A House We Can Call Home

Ross and I have been busy trying to view our options for housing when he gets back next year. So far we've toured two places, aside from the fluke we toured a while back, which I'll probably have to recount later.

Place A was a batch of typical apartment homes, except for the fact that we viewed the floor plan that included a loft. As always the model home looked great, the only thing that really bothered me was the stairway up to the loft area. It was a metal, circular set of stairs that wound around in a tight circle. They were steep, too. I was sitting there wondering how we'd get big pieces of furniture up there, not to mention that going up and down just to reach the rest of the apt. (bathroom included) would probably be somewhat a pain.

Other than that, Place A was nice. I don't mind apartments as long as they're nice and have been kept up, so I reserve my full judgment until we see a space that was actually lived in. That is, if we'll go back to see it at all...

You see, Place B was a model of the set of townhomes that are being built nearby us. Yeah, sure, first glance doesn't give them too much merit. They are all smushed up against eachother, located on the highway, and some of them even have a view of the college that sits right beside them. However, after a tour some of that initial reluctance was pushed aside.

Obviously the townhomes are new, which means no one has lived in them before and managed to ding up the place. That's always a plus for me, I love new things over used most of the time. I know, I'm picky. But anyway, all of the floorplans were the same, which was fine. It was a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath plan with a 2-car garage. Even though the townhomes aren't ginormous (1400 sq. ft.), they were laid out nicely enough that there is a wonderful flow of space. Nothing felt cramped or smashed into the floor plan.

The other nice part is you're allowed to purchase upgrades. I don't think Ross and I would go overboard with this if we did end up purchasing one of these, but they are nice options to have, such as:

• granite countertops, smooth-top stove, or gas stove
• wood flooring, tile, laminate tile
• wainscoat, bead board, paint options
• surround sound, fireplace
• jacuzzi, stand-alone shower

And, of course, much more. So now Ross and I are facing the wonderful, stressful dilemma that most everyone will end up facing in their life if they haven't already: should I buy my first home now? The government is giving a nice incentive with the First Time Home Buyer's Credit, but is that enough?

We aren't rich, but the market is prime, plus there are some other great reasons to buy in that area. It's right next to the base, downtown, schools, the college, and will be right next to a new commercial center that hasn't been built yet. Ross and I are thinking that would make it easier to sell if we wanted, or even to rent out if we had to move bases. The other thing that tells me it's a nice location is the fact that people have already moved in and the development has basically just been started. They're nowhere near finishing!

Well, dilemmas dilemmas. Mostly this is on Ross, which makes me feel horrible, but I can do nothing about it. So we'll see what he decides! Either way it's exciting.