And suddenly there were four...
Maybe even five.
Houses.
If you know us, you know we've been searching for a house for quite a few months now.
We're suddenly faced with four houses that, as opposed to the ones previous that had 1 or 2 big obstacle, all have 1 or 2 little obstacles we (think) we can deal with.
So we are looking for opinions:
House #1: Wallingford (or on Redfin: http://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/2115-N-46th-St-98103/home/118875) Walkscore - 98
House #2: Ballard (or on Redfin: http://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/6202-36th-Ave-NW-98107/home/162315) Walkscore - 55
House #3: Greenwood (or on Redfin: http://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/607-NW-84th-St-98117/home/496350) Walkscore - 85
House #4: Columbia City (or on Redfin: http://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/4541-34-Ave-S-98118/home/8185173) Walkscore - 86
We want to know if anyone has any opinion on any of these houses. If you've already given your opinion to Patricia, no need to reshare. We have reasons for loving all of these, and they are all different reasons. Ping me one-on-one and I can break down the reasons for each, but I'll let you just think on what you see first.
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This may be a rambling response, but I care about you both and so I'm trying to be thorough.
First of all, stand in the yard for 5 minutes with your eyes closed. Do it once in the day and the evening. Listen to the traffic, the neighborhood, etc...
When considering the house, think about your lifestyle. Do you cook, entertain, just hang out? Do you each like to spend your private time differently? Will you need separate spaces? Children? Things like that.
Flush the toilets and time them – 60 seconds round trip. This is a rudimentary way to check the plumbing. It's not something you'd bank on. Turn on the hot water and time how long it takes to get hot. There's nothing to gauge here but if it takes a loooong time, you may want to look at the water heater; age, is it insulate if it's not in an interior room, are the pipes insulated where they run outside?
Ask about insulation, windows, and power usage. It looks like hardwood floors are in all of them. If the floors aren't insulated properly, those floors aren't as cool (or ARE cool if you want to look at it that way) as you'd think. Nothing worse than a cozy looking home that's drafty or has cold floors. Are the walls insulated? What's in the attic.
Look at the breaker box. Are things labeld? Does it look "cleann"?
Check the basements for cracks in the foundation. Look for water marks around the permimeter.
Ask when the chimney was last cleaned. Does it look straight above the house?
Now that you've chosen the four, be critical instead of looking at what you love about it.
With all this in mind...
Wallingford Area Home – Does the garage area connect to part of the basement? Does it flood? The driveways that run down hill and are paved become culverts in the rain. Check on that. (this is my fourth choice but there are no interior pics to go by)
Sunset Hill Area Home – Kitchen looks limited. I know you both like to cook and that kitchen seems too small and incapable. (this is my third choice)
Greenwood Area Home – Impressive but seems smaller and not terrifically well layed out. (this is my second choice)
Columbia City Area Home – Back yard? Does water run down the back slope into the house? Assuming it meets all the critical reviews, it is probably my favorite.
I hope this helps. I really wish you the best.