Running...

Running things past the loan officer, running things through my head, running things past my hubby, my daughter, our real estate agent. My head is doing a marathon.

I have gone through the "Lake" house photos a dozen times. I'm waiting to hear from hubby, if he got Saturday off. I talked to the loan guy. He said, "Take videos."

I'm calling it the Lake house from now on, because it sounds better than "the house by the Rock River" or "the house in Hustisford". Lake Sinissippi is right around the corner, so Lake house it is. Not that I'm expecting Keanu Reeves to show up. hahahahaha

My hubby just called. He's pretty sure it can be worked out so he has Saturday off.

I would really like to have the Lake house. It looks like a fun place to live. We could have a bunny again (we had to leave Tuki behind in California. He died this year.) We could go boating and fishing, from our own property. My daughter could have her own kitchen, guests could have their own cottage. The porch is sunny. I can plant flower pots and set them there.

Stay disconnected

Stay disconnected

"No"

The tenants said no to a showing for today. They said no to Friday. They can't say no to the scheduled Open House on Saturday. If we can't see the property we can't put in an offer. My daughter has to work, my husband has to work. He might be able to trade a day with someone so he can have Saturday off. If not, he can get a ride to work and I can go alone.

But I don't feel comfortable putting in an offer without hubby seeing it.

That's just stupid crazy.

Or....Just Gone in 5 Days

The Duplex has an accepted offer. Oh well.

The "Lake" house...nothing yet, but there is an open house on Saturday....so, since we can't afford to get into bidding wars, it might go, too.

Many houses are staying on the market for a whopping 5 hours.

If it stays longer than a month its because nobody wants it or it's so bad it's a cash sale only.

Our loan officer says he's never seen anything like it. He said 2 years ago sellers were reducing prices because they couldn't sell easily.

Our agent is keeping an eye out for something we might like before it gets listed. Hard to do when people know they will get a dozen offers in 5 hours if they list.

The Plan for Wednesday is....

Two showings:

An official showing of the duplex, the gorgeous property right here in Hartford. The yard is a bit small but it has a large upper deck with a view all around (except north). It has a 2.5 car garage with 2 separate garage doors with openers. It has a rather long driveway, so it would mean using a snowblower. My daughter gets up at 3 am. It is still on our wish list. My daughter has a 401k, and she is gifting us what she can. We will still be about $2000 short for cash to close. Drive time to work...2 minutes in good weather.

Next, a showing at the house on the river in Hustisford. We know it needs the wood replaced around the porch and deck. Other than that, we have no idea. It isn't a duplex (taxes list it as a single family home) but it has an upstairs bathroom and mini kitchen. It also has a guest house, which I mentioned before. We don't know what we will find. Mold? Junk? Doable? Price reduction? It would have more room for guests than the duplex. It could be a fun place to live....think....fishing, a small boat for exploring the lake....water front property! Many possibilities, yet many possible road-blocks. It has no garage, but the driveway is short and the parking area is just off the street. Drive time to work...12 to 15 minutes in good weather.

It will be an interesting day!

P.S. I just noticed they have an open house scheduled for Saturday, June 3rd. We are seeing it on Wednesday. I imagine they will hold off accepting any offer until after the showing. Who knows what will happen.

Disconnected Decisions

We learned the hard way, do not become emotionally attached to any property because there are several things that can prevent a sale.

• Not enough money for closing
• The sellers could reject the offer
• It might not pass inspection
• The bank won't finance what the sellers are asking

*** Remain Emotionally Detached *** until the papers are signed and the keys in hand.

Today my daughter and I drove out to Hustisford to look at a property that is listed sort of at the top of our comfortable price range but still below what we have been approved for. Here are 6 pictures. I didn't want to intrude because the people were home.

120 feet of Rock River waterfront. It's been raining a lot, so you can see there is no flooding.

A small guest house (white and green building) It has its own mini kitchen, bath, sitting room and bedroom.

We walked to the middle of the bridge over the Rock River

The land across the river. This would be the view from the house.

Looking down the street, toward Lake Sinissippi. Yeah, you read that right.

Looking south across the street. There is a narrow park. Some people were fishing. We saw several large fish jump.

My daughter and I were laughing...would we live on a street named Tweedy next to a lake called Sinissippi in a town named Hustisford :D

Drive time, 12 to 15 minutes. I requested a showing for Wednesday. We shall see...

Research, Research, Research

The condition of a home isn't the only thing one needs to look at. Some pre-screening can be done by using Google Street View and Google Maps in Satellite mode.

