So Why This One?...

After a large purchase, like a home or car, do you find yourself asking, "why this one?"  I've been doing that over the past week.  Why, out of all the houses out there, did we choose this house?


Oops...sorry, wrong photo.  I definitely don't want his house, but this one...


....when I really loved this one?


These two houses are nothing alike, but I fell in love with both of them.

There were several reasons why the house we are buying appealed to us.  It had most of the items on our "checklist" and a few things we didn't expect.

It is in a good location and the Nashville area is growing, which means the resale value should be pretty good if/when we need to move again.  The hubster's business finds us somewhere new every few years.

We will be working with a blank slate...no one has lived in this house, so we will be able to make the few changes we want to make relatively easy.

The fireplace is awesome!


While I would love a woodburning fireplace, this one is nicely done, has a switch that turns it on (which I really like) and has beautiful trim.  Since we are not crazy about the tile surround, I already have plans to make this look different.  The hubster said I would have to wait until we finished the half bath project. :-(

The open floor plan was a biggie for us.  As suspected, there has already been much debate about the removal of that ceiling fan.  The discussion....(him) there is nothing wrong with that fan, it's brand new...(her) it's ugly and I want a chandelier...(him) a chandelier will not help with air flow....(her) neither does your talking about that fan....I will win...eventually! :-)


I don't like to be closed off in the kitchen when we have guests...I love to entertain!

This house is much smaller than the one we are renting and we both wanted smaller.  I don't like to spend all of my free time cleaning a house, especially one with empty rooms!

This house does not have a "Bogus Room"...it is a true "Bonus"!


The wainscoting and trim package add a little elegance to an ordinary house.


While I really wanted white cabinets, these were very appealing in color and style.


The house does have some  negatives....no screened in porch and an extraordinarily small back yard.  We are correcting that problem before we move in..the screened in porch, we are stuck with a small back yard.

The flower beds are already in bad shape.  I will apply my brown thumb and make them worse.  Then, I will find someone who can tutor me in keeping plants alive.  The perk about the flower beds...there is one lone hydrangea struggling to survive.  I'm so excited...a hydrangea bush! (The real reason we are buying this house...shhh, don't tell the hubster!)

Builder incentives were a huge perk on this house.  We are getting $$$ from the builder on closing costs and that was HUGE for us!!

So there's the long, short version of how we chose this house as our future home!  :-)

Happy Tuesday!







40 comments

  1. Glad you found a house and I can see why you love it! the trim details are nice and so are the floors! Can't wait to see how you make a "Benita" home!

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    1. Thank you so much! We loved the darker floors also…I may be asking for help! :-)

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  2. I, a lover of painted cabinets...especially white, think those cabinets are wonderful! Can't wait to see it dressed up. The trim work would've sold me on the house. And I can tell you a small backyard would be a selling point for me. We went from an acre of land to a third acre corner lot and it just needs mowing and watering all the time. Next house will not have very much to mow, for sure!

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    1. That’s how I was about the cabinets. I wanted white but when I saw these, I thought they were beautiful…the color and the detail. That trim package was pretty awesome and made the house stand out for us. It’s just those little things that make all the difference. The backyard will be perfect for us also since we travel so much. Large yards are a lot of work. :-)

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  3. Tell me, you went with your 'gut instinct' and I will be happy. :-)

    With all those pluses, I'm sure you made the correct decision. The one you bought, has it's own look. The one you didn't buy, seems to have been 'ruined' by someone. -sigh-

    Why 'ruined'? Because the older part is precious. But why did they add on that not-precious 2 story, square thing, on the left side???????? Oh there should be laws against doing such! -grinnnnnn-

    So glad you popped into my blog. Now I will be able to watch, as you go along with making this clean-slate, into just what you want!!!! Which will be great fun for you. And also great fun, for Dear Readers like me.

    Gentle hugs,
    Tessa

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    1. Tessa, thank you so much for popping over! And yes, there was a little gut instinct that this was our house...LOL. We liked the little extras and those definitely outweighed the few negatives of this house. I hope it will be fun...I've told some of the others that I may be depending on their help in decorating this house. This will be a first "brand new" house for me and it is intimidating. :-) Hugs!!

