Househunting update

Well, the house I posted a few posts down turned out to be not in good repair at all, though it was cute. There were structural problems - not to mention junky yards all around. It did have a great view of the bay, but marred by a derelict house with overgrown blackberries and falling-down fence in front. I don’t understand how people can have waterfront property and keep it in that state.

So far, the only nice houses for the price I want to spend are way out in the sticks. There are some nice craftsman homes like this one coming on the market in Tacoma, but the surroundings are usually not great - busy streets, junky neighborhoods, nothing of interest culturally. And the other night when going to a show and dinner with a friend, I was reminded of how much I enjoy Olympia every time I go there.

So when I got back from vacation, I returned to the greenbuilt development of Summerwalk, to see what they had left. I was almost talked into buying the last unit of my favorite floorplan (coincidentally also the least expensive), because the very next day a person was scheduled to make an offer on it. The problem is, what i like about this floorplan is its very open design - two-story ceilings, loft, large high windows. In this unit, those lovely windows would be looking out at - another building. The more I thought about it that night, the more claustrophobic and unhappy I got with that.

So I looked at the development plans again, and found that in a neighboring small street, they were going to build more of these, and there was a corner lot with my floorplan in which those windows will look out onto open space and large, beautiful fir trees across the street. Much better. As soon as I realized that, I called him back and put a reservation on that lot. The nice thing is, that reservation money is fully refundable for any reason, in case somehow in the meantime I should happen to find my perfect little house. And if not, I’ll have this really good guaranteed option to fall back on. It probably won’t be ready until fall, so I have plenty of time to get my house ready and sell it.

To see a virtual tour of the unit I reserved, click here. Of course, it would be furnished differently . And I may have to paint it first to relieve some of the “whiteness.” But that’s very easy to do in a brand new house. The other nice thing about this little street is it is away from the rest, next to a neighborhood of established nice homes. So it will feel less like being in the middle of a development.