Do you love your home?

[davebarnes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by palomalou Davebarnes, adore your interior! May I ask where you are located?

The Socialist Paradise of The City & County of Denver.
More specifically, in the Berkeley neighborhood.
See 3968 Vrain Street, Berkeley, Denver, CO 80212-2251 USA

[Freedom56]

Quote:

Originally Posted by deserat Sigh - I LOVE Switzerland and if I had much more in my portfolio would look at having a small place there...I currently live in AZ and have a great house with the floor plan I love and an unobstructed view of the eastern mountains. I would live 6 mos in Europe (CH!) and six months in AZ.... Gorgeous house!

It's very expensive in Switzerland and this area in particular. The rental income of 6231 CHF monthly covers all expenses and funds improvements and expenses while we are here. My FIL gave us this property. He gave a home to each of his three daughters which was very generous of him. He bought the home in 1992 for 1.44M CHF and put about 400K CHF into improvements. It would sell for about 4.8M-5.2M CHF today ($4.9M-5.3M USD). When the hot hazy weather clears, I'll post pictures of the amazing views of Lake Geneva and the Alps.

[Golden sunsets]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davebarnes The Socialist Paradise of The City & County of Denver. More specifically, in the Berkeley neighborhood. See 3968 Vrain Street, Berkeley, Denver, CO 80212-2251 USA

Dave; If this address is for real and not a joke, I think it's a bad idea to tell the world exactly where you live.

Nice house by the way.


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[Zona]

This is a great question, and I'm really enjoying reading the variety of responses here. I would say no I don't love our home, but I do like it well enough, and I love our location for about half of the year (late fall/winter/spring).

Our house is a relatively small "lock and leave" 1800 sf. It is the perfect size for us; we use every room daily except the guest bedroom, which does get used about once per week and really comes in handy several weeks per year. On the downside, the interior is just meh, no fancy features and it doesn't get a lot of natural light inside. It has no real yard, just natural desert and a patio, and unfortunately it is rather close to neighbors (luckily we have good neighbors so far). It's also in a neighborhood where you unfortunately need a car to get to grocery stores and restaurants. However, it has beautiful sunset and city lights views, is close to a preserve for hiking, and we have wildlife (bobcats, javelina, coyotes, even an occasional deer) come through the wash behind the house regularly, which is a thrill.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deserat I would live 6 mos in Europe (CH!) and six months in AZ....

Me too, if only we were allowed to stay that long in the Schengen zone! We travel, so we like that our house is low-maintenance. Our trips are sometimes a month or more and we typically pick an airbnb in a location that is the opposite of our suburban home -- usually an apartment with a lot of charm/character right in the middle of a busy historic city with good summer weather, walkable to everything. It's a nice balance of both worlds. Usually towards the end of each trip, we are ready to come home and be introverted desert-dwelling hermits again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scuba I am convinced there is no perfect home. The pros of this one far outweigh the cons for us, but our lifestyle wouldn’t work for everyone. We will probably stay here for the rest of our lives. YMMV

Totally agree with this statement - every home will have pros and cons (well, maybe excepting W2R's dream home!) and often you won't know the cons until you've moved in and lived there a while. For now we are completely content with our situation and I don't see us moving anytime soon.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davebarnes The Socialist Paradise of The City & County of Denver. More specifically, in the Berkeley neighborhood. See 3968 Vrain Street, Berkeley, Denver, CO 80212-2251 USA

Very nice! I love the simplicity of it all.

I lived in Denver many years ago and don't remember that neighborhood, but so much has changed since I was there (and really for a short time).

[ncbill]

I've joked that I'll never be able to live this cheap again.

Paid off the ~2,500 sqft. 3BR/3BA townhouse we're in over a decade ago.

HOA fee (covers everything outside, including roof replacement, & water/sewer) plus property tax plus insurance is under $500/month.

Grew up in a large (~6,000 sqft.) home where I watched mom go broke trying to keep it up after her divorce.