This listing has been up awhile but I looked anyway.

Hmmmm....farm fields next door?

Let's look in Google...what is across the street?

Ugh!! Really?!?! Can you say "stink and flies"?

We found this gorgeous Hustisford listing, right in our price range!

But...sadly...farm fields all around.

Fartilizer, oops, FERTILIZER drift (Freudian slip?), pesticide drift, herbicide drift, dust from plowing, planting and harvesting....nope, I can't deal with any of that. The farms are all around and the tree line is not wide enough to provide a buffer.

Then there is the overpriced dumpy house in Hartford with the leaking foundation we looked at.

And the view across the street

Lovely

The difficult search continues. Unfortunately for most home-buyers today, inventory is at an all-time low and the number of buyers is at an all-time high. Many houses end up in bidding wars with potential buyers putting in offers above list price. The seller happily gets to choose between maybe a dozen offers.

Duplexes tend to sit on the market for some time. They come with a different list of issues. Since they are not single-family, none of the home buyer credits are available. Also, they require 5% down.

Homes that need some repair but are not considered a "fixer-upper" by the bank can be considered, and they tend to sit longer. There are not many in that category. More likely they will be full-blown fixer-uppers requiring a cash sale.

Odd-ball houses tend to sit longer. For instance, we were thinking about looking at this one in Hustisford, until we figured out there is no way to use the upper bedrooms. There is no bathroom upstairs, and the only way up is by the outside stairs. 

Beautiful property, nice house

A screened-in porch!

Oops! What where they thinking?

So....what do you tell your guests? "The guest rooms are upstairs. There is no bathroom, so you will need to come downstairs, outdoors, in the pouring rain or dark of night, and come into the house to go to the bathroom."

Or...."Here's a bucket."

It would be hugely costly or maybe structurally impossible to put a bathroom upstairs. 

Hartford has lots of older, 2 story homes built in the 1900's. To be updated for modern times, they need new windows, re-wired electric, insulation, new siding, new roof, first-floor laundry (or indoor access to the basement. Often times the bedrooms are too small, such as the common 9x9, and often there is no bathroom upstairs. 

Nice, but the bedrooms are way too tiny

Bigger, but all-wood siding needs scraping and painting, and there is a lot of it.

The search goes on.

Racing to a Dead End

Yesterday evening we met our real estate agent at her office so we could sign the Buyers Agent papers. Before driving to her office we passed a newly listed Ranch in Hartford for $145,000. I grabbed the address and texted our agent. She had details of the property for us when we arrived and she set up a showing for this morning at 10 am.

Immediately we noticed the house didn't look as nice in person as it did in the pictures, and it was smaller than what the listing implied, because they included the "finished" basement in the square feet.....which had water trickling in behind the paneling along the back wall.

Our agent's husband showed us the house (they are a team), so we spent some time talking about what we are looking for, and what we noticed about the house we were looking at. We discovered that it is possible to buy a house that needs some fixing, but which is not actually a "fixer-upper". However, we didn't like this one at all, and it was agreed that it is worth much less than the listing price. Plus...that foundation wall....need I say more?

We no more than got back home and my daughter was texting me that a duplex for $160,000 just listed 15 minutes ago and there were no pictures. She gave us the address, so we drove over to look. A man was walking around to the front and we asked if we might take a picture. He said of course. It turned out that he was the owner, and he invited us to view the property. 

We were astounded. It is immaculate, fully updated, sturdy, well built, strong, clean, gorgeous woodwork. Every inch of that house said "Welcome Home", from the downstairs enclosed porch to the upstairs kitchen and balcony. Already we were living there in our hearts. We were mentally siting on the balcony watching sunrises or sunsets. I was nearly in tears.

We wanted it, right then and there. I called our agent. She needed to see it, and since she was driving from Menomonee Falls, it was only a short detour. She called us as soon as she was heading to West Bend, and we took off to meet her there. 

She looked at the loan approval we had. Something was confusing, so I called our loan officer. He talked to me, then the agent, then me. The numbers were different because it's a duplex. First time homebuyer credits only work for single family homes. We were $4400 short for closing costs. Our loan guy crunched numbers, he went through every program they have. There was nothing he could do.

Our loan guy felt bad. Our agent tried to console us by telling us something else will come up. She said she sees a lot of disappointed potential buyers who miss out simply because 6 offers might come in on a property all at once. So we thanked everyone for trying so hard to help us and we vowed not to give up hope.

