did your house sing to you?
a climbing tree in the backyard would be much appreciated and I stumbled upon
this illustration today and couldn’t help but think it look just like ours…
As you probably know, we’re in the midst of house hunting. As prospective first home buyers we’re teetering on the edge of one of the biggest financial decisions we’ll ever make – it’s nerve-wracking, to say the least. But while launching ourselves into a mortgage is a tad scary, I can’t help but wonder when we’ll know if we’ve found the right house? We don’t want to make the wrong decision!
So I’m wondering if the stories are true; does a house really sing to you?
I’ve been asking every home owner I know and generally everyone has the same response: yes!
A friend told me yesterday that the leaves will look greener and the flowers will look brighter. Another friend told me that we’ll only see possibility and not hindrance. And someone else told me that it will just feel right – in our hearts, deep down, it will feel like home.
Needless to say, waiting for a house to sing is like waiting for a baby to arrive – the anticipation is intense! I can’t imagine what it will be like when we find the singing house and have to wait for an offer to be accepted.
At the moment we’re trawling real estate websites thrice daily, planning our Saturday’s around open homes and packing boxes when we can. We’re also looking for rentals because unfortunately, we need to be out of this current rental in 6 weeks times.
Nothing like a looming deadline to get things going…
When we found our house – I could breathe. While searching a lot of the houses made me feel like I was holding my breath; claustrophobic even in the airiest of spaces – but when we found our house, I felt like I could breathe. We made an offer the next day – and 10-years on we are still here (and still not having done nearly half of the things we said we might do) 🙂
I don't think it has to be magical when you first see it. Our first home was a combination of -we can afford it, it's a good location & we can fix the things we don't like ( brown shah pile carpet, blue bench tops & a green & brown bathroom). The magic happened when we moved in, when our family started making memories their & we bought home our second baby. All these things made it our home & wven though we've moved across the country, built a whole new life & house, that first house will always be special because of the life we lived there b
I think so – our first little cottage 25 years ago certainly did but sadly we had to sell because of the location. We've been here nearly 18 years but it never sang to me – it was a case of having to buy as we hold sold etc . I won't move though until we've paid for it – hopefully next year but more importantly won't buy until we get that feeling. Good luck
We looked for a year for our house – it was getting pretty tiring. But then we came across it and I thought "yes". It met our list of 'must haves' (big garden, close to public transport etc) and we could live with the not so great bits as they were all things we could change down the line when finances allowed. You can always renovate a bad bathroom but you can't make more land for a garden if that's what you want. We've been here 10 years and haven't regretted the decision. Just have a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves and hopefully you'll find what you want. Good luck!
We weren't properly looking for a house when we found it. We'd known each other for less than a year, I already had a house and I felt like we were rushing our relationship. However, when he called one Saturday morning from his work and asked if I'd meet him at an open home that afternoon, I said I would. We walked into the hall and the house felt so loved. We walked into what was the main bedroom and I said, "Let's buy this one." It needed work, it was built in 1946 and was being sold by the couple who built it. We're still here more than seven years, slow renovation, a cat and two little boys later.
Good luck finding a house with the right feeling.
We bought our first house whilst in labor with our first child, and it was a terrible decision. We were living in a one bedroom apartment and knew we needed something and that house kind of fell into our lap as it was a really good deal in a time of ridiculously overpriced homes. We lived there 11 years, and worked away steadily on the things that were awful. We bought our second house last year and I fell in love with the pictures online. When we came to look at it I could immediately see where all of our people and things would fit into the new spaces. As I tell everyone who asks, it's exactly perfect for us. There are bound to be flaws in any house, but indeed, if you can see the possibilities more than the hindrances it's sure to be the right place for you.
Having just bought a house last week, this is something I've been thinking about a lot! We were looking in two areas and really wanted to find a place in one of them. The other area is nice but a bit further away from the action (20 min walk, so no big deal). After looking for a while we came to the realisation we could never afford what we even slightly wanted in the better area. It was HARD to accept that we had to make a compromise on such an important purchase. But once we made peace with that we were able to get excited about our new neighbourhood!
We saw our house twice over the span of about six months ago, so it definitely didn't sing to us right away. But it is a lovely place and we kept coming back to it. I think the practical side of the place really won us over, and now we really love it!
I would say have your must list and your want list, and with each place keep a critical eye on those things and an open mind. I think it's best not to actually fall in love with real estate but look at it as an investment with added benefits of creating a home.
Good luck!
I'm not sure my house "sang" to me at first, but we were desperate to find a home (I was pregnant with our second child) and it was the only house out of four in our price range that was actually live-able. That having been said, the day we went for the home inspection, we were standing on the back porch and a bald eagle flew right over us. I knew we had made the right choice. Now that we've been in our home for five years, I feel like it does sing to me — more and more so every day. It sings with the lives and love of the people who dwell in it.
I will admit that mine did. I saw everything with rose colored glasses. We have plugged away at it, with additions and renovations, bringing home 4 more children and trying to make the space work as the family changed…but had I known then what I know now…I guess I'd probably do it all again. 🙂 Good luck!
My house did not sing. It reeked of cigarette smoke and fried fish, the carpets were threadbare, and there were dusty chocolate brown drapes everywhere. But the house was of generous proportions, built in 1927, sat on a double lot (in-city; rare), and my wonderful husband was able to see through the muck and show me the bones: coved ceilings, lots of leaded glass windows, four bedrooms all with walk-in closets. (And those thread-bare carpets were protecting beautiful hardwood floors for 45+ years.) We took the leap and over the next seven years made it OURS. Now it's been 25 years, we own it free and clear, and it sings to me daily. It's all about making a home come to life in the way you want to live your life. Looking forward to following your journey…good luck!