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  4. Screened in back porch.... Sooooo perfect!

    And perfect for him to play his guitar, have a glass of wine, and smoke a good cigar. :-)

    Tessa

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    1. Yes ma'am...that screened in porch was a "must" on the checklist. :-) The hubster loves having his outdoor space and his little pleasures!! :-) Hugs!

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  5. They are beautiful, and nothing like a screened in back porch! I smiled at your first photo. :)

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    1. Thank you Linda....my little crab is a favorite of mine! :-) A screened in porch is a must for us, especially here in the South! :-)

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  6. Hurry, hurry and decorate it! I want to see it all done! Love the wainscoting and trim and fireplace. The windows are pretty too.

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    1. Thank you so much AnnMarie! We are ready to get in and get started also. Just waiting on everyone do to their thing. They've now postponed the inspection which may postpone closing..GRRR

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  7. Love your house. Looking forward to seeing how you decorate. Let the fun begin. Have a good week.

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    1. Thanks so much sweetie! We are ready to get started on everything. This will be a new challenge for me, that's for sure! Have a great rest of the week!

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  8. Benita,
    It is gorgeous and I know when you put your touches on it for decorating it will be fabulous.
    Kris

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    1. Thank you so much Kris! I appreciate all of your support and confidence in me…you’ve seen my craft projects, right? ;-)

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  9. No house is really totally right, I guess you have to weigh your options and pick your battles. You are going to make that house just perfectly perfect, I know it!

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    1. Thank you girl! I appreciate it!! And you are right, there is really no perfect house, unless you build it yourself. This one has about 85% of the things we want, so we're going to work with it! :-)

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  10. The house is gorgeous, Benita! For me it's the kitchen and open floor plan! In the winter here in Arizona is when we spend time outdoors, and thankfully very few mosquitos! A screened porch does sound lovely! I can't wait to see how you decorate it all!
    hugs, Christine

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    1. Christine, thank you so much! Yes, the kitchen and open floor plan were biggies for us. And that screened in porch will be much used, as ours is now. Thank you....I'm trying to figure it all out...LOL. Hugs!!

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  11. I like it and I can not wait to see how you decorate. Screen Porch!! Fun times ahead. :-) I love screen porches.
    Carla

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    1. Carla, thank you so much! We do too and are looking forward to outdoor time. Hopefully this heat will calm down before too long! :-)

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  12. Can't wait for you to move in and do some projects! Does your stick have a home yet? I would keep the ceiling fan - love the air. Save the chandelier for somewhere spectacular. A screened porch is a must - something I have missed in this house for years.

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    1. You've seen my projects, right??! :-) I will get help. No, no home for the sticks yet. I will definitely be changing out the dining room chandelier and wanted to have a matching set by removing the ceiling fan. The hubster dead set on that fan though. We are now afraid the closing may be put off due to the inspecting being postponed by the builder...frustrating! That porch was a biggie for us and we are looking forward to it. We love the one in the rental and didn't want to be without it again.

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  13. I love the white woodwork and big windows! Those are two things that are way at the top of my wish list for our next, and final, house. We do have a screened porch, which definitely adds another room to your home during decent weather and is great for entertaining! I can't wait to see more photos of your new digs :)

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    1. Thanks so much Julie! We didn’t think about looking for a house with molding since we figured we would add it, but having it already in place is a huge bonus! I hope we can get back in the house soon for some personal pics and to start laying out some design plans…the hubster is thrilled….NOT…LOL

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  14. Its a great place with a lovely interior and huge windows which is nice. It will look perfect once you move in and actually make it your own. Greetings and best wishes!

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to getting started, hopefully we can close soon! And thank you for visiting the blog! I hope you will visit again soon! Have a great day!

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  15. I remember crying along with our son when his first hermit crab died. We wished we had taken him to the vet when he stopped eating.

    And like the hermit crabs you certainly tried enough on for a good fit, and I know you've found it! Your home, but I don't want to think about you moving again some day. No, change your mind, retire, stay here!