[ohyouknow]

We overpay for a House I don’t like. :-(
Moving from Europe 2 weeks ago we rented sight unseen with only a friend walking through it.
There are no parks or playgrounds, very few children here (if any), the house is massive, and we discovered a raw sewage leak from upstairs to our kitchen on our second day here. $3500/month for this pleasure. IMG_0226.JPG

[kaudrey]

We live in an affordable townhouse that I like very much. I've lived there for 20 years (which is why it is affordable; couldn't afford to buy it now!). I LOVE the master bathroom, which I completely gutted last summer, and I love the high ceilings and open concept main floor, which is really bright and sunny. I'd love more counterspace in the kitchen, as I love to cook, and I'd love to have a backyard for the dog. Also, I really want to be on the water when I retire. So, the place is great for now, but has some compromises.

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohyouknow We overpay for a House I don’t like. :-( Moving from Europe 2 weeks ago we rented sight unseen with only a friend walking through it. There are no parks or playgrounds, very few children here (if any), the house is massive, and we discovered a raw sewage leak from upstairs to our kitchen on our second day here. $3500/month for this pleasure. Attachment 29247

If I signed a long term lease, I would use this opportunity to try to get out of it and leave for something you would like more. At a minimum, I would try to get some relief on the rent while that construction is going on. Like zero dollars until that is fixed.

[tb001]

It’s been very interesting to read the responses. What a great question and one that, ahem, hits ‘home’ for me right now. We’re selling our current home and buying in a new area. I’m a homebody and it’s always been important for me to love my home. The problem is, as I get older I discover more and more about what makes the ‘perfect’ home for me, and as scuba said, there just is no perfect home...and apparently I’m picky and my tastes have gotten much more expensive than I’m willing to subsidize! It was very difficult for us to find a place we liked and we made some big compromises on location to have a home we like. That said, I can already see the things that are going to bug me 5 years from now. Some fixable, some not.

We love our current home, and love the local community, but so tired of living right next to a freeway and train station. And with two small children, the yard space and layout isn’t great. Ten years from now, it would probably be fine, except for the outdoor noise.

New home has amazing views and a wonderful SE exposure. Lots of yard for dogs and kids and great school system. But laundry is on the first floor next to the kitchen, instead of near the bedrooms, and kitchen is a bit dated, with cabinets that are in great shape, but not great quality. Other areas have a color scheme that’s dated as well, which bugs me. But no way I can justify expensive updates for things that are in great shape, but for the color.

I’ve come to realize, especially after reading this thread, that I need to be more zen about things and really focus on the positive, because there’s a lot of it! Can hardly wait to wake up to sunshine and the sound of birds singing in the morning!!

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tb001 New home has amazing views and a wonderful SE exposure. Lots of yard for dogs and kids and great school system. But laundry is on the first floor next to the kitchen, instead of near the bedrooms, and kitchen is a bit dated, with cabinets that are in great shape, but not great quality. Other areas have a color scheme that’s dated as well, which bugs me. But no way I can justify expensive updates for things that are in great shape, but for the color.

Maybe you could have connections for your washer and dryer installed somewhere upstairs, so that you could relocate the laundry area? I could see how lugging laundry up and down stairs could eventually be quite a problem for many of us as we become older. Another possibility that helps some people in their old age, might be to have one of those stair lifts installed on your stairs later on if/when the stairs become difficult. I am thinking about the stairs, mostly because both Frank and I are at a point in our lives in which we try to avoid stairs whenever we can, due to age, arthritis, joint issues, and so on. That may not be the case for you now, but might be later on.

As for the updates and color schemes, I see your point. Maybe these could be addressed slowly over a decade or two, giving you some time to possibly learn to like the present color schemes or else to relish each change as you slowly put them in place.

I am so lucky with my present home! The prior owner decorated and painted exactly to my own tastes. At first I was concerned because the laundry room is on the opposite corner of the first floor from my bedroom, not close even in this one story home. But I bought a terrific laundry cart that completely solved the problem in my case.

[6miths]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcowan Set up the work schedule for the kids: pool cleaning day each weekend in the summer, lawn mowing each Thursday, snow shovelling outings in the winter. Just watch the nostalgia disappear after a month!

Problem is all of the kids save one who is living at home for first couple years of college have flown the nest. They didn't do too badly pulling their weight when here. And I enjoy doing the lawn and gardens - therapy for me - just would be happy to do maybe 3/4 of an acre less of them.

[4legsgood]

I enjoy my house in a safe and appreciating neighborhood. Small one level ranch, wood floors, large private yard, lots of light but stays cool in the summer thanks to maple tree. 5 minute drive to all shopping. Love the wood stove, good school district, and my lake cabin is just 40 minutes away if no rush hour. Both the cabin and the house would be less valuable to me without the other.
I'd prefer more walkable, but walkable neighborhoods seem to have more crime and noise and are more expensive.

