House hunting details
We enjoyed the balmy 70 degree weather on Saturday by visiting 5 possible townhouse purchases. We had met our realtor, J, at an open house back in November and both got a good vibe from him. He was young, but has been in realtor in Philly for about 5 years and he wasn't all salesman-y. He hadn't pressured us to buy the place we met him at, and he was quick to suggest ways we should get the ball rolling, since we were new to the process. Here's a quick recap of our first day.
#1 - Graduate Hospital (GH) Area: In one word: Yucky! This place gave us a clear meaning of just how small a "compact" kitchen can be. Everything in the place was ratty and our broker told us that although the price of the place had come down 50K, it was still listed about 100K over what it would sell at.
#2 - GH Area: This one wasn't on our list, but J added it had come on the market just a few days prior and met most of our needs. I can't remember much about this place except that we were largely unimpressed. I think it was because it was only a 2BR and I really think we need a 3BR (but that seems to still be up for debate).
#3 - GH Area: This is one of the apartments that I had been most hopeful of. The most concerning thing about this townhouse was that the townhouse on each side of it was gutted - no windows and nothing inside. This could really go two ways - scenerio #1 - we live in the middle of the crackhouse neighborhood, scenerio #2 (and more likely), these are the next two townhouses on the street to be remodelled... stay tuned for the verdict. The layout of this place was what we have learned is very typical for the area, and exactly what I think would work for us (more on this later). The realtor blurb stated that it had been recently refurbished, but we saw signs that this wasn't entirely true. Except for the neighbor issue, this place made ME feel like we were on the right track.
#4 - GH Area: Since dubbed "the Narrow House" - were it not for the width problem, I think this would have been the end of the search. Such a bummer! The entire townhouse was 12 feet wide. This wasn't a real problem in any of the bedrooms, baths, or kitchen, but what a big problem in the living room, which was right when you came in. Not only was it narrow, but furniture would need to be strategically placed to leave enough room to get in the front door and get around to the staircase. Too bad! The entire house was newly renovated. We loved the kitchen - nice cabinets and counter top. The dark stained hardwood floors were gorgeous and throughout the entire house. And this was the only place we saw where Adam was able to easily stand upright in the basement (at 5'3" I didn't have a problem in any of the basements).
A quick sidebar on typical GH layout: Living room/dining room, kitchen, & half bath on first floor, two bedrooms and full bath on second floor, master bedroom and master bath on third floor - loft style (no door from stairs into BR), often with a balcony off the bedroom/loft. The basement is usually unfinished with laundry, perfect for storage and Ad's fussball table. Most have small backyard, maybe 8X8 feet out the back (usually kitchen is in the back of the house).
#5 - Art Museum (AM) Area: I was so distracted by the horrible animal smell in the house, I can barely remember what it looked like. Even 10 minutes after we left the house my sinuses were bad and I don't even have allergies! J actually said he thinks it was the worst he's ever experiences. Wow! Anyway, I really didn't like the layout of this house, which had the stairs in the middle and rooms off to each side of it. Also, one bedroom didn't have a closet. But, the place was a nice size. Ugh.
I hadn't been a big fan of AM, because it seems so far from the city and from what I have heard, the buses aren't that great into Center City. J mentioned that some houses in that area are super expensive and way out of our price range, 3BR for 700-800K! But in general, you can get more square footage/$ in AM vs. GH. Unfortunately, 3BR are a little harder to come by in the area.
Adam had some real concerns about safety/security in GH, although I didn't really notice a problem. I really think a 3BR that we can grow into makes the most sense for us, but I am trying not to rule out 2BRs in AM, since Adam likes the idea of living there.... we're both trying to be open-minded, but it sure isn't easy.
On Wednesday we have plans to see some more after work. I like the idea of seeing places on two days a week, no need to only house hunt on the weekends. Hopefully, by the time our dream house comes onto the market, we'll know exactly what we want and will be able to spot it as soon as we see it. We'll keep you posted!
