As I’ve said before, my husband and I are in the midst of house hunting. While I have dreamed of being a home owner for years, the process lives up to the reputation of being arduous and quite nerve-racking. While spring is coming (and with it most likely a surge in inventory) I wait anxiously everyday as I get the MLS listings via email, hoping that the house of our dreams enters the market. While I sit and wait as patiently as possible, it’s easy to compile a wish list. Here are some of our “must-haves” that will ensure when we make that big purchase, we won’t look back with regret.
Curb Appeal-For me curb appeal doesn’t mean any one thing specifically, but I generally want to like the look of the outside of our house. I don’t have a strong preference between brick and siding, color or style-but classic looking is always a plus. In an ideal world the outside would be charming, have some character and not be within an arms length of the house next door.
Backyard-We would love to have a backyard for Ollie and for our dog Daisy. I can’t wait till summer when we can BBQ on our porch and enjoy the outside. I’d love to be able to do a lot of entertaining outdoors so extras like a pergola, tree coverage and landscaping would be a bonus.
Garage-In Minnesota you need an attached garage. Two-car is great, three is ideal. When you live in a state where the climate is cold about 60% of the time, you need your space and the garage is no exception.
Neighborhood-Location is such a huge part of buying a house and we’ve identified a few specific towns that we aren’t willing to stray from. Living in an area with great schools is top priority not only for Oliver’s education but also for the resale value of the home. A developed, older neighborhood is important to us for the landscaping and the close proximity to restaurants and shopping.
Natural Light-Having a home with natural light is important to me for a number of reasons but most of all I think warms a house up and makes it feel bigger. I’d love to find a home with a skylight or two, especially in the kitchen.
Formal Dining-Not only can I not wait to decorate a formal dining room, complete with a buffet and dramatic wall art, I can’t wait to have the room to host family holidays and dinners with friends. More often than not a perfect night with a few couples consists of dinner, wine and great conversation. To have the ability to host at my house will truly be a fun experience.
Updated Kitchen-While the housing market in Minneapolis is pricier than the average city in the U.S., we realize we may have to make some sacrifices on the updates that come with the house that we purchase. But a kitchen renovation is nothing I’m looking to do. I can update a bathroom or two, put in new flooring, paint every room in the house…but I have zero desire to do an overhaul on one of the most used rooms in the house.
Mudroom-This is another must for Minnesotans. The amount of snow sludge and dirt that can be tracked into a home on a daily basis, for multiple months out of the year is enough to drive any mom crazy. A mudroom, or transitional room from the garage to the main living areas is non-negotiable. If for no other reason that to save my sanity.
What are some of your dream house wish list items??
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