genuine property virgins

So I'm an avid HGTV watcher. You might say I'm an addict. The good news is that we don't have cable or satellite service, so I don't watch it nonstop, all day long like I wish I could. But whenever I'm near a TV that possesses my channel, and it isn't already occupied, you better believe I will slyly switch it to HGTV, settle into the nearest couch, and veg. I could do it for hours at a time. When I was pregnant with Annabelle, I did just that (it's what I termed "bed rest"). And then she came out, and I've never done any one thing for any amount of consecutive hours since.

One of my favorite shows is House Hunters. This show cracks me up because even people who say they hate HGTV find themselves sucked right into these homebuyers' decisions. Will they buy House Number One, which had a great floor plan but a high price tag; House Number Two, with it's big backyard but in need of some repair; or House Number Three, with a beautiful kitchen but small bedrooms? And then everyone in the room weighs in because who doesn't want to win this competition anyhow? A similar show, Property Virgins, features new homebuyers buying their first home. I am constantly mocking the people who look at dozens of properties and never make a decision. Like, come on, just pick one already! You're never going to find the "perfect" house!

But let me tell you something: WE ARE THAT COUPLE. Minus the camera crew, we are that couple that wanders through perfectly livable home after perfectly livable home, and shakes our head because we're sure we'll find the "right" one next time. We have looked at dozens (and dozens) of homes. And we're still looking. 

We've made four offers: Offer one was on a fixer-upper that we were only willing to spend so much on, and the bank didn't like our offer. Offer Two was a duplex that we both loved; however, we put our offer in just twelve hours after a cash offer that was immediately accepted. Offer Three was on a darling townhome downtown (Jess could walk to work); we knew we were the second offer on this one, but we hoped the first would back out. They didn't. And Offer Four. Jess and I saw a house last week that we thought had solved our problems: shorter commute to work, huge backyard, incredible kitchen. We put an offer in, but when we woke up the next morning, both of us suddenly remembered the "hobbit basement" (it literally has six foot ceilings), the lack of a dining room (necessitating an add-on), and the final straw: there is only a large, jetted garden tub. Raise your hand if you want to stand in the tub and bathe your kids every day?

And so really, we are that couple. It's annoying. I'm to the point that I'll take almost anything. As long as it has a bath tub.

And maybe a really incredible kitchen.

P.S. The photos really have absolutely nothing to do with anything. Except that she's wearing her finest house hunting ensemble, and still. Nothing. (Sorry about the bit of blur - Jess grabbed the closest camera which was missing its flash. And our apartment has about as much natural light as a rat hole.)