My dream home

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One of the reasons we moved to North Carolina was for more affordable housing prices. If you compare a $200K house in Arizona to a $200K house here, you do get more for your money in the sense that you get more land and probably more square footage, but other than that it’s basically the same. The neighborhoods aren’t the nicest in both places, but they’re also not the worst. Where we live, I feel like there are sooo many more “nice” neighborhoods than average ones. I used to think I would be really happy in a small, very inexpensive little home on a lot of land. While that is still true, I’m not going to lie…I kind of want one of those really nice houses in my dream neighborhood (!!).

Here’s the thing, though. I would never never never not in a million years purchase one of those houses until we can completely 100% afford it. If we end up in a $150K house because that’s what we can afford, than so be it. I will be happy and make the most of it! But…if by chance we do use our money wisely, continue to increase our income and save save save, why not live in our dream home? 🙂

Qualities of my dream home

Two stories, all brick siding. I grew up in a two story house and the first house my husband and I bought was two stories. I love two story homes and don’t ever see myself buying a one story home. Here in NC, a good amount of the houses are all brick. In AZ, the houses are stucco. Bring on the brick – I need you in my life.

A large deck. Have you seen the decks in NC??! Not only are they stunning, but they overlook some of the best views of the woods. A wooded backyard and a deck are a must for me. I refuse to live in a cookie-cutter, track neighborhood. I want the houses to have space between them, be on land (even 1/3 acre is land to me so that’s very doable) and be different from the house next door.

Crown molding throughout. This isn’t a requirement as we can definitely add this in ourselves, but crown molding is so charming and I love the cozy vibe it gives the home. I also would love dark original hardwood flooring, elegant chandeliers and vaulted ceilings.

I’m not too picky about square footage and room numbers. A house that’s two stories will automatically have 3 bedrooms, which is the minimum we need. I would love to have an office or a playroom, but neither are a “must” (but, again, most of these houses actually have at least 4 bedrooms). For square footage, 2200 is ideal, but I know that’s actually going to be hard to find as most of the two-story/wooded lots/brick homes/huge deck houses have at least 3000 square feet. Oh first world problems…

How much my dream home will cost

I’ve found a few homes I really like that meet all of the above criteria for around $250K, but since we’re talking my dream home here, it’s more realistic that we would have to spend at least $350K. To me, that seems super expensive, but the median home cost in the US was $305K in October 2014. Crazy!!

What is your dream home like? Are you wanting to live simply and have a small home or do you dream of a big, fancy home? I’ll admit the Tiny House movement fascinates me, but there is NO WAY I could live in such a tiny space with kids!! Maybe one day, though 🙂

