tabs on how much those homes ended up selling for, giving us a good idea of whether a given home's price is too high, too low, or just right.
Throughout the course of this, we've started developing our own ideas of what we'd like in a home. And every time we visit a home that has a particular feature I find neat, I add it and prioritize it in my list of things I'd like in a dream home.
So what does my dream home consist of?
At a minimum, 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Size-wise, something in the 1400-1700 sq ft range. Larger homes, I've found, are not only less energy-efficient (too much space to heat/cool!) but also more work to clean.
A laundry room, whether inside the home or in an attached garage. That leaves some condo units around here out of the realm of possibility :-)
Speaking of garages-- a garage isn't so important to me, I'll be happy with a carport connected to the house, as long as I have some shelter to protect me from the elements as I go from my car to the house.
I want a small yard. I'm not a fan of yardwork, and don't really want to have to worry about maintaining a large lawn or trees. But I do want enough of a small plot of land so that I can plant a little vegetable garden. And maybe have space for a clothesline. I would love to not have to use the dryer anymore-- saves energy and saves the clothes!
What about the interior?
We prefer homes that have larger bedrooms and smaller common living spaces. Having a separate living room and family room is a waste of space, in my opinion. We don't entertain much, and so have no need for two separate rooms like that. I'd much rather have that space go into roomier bedrooms, where we can set up nice little niches: a bed, a desk, a recliner of some sort, and voila! Cozy little home office, one for each member of the family :-)
I also like openness in the main living areas of the house. The apartments in Willow Springs are great for that-- the kitchen looks into both the living room and dining room (both of which are connected as well), so that even if I'm puttering around in the kitchen, I can still see the TV when doing dishes, or keep an eye on Todd working at the dining table. So, if possible, I'd prefer such a layout instead of having the kitchen closed and walled off from the living room.
I don't want windows on or around the front door (unless they are up high and small). Too easy for someone to just break in, and if I just want to quietly sneak a look through the burglar hole when someone comes knocking, so I can "screen" the visit, a window would reveal my presence and defeat the purpose of that :-P
Skylights are cool ways to let more natural light into the interior, but my goodness are they an eyesore when they start collecting dirt! No thank you!
Other considerations:
I'm not a fan of two-story homes and would prefer a single-story home if possible, but that's not a deal-breaker, either. I'll happily take a house that is reasonably priced and contains most of the features described above, if its only "flaw" is that it has two floors :-)
One of the things I like about our apartment complex is our proximity to other neighbors. I feel safer knowing that there are other people nearby. Living in an isolated area, or away from the view of most of my neighbors, can be a bit creepy. So I wouldn't want to live in a home that was too isolated from the rest of the neighborhood.
So, there you have it. My own preferences in what I'd like in a home, summed up in a not-so-small nutshell ;-)
What about you? What do you like in a home?
Wow, sounds like you guys are able to articulately describe what your dream home has :)
ReplyDeleteMy dream home would have crown moulding, nice flooring, a nice kitchen with Corian countertop, and largish bedrooms. It would also have a garden outside where I can plant a vegetable garden.
Hehe, yeah, we've seen so many homes at Open Houses, we've garnered some pretty good ideas from them. There was also a time where we were thinking of buying an empty lot and building a modular home on it (still not out of the question), so we pored over dozens and dozens of floorplans, which also helped shape our preferences :-)
ReplyDeleteHehe, yeah, we've seen so many homes at Open Houses, we've garnered some pretty good ideas from them. There was also a time where we were thinking of buying an empty lot and building a modular home on it (still not out of the question), so we pored over dozens and dozens of floorplans, which also helped shape our preferences :-)
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