Here are a few pictures I took of the duplex.

Balcony

Flowers everywhere

 Clean, dry basement

Dual electric

Super thick, sturdy basement walls, European style...hubby loves it

Adorable dining area downstairs

Enclosed 3 season porch

Lovely woodwork everywhere. Large room upstairs

Upstairs pantry

Upstairs kitchen

Dual central air

This and That

I got the petunias planted. It's chilly out, and it looks like it might rain again. I'm leaving the succulents out on the window sill. Because of the roof overhang and the east location, they don't get much, if any, rain, and it's not freezing, so they should be fine.

Tuesday evening hubby and I are meeting the real estate agent in West Bend. We are thinking this is a good time to sign the Buyer Agency agreement. Although in signing it we agree to work with this agent, she is a team with her husband, who had many years experience in construction.

Wisconsin law explained:
"In the traditional buying process, a real estate agent working without a Buyer Agency contract is, by law, working as an agent of the seller. An agent working without a Buyer Agency contract must still be fair in his/her dealings, but is prohibited by law from giving the buyer critical advise such as a professional opinion of a price or in suggesting negotiation strategies."

The contract includes professional opinions, advice and critiques of the seller's property beyond disclosing defects, plus negotiations, writing documents and assisting in transactions.

I'm still reading the fine print, but basically, if we don't sign it, the the agent only works in the seller's best interest. Since it's a seller's market out there, we figure we need someone on our side.

We need all the help we can get. The market is hot for move-in ready houses. Typically they stay on the market for about 5 days. The houses that stay on the market for a long time need repairs. Banks won't give a loan on a house needing repair, so those types of homes can only be purchased by an investor with a cash sale, unless the homeowner decides to fix them.

A short sale or foreclosed home is not out of the question, again, professional help is needed here.

The median home price in Hartford is $217,000. We have been approved for up to $200,000. We would rather stay under $150,000. It's going to be an uphill battle.

We have decided, for several reasons, that Hartford is the best location to focus on. Hubby's and my daughter's work is only 2 minutes away. Hubby's family and friends are only 2 minutes away. He visits often, almost daily. Internet is fast. Home prices, though high, are still better than some areas not far away, except Neosho. Home prices in Neosho compare to Hartford, or are slightly less. However it's a tiny community, so not many come up for sale. Neosho is 5 minutes from my hubby's work.

With a sigh, I give up on the duplex with problems in Woodland. I fell in love with the view. It was not to be. The place is too tiny. There are other issues. There is no Internet. We rely on Internet to keep in touch with family.

View, I love you. You broke my heart.

More on Buyer Agent, from First Weber

We are considered Milwaukee Metro, here are some blog entries about the market here.

Back to Work

Hubby's vacation is over. It was great to have all the time together, and the week we spent helping my daughter and her hubby in Indiana was particularly rewarding. We all had a lot of fun in between the hard work.

Wednesday was hot and muggy with thunderstorms. Thursday turned chilly and breezy. I had some plants outside. but brought the small ones in, simply because it was going to be in the upper 30's and I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to leave them out. I brought the ones on this side of the screen inside. It's not supposed to freeze, so the others should be ok.

My daughter in Indiana has the prettiest petunias. I can't seem to find them anywhere, probably because the stores all carry plants from the same grower. When I get the change I will check out the local hardware store. Anyway, the petunia I'm looking for is pink with a white center and a yellow throat. The ones I'm seeing are missing the white center.

The cortisol test came back normal (chewing on the cotton swab). The blood test that went with it is also normal. That's good news. I'm still waiting for the other blood test for the ACTH (the test I had before that flagged high).

Our real estate agent set up a sharing portal for us, where she can upload listings and we can view and comment on them, or request info. We are concentrating on Hartford, even though it's more expensive. We have discussed options quite a bit, and staying here is the better option because friends and family are here. It's taken my hubby quite some time to "find himself" here in America, and I would have to say that Hartford is working out very well.

Hubby only worked half a day yesterday because he is training and translating for a new hire who only speaks Albanian. After he came home, he and I went shopping. Hubby bought me a new purse. He wanted to buy me two different ones, but I didn't think the other one was practical, so I talked him into just the one. He wanted to buy me shoes, too, but they didn't have my size in the ones I liked, and I didn't feel like hunting them down in other stores.

That's about all for now.