Funny you should post this because we went to a party on Sunday afternoon, were driving home, saw a sign for a show house and went to look. And I LOVE THE HOUSE. I went back again today to look again. There are some things I would change, of course, but I can see US in that space, so easily. I can see the kids playing, I can see us relaxing in the lounge, I can see me cooking in the kitchen.
The hubs is not convinced yet – he sees all the negatives so we'll see 🙂
Our house didn't sing – it was more like a cry for help! House hunting is really draining but I think the most important thing is to look at quite a few houses to work out what you DON'T like to truly know what you definitely LIKE/ NEED. You will always need to compromise on some things but location is really important and I think the MOST important- it often makes your life easier, allows you to settle in quickly if you can feel it's a long term thing (even if the kitchen is a shocker) and then you just need a few short-term and long term goals. A good location will usually ensure the property will grow in value in case your circumstances change and you have to sell in the future. Our house was tired but knowing that the original owners were selling up after 23 years and that many of the houses in the street were long held assured me it was a good street. I also loved that it was full of natural light after living in a dark house. 4.5 years on the old green kitchen is gone and the new kitchen is singing. Still plenty to do. Good luck! and de clutter before you move! You can always find replacements on gum tree etc
Hi Jodi, I too looked for the singing house. Many houses sang to us but we had issues with building and pest inspections, finance etc. There were obstacles!In the end the house we bought was a humble, simple house that we could afford. And there were no obstacles. It was easy. Its not our perfect house and we probably won't be here for the rest of our days, but it was a lesson for me that the 'perfect' house is not necessarily the first house. Good luck looking – its a rollercoaster! x
I'm not sure I'd describe ours as 'singing to us'. But it was the house that fell into place, metaphorically more than than literally. Everything about it was easy. It was at the lower end of our budget, it ticked more boxes than not. We could put our own stamp on it. Its small, and humble and ours.
Recently we looked about and got very very close to buying something else. Climbing that ladder I guess you could say.
The new house sung, it was over double our current floor area, with storage space (!!!) and a fancy kitchen and pantry. 2 living spaces. In a nice cul de sac. We got to drawing up a contract. And we baulked.
It wasn't easy like buying our current place was. We had doubt, we felt conflicted. We could afford it yes. Did we want to though? Were we being true to 'us' or were we being sucked into the ideal of others?
In the end we have stayed in our little home. It's small. But its home and its simple.
I don't think all houses sing. But I do think that when you find the right place, even the obstacles that come naturally with buying a house and moving, they feel surmountable, you know you can get past them. It's got to feel right.
There is something, I did not call it siging, but it's like, I could live here, I could be happy here. And that's it!
The fist house I bought was the same.
All the best from Portugal,
Dina
Our price rang didn't allow for house that sang. But I agree there was a feeling, more of a "this could work for us" feeling. But a feeling none the less. Happy hunting!
It never sang to me but it did to my husband, he said as we walked out of our first inspection "You've got to get me that house" my response was one of complete surprise "really, why this one?", Then he explained what potential he saw and how he felt about it and then I saw and knew it was the one for us. Enjoy the journey its a tough financial leap into the land of home ownership.
Mine didn't. I am in California and when we were looking to buy, things were being bought the day they hit the market. I was literally walking through places, saying "that will do" and putting in offers on multiple houses a day. In fact, I didn't even like the house we ended up with, but my husband did. I did love the location though. And, now that we have lived in it for five years, made it our own (i.e. fixed some of it's glaring problems) and made memories in it, I love it.
Yes our house did. We fell head over heels and probably slightly overpaid for it, which isn't the best idea. It's a cottage that looks a bit like a Swedish barn, but white with a red roof, straight out of a fairytale. And it has a big yard. It's old though, which stresses my husband out, and maybe a little bit too small, so now after six years we are looking around for bigger houses. Not fun. We are happy here but it will be too small one day when the kids are older – and if – maybe – we have one more, and I'd rather be able to host people to stay more easily (especially my parents, as we live in Norway and they live in Australia). For me a feeling of spaciousness and light is really important (we have that here although it's small, as there are high ceilings and lots of windows), and the layout of the rooms and the way you move through them has to make sense.
I don't think our house 'sang' to us but I will say that when you know, you know. We viewed our house on a dark January evening. Didn't even see it in the light and made an offer the next day! I agree with other posters that you look for the potential and not a hinderance. We back on to a motorway but the space was large, the price was right and we could immediately see what we wanted to do with it. I remember whilst viewing properties, walking into one and barely walking the length of the entrance hall before saying 'no' to the estate agent. Go with your gut. If it's right for you and your lifestyle then you can make it work regardless. Good luck with the hunt! X
We shopped for a house for about a year and a half. We got excited about a couple houses during that time, and put offers on them. We were devastated when those deals didn't work out. But then our house was listed and we couldn't believe how perfect it was for us! We were no longer devastated about the houses we didn't get, but instead we were thankful for those losses, for they meant we could buy this perfect home!! We had no doubt this would be our forever home when we saw it. It sure did sing to us. It's been 8 years, and we still feel incredibly blessed to be here. I have to say though, the waiting and house shopping time was a frustrating time. But our home wasn't yet for sale, so clearly it was meant to be that we didn't find a home sooner! Good luck, I hope the right place comes along soon.