Lessons in House Hunting

Day Two of house hunting was 100 times more successful than day one. Here are a few things I figured out from the day we spent looking at homes in Costa Mesa.

1. All houses smell the same. It’s a weird, but distinct, combination of stale air and musk.
2. I’m convinced that there are people living amongst us who were raised by wolves, based on the state of disrepair and filth some of the houses we visited were left in. How on earth were these people able to buy a home, while Sean and I are struggling with it? (Answer: interest only loans and ARMs).
3. I can only describe our real estate agent in one word: batty. She seems super knowledgeable about real estate and selling/buying properties (she’s a pretty aggressive sales person) – but man alive, is the woman insane. Whether it was asking us for umpteenth time the terms of our pre-approval from the c.u., or insisting on taking us to see “educational” properties (i.e. properties that were at least $50-$75k over our budget – just so we could see what we were missing, thereby ‘educating’ us on how much more house we could get for more money) – I spent most of the day admiring my husband for the restraint he showed in not strangling her.
4. Falling for a house is very similar to falling for another person. You’re willing to overlook the small annoyances in favor of the more important, and impressive, qualities.
5. Who knew I wanted a large kitchen? Not me. Especially since I only cook 3 times a year – and those dates all correlate to a major holiday. But apparently, I’m a big kitchen kind of girl; so much so that not having a large kitchen is a deal breaker for me.
6. It’s true – you know the MINUTE you walk into a house whether it’s right for you or not. Despite how much construction and updating your real estate agent insists you can do.
7. Second sign you know you’ve found the right house: you compare every other house you look at to that particular house.
8. Looking for a house has only fueled the baby fever.