    Pretty please with sugar on it!
    Dewena

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    1. Awww, poor little crab. Gia found so many at the beach this week, she was just enthralled!

      The hubster has been thinking he might want to stay here so that we don't have to move to another city/state again...so we may be staying put for a while! :-) I would like to stay long enough to have new friends more than just a year or two, especially when I've met someone as lovely and loving as you Dewena!! Hugs!!

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  16. The house is perfect for you, especially since it has 85% of the things you wanted. And Kim is right... no house is 100% perfect. I love my house very much and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I miss having a screened in porch and it's a pain in the butt to walk downstairs to get to my backyard. All the other stuff that it has makes up for it though :)

    Congratulations, my friend.

    xo

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    1. Thank you so much Rue! We are looking forward to getting in and getting settled. I love your home, it is perfectly you and is so charming, lovely, interesting and has so much history. The bad thing about buying new is that there is no charm, no history, or no architectural details that set it apart from 5 million other homes across the US. But the older homes here that had of all those wonderful things were priced way beyond what we could pay. We will add as much to this one as we can to make it quaint and cozy for us. Hugs!!

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  17. I really think the style of this home suit's you. The "heartbreaker" I think was so appealing because it was decorated like something right out of a magazine . As with Tessa, the first thing I noticed was the square two story addition,it didn't mesh.
    You can add your southern charm to this brand spanking NEW home. Southerner's also bring food to funeral's..... don't they alway's have house warming partie's with food and get gift's?? I'm only a 13 hour drive away, I can bring food and a gift !!!! Hug's, TT

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    1. HA HA....yes, we have housewarming parties with lots of gifts and food! I would love for you to come down and after all the driving we've done this week, the 13 hours would be a snap! LOL I hope we can add a few special touches to this home to give it a little more character and have it more charming for the next owner! Happy Friday! HUGS!!!

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  18. we had the same problem a few years back. the house was for rent and not to buy. but otherwise it was the same. we fell in love with one that simply didn't work, no matter how hard we tried. and it was tricky to feel the same enthusiasm for the place we ended up renting.

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    1. I know what you mean! While we do love this house, it is not the same as with the house we saw first. But we are excited and are hoping that we can get the closing taken care of so we can start making this home into something we love!

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  19. Hi Benita! :)
    I love your new house, a lot! I love that it is new but that it looks old with all of the details inside!
    I know what you are saying about wanting white cabinets...when we bought this 'ol house the only renovation the previous owners did was to the kitchen, with solid wood nice cabinets...and as much as I wanted white I was not about to paint the wood...and I have learnt to love these cabinets!
    And like you we move every few years...so you have to think of resale when you buy and you don't want to break the bank doing renovations - because you won't get all that money back - and you have to appeal to the masses with your decorating - so it's a hard balance.
    I can't wait to see what you do and especially the screened porch!
    ps...a good compromise...take the fan down and put it in storage for when you move again and put up a chandelier that you can take with you!! I've been moving a vintage chandelier with us the past 2 moves now! ;)

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    1. Kimberley, you are so right! It is a very difficult balance when buying a house these days. I'm not sure what the market is like everywhere else, but here in Nashville, it is a seller's market and there is not a lot of room for negotiations nor to buy something that another person wouldn't want in a few years. White kitchens are so pretty and are so light and bright, but when you have pretty cabinets, it is very difficult to make any changes to them. LOL...I like your idea about the fan/chandelier exchange. I'm still working on the hubby for the change! :-) Have a wonderful day and weekend!! Hugs!!

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  20. Your new home looks amazing! Can not wait to see how you personalize it. A chandelier would be fabulous but here in Texas we could not live without a ceiling fan in the living room and bedrooms. I can dream though!;)

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    1. Thank you so much! Girl, I know what you mean. When we lived in Texas, getting rid of a ceiling fan was not even an option! You have to have that air moving all the time….LOL The hubster is probably not going to let me get rid of the fans either, so I may be dreaming with you! :-)

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