House Hunting...or House Hating

I make no bones about it: we are picky house hunters. Possibly the pickiest. Find me one other person who has spent over two years house hunting. The good thing is that our pickiness is not based on kitchen-island-loving, subway-tile back splashing, trendy HGTV dreams. Instead we focus on the home's bones, location, and land. The bad thing is we've toured a LOT of homes. From one that doesn't have the external look we want, to another with a bad layout, to another without land/privacy, to another without a good location, ugh, the list goes on and on. I thought it could be a fun and somewhat cathartic post featuring some of the things that make me say YIKES when I see them. Now, these wouldn't be deal-breakers. If a house otherwise met our critical criteria then I would look past all of these things. After all, all of them can be changed.

The Humble Barndoor

Look, I like barn-chic as much as the next person, and I know it's super trendy now thanks in large part to Chip and Joanna Gaines (did I hear you say shiplap?) but I'm just not into it. I don't want it as an entryway to the laundry room (seen it). I don't think it looks nice as a door to a closet (seen it). And I especially don't want to see it while trying to pee in a hurry in the master bath.

Mismatched Cabinets

I applauded the effort to update the kitchen and I have to say the countertop looks fantastic but WHY did you stop at the island cabinetry? You painted the others white! And why are the hinges on the painted white cabinetry dark?? Nope. Spoiler alert: we actually offered on this house and also got into attorney review but then an original buyer (whose contract was supposed to have been voided...or so we were told) came back and we learned that their contract was still enforceable....so we didn't get it. Yeah, that was devastating. It was an amazing house.

The Full Wall Fireplace

I will admit. For whatever reason most, if not all, of the homes we have toured feature a fireplace of some kind in one room or another. It's popped up in the family room, master bedroom, and even the master bathroom once. While some of the fireplaces were super nice and really added to the room, every time I saw one with a brick wall (literal WALL)....yikes. I know the fireplace is the focal point but really all I saw was the shit ton of brick I would want to immediately rip down.

So we keep looking. And at this point when I see these things I just kind of giggle to myself. Then I do some quick math to see how much it would cost to change it.