Test is In

The number is still above normal, but better. This time, 59.7, down from 68.5 which was 6 days prior. That is a drop of 8.8 points. 13.7 more to go and I will be normal. I'm not tired anymore, so at this point I'm guessing it's nothing serious and maybe just from my Thyroid medicine being too high. I expect more tests to follow, since the number is still flagged as high.

Not much else going on. I've been talking to a realtor. The Hartford area is definitely a seller's market. Houses are snapped up within days, unless there is something wrong with them, then they sit for months. Home prices in Hartford have risen 11% this year. I have no idea why Hartford is such a hot market. There isn't a lot to do here, no big attractions, except work, oh, and a golf course south of town, where they are holding the U.S. Open this June. People are renting their homes out for that week for prices like $7,000 to $8,000 per week! I say "their homes" because I don't know the details, except they are fully furnished.

Anyway, the realtor said she will watch for something we might like and then call us before it goes on the market and hopefully, if we like it, we can grab it before it's snapped up. I feel like a mouse trying to grab a bite to eat under swooping hawks.

The agent asked me if I thought my hubby might want to transfer to the Lomira plant, because property is extremely affordable up there, think Mayville (which we visited twice). Mayville is still 20 minutes from either Quad location. Moving up there might disconnect hubby from all his Albanian friends here in Hartford, and my daughter probably wouldn't go that far, either. 20 minutes might not seem a lot of travel time, but my daughter drives to work at 3 AM and hubby works 12 hour shifts, from 7 AM to 7 PM or vice versa. However, my older daughter regularly drive 25 minutes each way every day....so I don't know. It's up to them.

In other news, hubby has a vacation starting in the beginning of May. We are still making plans. They need to be reasonably priced, because I don't want to touch our savings.

We are getting more spring weather. After Monday night I don't see any freezing nighttime temps in the immediate future. The leaves are popping out and the grass is super green!

We Didn't Go

We called off the showing. Deal breakers:

• Tiny bedrooms....9 feet by 9 feet is only 3 feet bigger than our bed. 9 feet by 14 feet is crazy. I would say 12x12 would be the very minimum for us, and the guest room needs to be a similar size.

• Tiny kitchen. The floor space was bigger than the apartment here but the counter top area was smaller. I need more, not less. No, I can't just put stuff "away", these are things I need out because I use them a lot....coffee maker, microwave, bread machine, place to drain dishes. Currently the place to drain dishes is the only room I have for cooking, which means I am either cooking and piling dishes in the sink, or doing dishes and having no room to cook.

• Old farm-house basement. I really didn't know anything about this until I looked it up, but basements were used as a root cellar and a storm shelter. Nobody did clothes down there. They were built with outer doors placed at an angle, which were opened so a delivery of coal could be dumped in. Updated old farmhouses usually have a laundry room on the main floor.

• No Internet. As I mentioned before, we figured out a second-rate work-around. Or shall I say, 3rd rate. We would be moving from 60 mbps to maybe 10 or 20. If that were the ONLY issue, it probably wouldn't have mattered.

• The abandoned factory and the railroad track. These weren't deal breakers, but they added to the list of issues. I've lived near trains before, but this is really close. Twice a day the train swings by through Hartford, past Walmart, through Rubicon, and then through Woodland, before heading up to Horicon.

To make matters more complicated, I was dealing with a health scare. For the last couple months I've been feeling tired, then I noticed I was having flushing, like hot flashes. Hot flashes? I had a hysterectomy 22 years ago. 20 years ago I had cancer, and chemotherapy. I had to sign a consent form stating that I understood a huge laundry list of possible complications. One of them was possible leukemia in 20 years. My dad died from some rare type of lymphoma at age 64. My first hubby died from colorectal cancer. My SIL died from liver cancer. 

I expressed my concerns to my doc. She ordered tests. "This one will check for leukemia and this one will check for lymphoma." she explained.

One test came back flagged as high. It shouldn't be high. It was high. True to my nature (no, I can never leave things alone), I started looking stuff up. Everything was telling me I could have something disrupting my pituitary gland, and they would be looking for a tumor.

>>>Freak out time<<<

I messaged my concerns to my doc. She called me. Yeah, she's a doctor's helper, who works under the guidance of a doc, she's great, and always takes time to address my concerns, and I call her my doctor.

So...I have a UTI (urinary tract infection) and my thyroid medicine is too strong, both of which could contribute to how I've been feeling. She put me on antibiotics, lowered my thyroid medication, and ordered a repeat of the hormone test. Apparently that hormone can go up and down significantly, so it takes several tests to confirm it is actually high.