The one huge drawback for me is all the mowing. The two properties add up to almost an acre of mowing. Right now, nothing is growing fast, and it's wonderful!

[tb001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Maybe you could have connections for your washer and dryer installed somewhere upstairs, so that you could relocate the laundry area? I could see how lugging laundry up and down stairs could eventually be quite a problem for many of us as we become older. Another possibility that helps some people in their old age, might be to have one of those stair lifts installed on your stairs later on if/when the stairs become difficult. I am thinking about the stairs, mostly because both Frank and I are at a point in our lives in which we try to avoid stairs whenever we can, due to age, arthritis, joint issues, and so on. That may not be the case for you now, but might be later on. As for the updates and color schemes, I see your point. Maybe these could be addressed slowly over a decade or two, giving you some time to possibly learn to like the present color schemes or else to relish each change as you slowly put them in place. I am so lucky with my present home! The prior owner decorated and painted exactly to my own tastes. At first I was concerned because the laundry room is on the opposite corner of the first floor from my bedroom, not close even in this one story home. But I bought a terrific laundry cart that completely solved the problem in my case.

Yes! We're definitely looking into having a W/D unit installed upstairs, but makes it a bit odd to have it downstairs as well--that space becomes more difficult to use. I really wanted a single story house, but my DH refused to consider that in our purchasing plans. We're planning on 15-20 years here and then will downsize, so that puts him ~70--well into the age where he may regret being so obstinate about it!

On colors/decor, we'll change some of the easy stuff soon and try to modernize what doesn't make sense to change with accessories, etc... Lots of Hunter green marble/granite. Right now paired with burgundy, but I think we can neutralize it a bit by pairing with creams and grays.

Just a really helpful thread in gaining perspective!

[laurence]

House is ok, but we love the backyard. I can even get a hole or two in for free at dusk:

[Scrapr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurence House is ok, but we love the backyard. I can even get a hole or two in for free at dusk:

ahhh, just like my Youth (ute?) stay off the 1st & the 9th and lots of golf in between!

[Quantum Sufficit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIREmenow Both. ~450sqft of exceptional waterfront where ever we choose......

Is that an American tug?

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[old woman]

I bought the perfect house for me last fall when I was 69. It is 3 bedrooms 2 bath, one story, 2 car garage on a small lot. Two bedrooms aren't used at all but you need to buy that many to get the good kitchen and extra bathroom about 1700sf, 20 years old.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Optionallyretired Just wondering. Is your home an affordable abode or the space of your dreams, which one are you? Some find enjoyment from a nice home they really enjoy while others couldn't really care less Being a rather frugal type of site (natural for early retirees of course) I would expect most people's homes to be rather affordable. Just wondering really Cheers

I guess I consider our Island place as a good compromise between affordable and dream home. True, 40 years ago, I would have considered it to be a dream home. Now, I recognize that it's kind of small (just a 2/2) and it's an older place with some "issues." Still, it has a million dollar view (at about half that) and it needs no AC or heat - well, most days, anyway.

If wishes were condos, I would have a bigger, nicer, better, etc. place. But, for now, it's affordable though more expensive than I would ever have thought in my youth. YMMV

[1242Vintage]

Love our home.

4 bed/2-1/2 bath with a nearly one acre yard. We have owned the house for over twenty years, very quiet location and neighborhood is great, No mortgage, and property taxes are reasonably affordable. I’m an avid mountain bike rider and racer and I am literally a 5 minute bike ride from world-class trails that I can ride year round.

Funny quick story. Three years ago when my youngest kid was getting ready to fly off to college, she left the water running upstairs, it overflowed, and flooded our house. Lots of damage, which started a major and much needed renovation and updating project. Beyond the immediate interior damage repairs every inch interior and exterior was updated with energy efficiency in mind, including new HVAC, water heater, insulation, gas fireplace, kitchen appliances, etc.

The real treat for me is my updated garage and workshop. Those got the full make over too. Now the shop is my very comfortable, clean, and organized heated space complete with all the essentials (large screen TV, heat, and small fridge) any handyman needs to work on hobbies and projects.