photo credit: Flickr Universal Pops

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Mrs. Maroon says
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Ohhh, visions of a dream home 🙂 For us, the first quality is land – acres. Although the Minis are still under three, we envision that they will be interested in showing animals. I want those animals to be outside the door – not a car ride away for care. And I want a gigantic garden plus chickens for eggs.
Then on top of that, I’d like to have a bedroom for each child (two currently, but we are open to another). Plus an office space – especially since I intend to have side / passive income once we reach financial independence before 40.
I also enjoy cooking, but am not efficient in doing it at all. We’ve bern fortunate enough to have large kitchens in both houses. I use every inch. I fear there is no looking back for me there.
Other than those minor details, I’m pretty much open to anything… It’s obvious I’ve never really thought about this before, right?!?
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Lol loved your response!! Land would be awesome and I would love to have a garden and chickens for eggs 🙂 Our apartment has the tiniest kitchen. Cabinet space is fine since we don’t have much stuff, but it’s SO crowded when trying to cook…no counter space and guaranteed both of my girls insist on being in there anytime I am, haha…so a big kitchen is a must for me, too 🙂
Erin @ Journey to Saving says
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We have very similar dream homes! I’m in love with all the brick houses around here. There weren’t as many back in NY. They’re so charming, especially with the pillars in the front. While I’d like a deck, I love sunrooms (another popular feature not as prevalent back home). Crown molding is nice, too.
We’ve been through a couple of ritzy neighborhoods that make me envious, but at the end of the day, we’d be happy with something small and cozy (~1,000 sq ft), preferably less than $200k. Regardless, housing is way more affordable here!
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  There are so many ritzy neighborhoods here, huh?! It’s crazy!! It’s funny you mention wanting a house that’s about ~1000 sq ft…While we would need bigger than that because of the girls, I don’t know if I could handle a huge house. We looked at a rental yesterday that was 3200 sq ft. While GORGEOUS, it had 4 bedrooms, an office, a playroom AND a sunroom. That’s just TOO MUCH HOUSE!!! I get anxious just thinking about maintaining something like that haha.
Jayleen Zotti says
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I am also intrigued by tiny house living but that may need to wait until we are empty nesters. I love brick homes but they are few and far between here. I would love a rambler with room for gardening and space between homes. It would be quite swell if the kids each had their own bathroom too. Wood floors and a country kitchen … Oh My! You have me dreaming now;0)
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Brick homes are awesome!! I like them so much because there were none in AZ, so this is all new territory for me. They’re so charming! And yes…wood floor and a country kitchen sound incredible!!
DC @ Young Adult Money says
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Oh man I don’t think there is enough room in this comment box for me to write everything I want in my dream home! That’s not to say it’s “over the top,” I’ve just spent a lot of time thinking about it. Unfortunately home prices keep rising here in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and even $200k doesn’t go that far. I think the main thing I want in my dream home is a master suite. I also want a “powder room” on the first floor, plus an open kitchen for entertaining. One day : )
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  A close friend of mine lives in Minneapolis and yes, houses are definitely expensive out there. We looked at a rental with a master suite a few days ago and that would be awesome to have in our permanent home. And an open, big kitchen is a must!! Our kitchen in AZ was huge, but it was separate from the family room which made it not as enjoyable. Yes — add that to my list haha!
Toni @ Debt Free Divas says
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Nice dream home. I’m surprised (I don’t know why) that NC real estate is less expensive than AZ. Hmmm. Wouldn’t have guessed that. I’m still trying to figure that out – mostly a dream home for me would be paid off!!!! But in Chicago, trying to find a decent neighborhood with quality schools and other amenities is challenging if you don’t want a cracker jack box sized home built in the 20’s. For now, we are townhousing it and comfortable with that idea.
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Hi Toni! I love townhouses and would absolutely live in one, especially if it had good views!! I like the idea of less maintenance and a lot of townhomes are super nice! And I agree – a dream home would be one that there is no mortgage on, haha 🙂
Chela says
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That’s so funny about the brick houses. Every single house here in New Orleans is brick, when I started reading this post I was like… What else could it be? Haha
Maybe it’s a sign that I’m not ready to shop for houses, but I haven’t given my “dream home” much thought. Because I feel like, any house can be modified to suit you, can’t it? Bathrooms, floors, kitchens, windows, they’re all remodel-able, aren’t they? I’d want bedrooms for us, kids, a guest room and an office. Other than that, I everything else is fixable.
One of my best friends recently bought a foreclosed house for super cheap and gutted it to the studs and redesigned it herself. It was about a year’s worth of work, but now it’s appraised at 80k more than what she’s spent on it. I think that’s what I’d want to do, when the time comes. As long as we’re in a safe neighborhood I’m all for customizing my house myself.
Abigail @ipickuppennies says
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Ha! Moving to Phoenix from Seattle, housing prices down here seem insanely cheap. We got our place (foreclosure) for $60k. It has a small guest house for the in-laws and 1,500 square feet including the garage. Plenty for our purposes.
Living in Arizona has definitely changed my definition of a dream house. Yeah, a two-story might be nice (except for my husband’s joint problems and my issues with fatigue, ugh we’re so old at 36!). But to cool the place would be a nightmare. Especially if I had nice vaulted ceilings. Crown moulding would definitely be in there. We may eventually do that for our place, though we have to be careful since our walls aren’t the tallest.
It would look nicer on the outside and the rooms would be more spacious. And we’d have a master bathroom that wasn’t essentially a converted walk-in closet. So a nice tile shower but also a big tub for soaking in, plenty of vanity space, etc.
But then I realize what all of that would cost — both as purchase price and upkeep — and I think maybe I like our house just fine.
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