If it still shows high, there are some more tests she can order. I have been referred to an endocrinologist (hormone doctor). Unfortunately I can't get in until the end of September. My doc assured me if I start having issues then she will get me in quicker with a phone call.

The good news is, hubby and I walked the Lion's Den trail, even took the stairs down the 900 foot cliff to the shore of Lake Michigan and back up again and I had no issues! I felt better. I wasn't tired or weak. I'm not getting the flushing as often, in fact, it seems to be disappearing. Being out with nature is good for me. Hubby and I love to walk together but the trails have been muddy. They are just now getting better.

*************************

What are we looking for in a house? We aren't sure. We toyed with the idea of a condo or duplex, but are put off by the close proximity of neighbors and the fact that anything outdoors belongs to the association and is subject to rules. However, a larger home that has been turned into a duplex (2 story), is attractive to us because my daughter would rent from us. Of course, it must be updated. Old houses are notorious for having dangerous electrical wiring and faulty plumbing. Back to condos...we found out that getting a loan on one is more difficult. Not only must the condo itself be approved, but the entire condo association must be approved. Anything one owner does or doesn't do affects the whole community. Peeling paint is enough to get any loan denied, and one person's negligence could prevent another person's purchase or sale. 

Back to house hunting...

Waiting and Wondering

I've got maybe good and maybe bad news today. Where shall I start? I guess with the maybe bad.

My ACTH test came in. My adrenocorticotropic hormone is high. That is not good news. That is serious sh!t, because now they need to do a bajillion tests to figure out why. In simple terms, something is causing too much hormone to be made, and it could be a tumor.

Why does this have to come up now?

Monday we have an appointment to see a home. My hubby, myself, and my younger daughter are all mutually interested in it, and it looks to be in good shape. It's a duplex in the country, and the plan is that hubby and I will live downstairs and daughter will live upstairs. It has the windows I love, a balcony in front (second floor) and a nice deck in the back. It has a back yard and a view of the woods with a stream at the bottom of a ravine. This is something I have always wanted.

Back yard. Yes, that one!

Front balcony

Rear deck

An inside picture from an old listing (2011)

There are some possible issues. It might be too small, it might not have enough storage, and the outside-only entrance to get down into the basement might just be too awkward. Need to go see...

Cellar doors, inside the white circle

Condos, Townhomes and Duplexs, Oh My

Well, hubby is really pushing for the no-maintenance condo option. I'm Ok with it if there are enough windows and a view of nature. It means not having a yard, or chickens,and he has to give up thinking about getting a German Shepherd.

Hubby looking for something to buy:

• Modern appliances...check
• Elegant design...check
• A large deck...check
• Underground or garage parking...check
• No maintenance...check
• Nice clubhouse and pool...check

Me looking for something to buy:

• Is it in good condition...check
• Does it have a view of nature...check

Is something backwards here? 

There is a condo in West Bend that has wooded walking paths next to it. Bummer that it's 55 and older. Well, I can live there but hubby can't lol lol

There isn't much for sale right now, too "wintery" yet.

I had my lab tests this morning. My doc will call me with the results when they come in.

Random Stuff

The sun is shining today! Yay! It's been cloudy a LOT. We are supposed to have beautiful temps this weekend. Hubby has to work both days. At least I can open the windows and get some fresh air in the apartment.

I don't know what I did, but my neck muscles are very sore. It's still an effort to bend over and peer into the frig or any lower cabinets. I can't just bend forward and look up. It's a range of motion issue. When I try, my neck hurts. So I need to squat. Sometimes I hit my head when I stand back up. Sometimes I lean sideways and reach in awkwardly. That's no better. The kitchen in this apartment was designed for hobbits. The frig is minuscule. The range hood is too low (I hit my head on that, too). Sometimes I cry in frustration. We are going to try to find a stool that I can sit on.

The loan officer from Quicken Loans calls me once in a while to keep the account active. I asked a lot of questions. It's good to know that stuff, even if you don't plan to buy right away.

• What if my husband changed jobs?
  "Changing jobs isn't an issue if it's full time and the same line of work. Often a letter of employment is all that is needed."
• Why would we need an escrow account to pay the taxes and mortgage insurance?
  "Because you need at least 10% down to be in charge of those yourself."
• Yes, the closing costs seem high, that is another reason we want to wait. We don't want to empty our savings because of closing costs.
  "The buyer should pay the closing costs. That can be worked into the deal. If they don't want to pay the closing costs then they aren't the seller for you."
• There isn't much for sale in our price range, but it's crazy because there are $300,000 and $400,000 homes in foreclosure.
  "That's good for buyers, because homes in foreclosure bring down prices in the area."

