And Now?
I perused the local real estate sites last night and found a house for sale that piqued my interest. It's a brick Cape Cod, with 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, wood floors and two fireplaces. It looks like a brick gingerbread house. Adorable. It's the right size, in the right location, at the right price. It needs a complete overhaul on the inside but it has good bones and I have a great contractor, so I'm not concerned about that. I drove by tonight after work to check out the neighborhood and was determined that if things didn't look too sketchy, I was phoning my realtor to schedule a showing.
It's on a perfect block, you guys.
It's one of those amazingly eclectic neighborhoods in which every house is a different style and they all ooze character and charm. All the yards were well maintained and while the houses are closer together than I would prefer in an ideal world, the lots were of a completely respectable size.
I annoyed many a fellow driver by sitting in the street staring at it, let me tell you.
So I was all excited about phoning the realtor and just as I pulled away, I saw it. You know that house that has been headlining my dreams for the past several years? It's two doors down from the one that's for sale. It's my cottage-style bungalow with the front porch. And no, it isn't for sale.
Do I look at the Cape Cod and settle for pretty darn close to what I wanted? Or go to the dream house, knock on the door and make them an offer? I could go either way.
dreams, homes, moving, real estate in About Moving 
Reader Comments (8)
Buy the one for sale ASAP. Do some work on it. Wait for the bungalow; be patient - someday they'll sell it and BAM! it's yours.
Or something like that.
I agree with David. And will add to that, I live in a small Cape Cod (advertised as Dolls House, rather than gingerbread) and love it. Been here 13 years and have slowly made it a home.
Before I bought the "for sale" house, I would ABSOLUTELY knock on the door of my dream house. The fact that the thought occured to you is reason enough to not ignore it. What do you have to lose? At the very least, you'll get an idea of what your neighbors are like.
I, personally, need to sell my house. I haven't done anything about it yet largely due to the market and the feeling that I may not get the price I'd like. If someone knocked on my door and was really interested, I might see that as a gift from God. No accident. I would be thrilled.
What if your reality was even BETTER than your dreams?
Knock...knock.
Who's There?
So what I'm hearing is -- GO FOR BOTH! I can do that. :)
Both, definitely!!
I agree. You truly have nothing to lose with at least asking the one owner if a sale is a possibility and if you go for the other one, you're in a perfect position if and when the other one becomes available. :-)
I have such wise friends.
If you wait for the bungalow, you might miss something great. Ask about that one, then bid on the Cape. If you don't ask, you won't know.