House Hunting

Realtor has now sent me information on 15 houses and 10 condos. I've identified 12 of those properties as things I'd like to look at. I'm having a hard time prioritizing what I want in my next house. I owned a home the last 5 years I lived in City, but for the past 14, I've had no say on where I lived and have had to live with the paint colors, flooring, etc, that were here.

.

I've had several conversations with Realtor. I've not heard back from Mortgage Broker who was supposedly looking for a mortgage for me. The last thing I heard from MB was something about the challenges of getting approval right now. I have an excellent credit rating and huge down payment, but the fact that I haven't been making a house payment for a number of years will hurt me.

.

I'm working very hard at not getting caught up in the details. This is proving to be a challenge. Figuring out what my priorities are in a new home is challenging. I'd like a kitchen with more counter space. A gas stove would be nice. A pantry that I could easily lock would be fantastic. It would be wonderful to have a bedroom with my very own master bath. I told Realtor that one bathroom homes are out of the question-- as there are too many times when one of our toilets is waiting for me to plunge it.

.

I'd like to have a guest bedroom, and someplace for a home office. I have a big, beautiful desk right now, but am pondering the possibility of getting a desk in an armoire and then putting it in a corner of our living room or family room. This house is over 2,000 square feet. How much space do we actually need? Far Away Sister points out that it is very important that there be enough space that I can get away from Daughter when I need a break. Some of the homes have a first floor master bedroom. Could Daughter handle our bedrooms being on different levels? Our bedrooms have always been close together.

.

How important is location? Is it more important to be near the church, or is the proximity of potential job opportunities for her the priority? Is it even realistic to think that someday she will be capable of community employment? There is a possibility that I could purchase a home in the next county and still be in the school district of the church. Would this open up more opportunities for Daughter? How much house can I afford? I haven't made house or utility payments in a long time. I will be getting a nice raise, so I know I will be able to afford a nice home, but I don't want to overextend myself. Sometimes I wonder if my brain will explode from all the possibilities.

.

It is a buyer's market right now, and I am confident that I will find a house that will work well for us when we make the trip up there this weekend. Realtor is going to email me sample purchase offers and seller's disclosures on all the houses we will be showing us. I could easily lose myself in house hunting right now, but I have lots I need to do here in Tiny Village. I suspect that the next two months will be a balancing act as I deal with bringing my ministry here to a conclusion and do all I need to do to move and begin my ministry in Capital.