He couldn't tell me if Wisconsin has a homestead credit to give a discount on taxes, like Indiana does. Hubby and I are pretty sure we would want to go with a local company who is familiar with "everything Wisconsin".

My daughter is working overtime...at Walmart. Yay!

My daughter in Indiana and her hubby are nearly done with her house. They hope to have it on the market in May. After it's sold, they can start building their home on the property they bought. That is good news!

My mammogram is clear. I'm a 20 year survivor. Yay me.

We went to Cermak Fresh Market yesterday, bought some nice veggies and some European food my hubby likes. I miss having a garden. I miss having outside anything. Even a patio would be nice.

Yes, I do know why my neck hurts. It happens when hubby and I watch movies. We sit on the love seat, and there is nothing to rest my head on, so I slouch down, which puts pressure on my neck. If I sit up, there is nothing behind my head, and my neck and shoulders get so freakin tired. I can't put a pillow behind my head because there is no wall behind the love seat to support it. Why? Because we have to pull it away from the wall and face it toward the kitchen table, which is where my hubby's computer is.

No. There is no other way. If we put the love seat against the wall then we are staring down the hallway. We can't put the computer in the hallway. No. There is no place in the living room. My computer is there. It's a bit too far to sit on the couch and look across the room at my computer. We live in a 600 sq. foot apartment. What can I say?

"At least we have each other." Romantic words from my hubby. We hug each other. I choke back tears.

Today's Disappointment

The house has a (mostly) flat roof and it probably floods, but look at that to-die-for view.  Only $99,900. I cried over this one.

The middle part has a completely flat roof....nightmare maintenance. The property is also very low and most certainly floods. I was really sad about that because it would be 17 minutes drive to the plant in Lomira, which my hubby could transfer to.

House Hunting....Sigh...grrrrr....whatever

We are continuing to look. It's just hard not to....what if that awesome place comes up for sale and we miss it because we are thinking to buy later? House prices are only going up.

So, in addition to visiting different areas, we've been looking a lot online. Found a duplex in Iron Ridge....yes....duplex, 2 bedrooms & bath downstairs, same upstairs. My daughter would rent one from us. Looks nice inside.

Sunny front porch!

Look at the back yard!!! OMG I want this!!!! Look at the view! My DREAM

So we decide to check out Google Streetview, to check out the view out front.

*shit*

shit

shit

shit

I am so disappointed. Iron Ridge is not too far. Mayville is sort of far, but it seems everyone in Wisconsin is driving a half-hour to work. 

While we were out driving we went up to Mayville. My daughter was driving, so it was a treat to hubby to sit back and look around. We stopped for coffee and then drove around town a bit. We weren't really impressed. The roads were steep and twisty...could be a nightmare in winter. We also didn't find many areas where one could walk along the river. Anyway, we decided to drive up to Lomira. My hubby's work has a plant there. He could transfer. It was ok, but we didn't connect with it. On to Horicon. We drove past the Horicon Marsh. We will go back in spring or summer.

Horicon Marsh

Horicon was ok but too far, unless hubby got a job up there. For the heck of it we decided to drive to Beaver Dam. We were not impressed. Seemed dumpy. So....I said, why don't we go to Neosho. It's less than 10 minutes from Hartford and they have a lake.

Neosho

It was getting too dark and cloudy for good pictures, but we will certainly go back again. It has a cute coffee shop, with really good coffee and a nice lady running it, who also has the area filled with antiques. Neosho would be nice for us, less than 10 minutes from work, and I wouldn't need to change doctors. It's small, population is under 600, and of course, it's become the go-to place for the Hartford financially privileged to go grab a house on the water. Waterfront property at Pike Lake is in the $400,000 to a million range. In Neosho it's more in the $200,000 to $300,000 range. None of this is affordable for us. That's why people are driving so darn far to work, they have to go that far to find affordable housing, and Hartford is rural! 

Nothing makes you feel more like a piss-poor peon than house hunting. 

As it stands, we qualify for 1% down, as first-time home buyers, because I sold my house 3 years ago. That's some comfort. 

Hubby has a tendency to want more house than I do. He wants 3 bedrooms and at least 1.5 baths. (Think long-term visits from family)

I want sunny windows for my succulents and this view: