House #17

Well, this place is just cute, cute, cute from the photos! Early 1900s, partially restored, on the bank of a dry creek and almost within view of the river, this is another one in my hometown. So despite several misgivings (no acreage, in town, and a Google Earth tour of the unappealing surroundings...) we took a trip to see it. Unfortunately, the surroundings are just as bad in person as in Google, and the immediate area is not zoned single family. There are some nice historic houses in the next block, but this one is close to a commercial district and (the worst deal-breaker) has a ramshackle welding shop right outside its front gate! It's also small, and comparatively overpriced for the area at $199,900. It appears to have only one bedroom and one bath in the main house, with an unfinished "half" upstairs, and a very small 1/1 guest house. This was just listed, and is still active.

Pros:
Right age and style
Attractive bones
Still needs some work
Close to river
Reasonable distance from home

Cons:
No acreage; in town
Unattractive surroundings
Not zoned single family
Very small
Not close enough to river
Expensive for area

"House" #16

This one's not so much a house, as it USED to be a house. Almost 11 acres on the edge of development towards the lake, it is advertised as having a "tear down" built in 1900 on the property. Well, to me "tear down" is just a challenge...I wanted to see for myself just how bad it was. In this case, they weren't exaggerating! Nothing left but a shell. No view and too close to development to boot. Listed for $350,000, it's still for sale.

Pros:
Since there's no house, I can't really list any

Cons:
No house
Too close to development
No view
Too expensive

House #15

Be still my heart! Oh, this is a heartbreaker! "1865 historic plantation home ready to restore, occupied by the original family for 3 generations...in the middle of a 128 acre ranch..." and on and on. It comes very close to being my dream house from the pictures and description. It has solid bones and gorgeous architectural features, but definitely needs some work. However (and there always seems to be one, or three), 1) it's in the Marlin area, which we already discounted as being too far away and not particularly attractive; and 2) it's listed at $390,000 which is really getting to the top, if not out of, our range (especially considering the work it would need)...but always the optimist, I wanted to see it anyway.

A good two and a half hour drive, it's past Marlin, and in an area of what might be described as "gently rolling pasture land." We turned on the farm-to-market road, searching for the property - and there it was - (here's however #3) right behind the county's power stations! That's what it looks out on; one on the same side of the road, and one across the road. (This property is still listed.)

Pros:
Great old home
Solid, with great bones
Needs work
Lots of acreage

Cons:
Too far away, in an already dismissed area
View of power stations
Too pricey

House #14

On the same drive as #13, we took a look at this little gem. This was built in 1908 and moved to its current acreage in 1978. The ad is contradictory regarding the number of acres - in one place it says five and another place it says 10.69. There are no pictures of the interior, but it is described as "classic architecture, wood floors, and beautiful wood paneling." Although visible from the road, it's set back, and is on a fairly secluded county road. Even better, it's only about 30 minutes from home. Listed at $270,000, it's not a bad deal. However, it's two story, and has no view to speak of.

Unfortunately, I had seen this listing in early December but by the time we got around to looking at it, it was already under contract. This is the only one of all we've seen so far that I think might have been a serious contender. It remains listed as "Pending."

Pros:

Cute old Victorian

On acreage (although perhaps not enough)

Good location

Presumed to have good bones

Reasonable price

Cons:

No idea about inside condition

No view

Perhaps not enough acreage

Ad states there is no AC (although it lists central heat)

Two story

House #13

So now it's January, and time for another drive. This is not at all the age (it was built in 1948) or exterior style I'm looking for, but the interior photos caught my eye. It's really cute inside, and has a lot of the features I like. But like so many others, it's only on a little over an acre, and has already been renovated. However, it's close (only about 45 minutes away), and the ad said it was "surrounded by acreage" (someone else's) so I thought it was worth a look. It was listed for $124,900 (not bad at all) and is now listed for $123,900.

However, besides the fact that it doesn't have its own acreage, it's very close to another house, and visible from a busy highway, so that's three strikes.

Pros:
Close location
Good bones
Low price

Cons:
Not enough acreage
Not private enough
Not really the right style
Already renovated

House #12

The last house on that drive, this is described as a "100+ year old farmhouse ready to be remodeled." Just what I'm looking for, right? It's also close to home and I can see some definite potential in the interior. But again, it's only on half an acre, and right on the road. It would need a LOT of work, which is not a bad thing, if it were on some acreage. However, I could never live with the off-center front doors and windows. This house is listed for $99,900 and is still on the market.

Pros:
Old farm house
Good interior architectural bones
Close location
Needs lots of renovation
Very low price

Cons:
No acreage
No view; on road
Off-center front elevation

House #11

Same drive, third verse. A little farther away, but still a very reasonable hour from home, this one's a beauty. Although I knew from the listing that it was only on one acre, I was so attracted to the pictures that I wanted to see it. Another 1910 farm house, it's the perfect style and has beautiful architectural features. It's been totally renovated, but very beautifully, and is listed for $197,000. True to experience, however, the reality does not match the virtual. The one acre lot sits in the middle of new development. (This property is still on the market.)

Pros:

Great old farm house

Great architectural bones

Close location

Reasonable price

Cons:

No acreage

No view; on road

In a developed area

Already renovated

House #10

On the outskirts of the same town as #9 sits this 1910 farm house on 5.29 acres, which was listed for $195,700. It still has some good bones, but has been updated quite a lot.  (I neglected to save the listing photos, so I can't go back and review the details.) Unfortunately, it sits on a flat field right between two roads, and doesn't have much going for it, location-wise. (This house was still listed last week, but no longer is.)

Pros:
Old house
Retains some "bones"
Close location
A little bit of acreage
Reasonable price

Cons:
Not enough acreage
No view
No privacy
Has been updated

House #9

Moving on to December, and another road trip. It seems like all the recent viewings have been in towns. I think for awhile I tried to convince myself that living in a small town wouldn't be that bad...This small town is not far at all from home, but again on the "flat side" of the freeway. It's a fairly picturesque small town, however, with lots of old houses (some of which, unfortunately, are falling down beyond repair, which just breaks my heart).

The top photo is an 1899 Victorian listed for $83,900! That's not a typo! It looks to be a total rehab project (although it unfortunately appears that the windows have been replaced), and would be a great find if it were on some acreage (although it's two story and a bit large for our needs). It has a great wrap-around porch that we lust after (as have the last three). The bottom photo is the view from the front porch - a historic church across the street that is also for sale - one of two or three on the street. (This house is still listed.)

Pros:
Beautiful old house
Good bones
Solid, but a definite restoration project
Good distance
Bargain price!

Cons:
In town
Two story
Replacement windows

House #8

On the same trip, we took a quick detour to the next town over from Marlin to check out this 1906 Victorian listed for $158,000. This one definitely has some good bones and would need cosmetic work, but it's in the middle of another unattractive town, and never really a contender. (This house is still listed.)

Pros:
Cute old home
Good architectural bones
Low price

Cons:
In town
Unattractive area
Too far away

House #7

Outside of Marlin is this property listed as a "beautifully restored 1891 farm house on 10 acres with additional 60 acres available" for $249,900. The interior photos look more like "replaced" than restored. It looks like all the original doors, windows, and trim have been replaced, as well as the roof and siding. It also sits right on the road, although that particular road is about the only pretty area we saw on our Marlin drive. (This property is still for sale.)

Pros:
"Old" house
On acreage
Reasonable price

Cons:
Too much updating; not enough good "bones"
Two story
No view; on road
Not a scenic area
Too far away

House #6

If real estate websites are any indication, then Marlin, TX, seems to be the mecca of historic homes - so next up was a trip to Marlin. This house was not really a serious contender since it is in town and has already been renovated, but the inside was beautiful enough in the photos to make me want to take a drive-by. A 1905 Colonial Revival on a large city lot (and beautifully updated), it was priced at only $117,000! (This house is no longer listed.)

Well, here's the deal with Marlin - it was a very prosperous railroad town in the early 20th century, and many beautiful homes were built. No longer prosperous, it is a decaying town in a unscenic area, with a bunch of historic homes available cheap. In addition, it's at least a couple of hours from home.

Pros:
Old home
Beautiful architectural details
Low price

Cons:
In town (an ugly town at that)
Already renovated
Too far away

House #5

So by November we were on a roll, and branching out. We decided to explore north Texas. This well-maintained property was built in 1930 (not as old as I prefer) and sits on 16 acres. It's over two hours away, which is getting out of my comfort zone, and is really a larger house than we need. The area is rather flat, with no view to speak of, and it sits right on the county road (I prefer something not visible from the road). The interior has some nice architectural features, but it's already been fully renovated, and doesn't retain its original windows (one of my preferences). It also has lots of dark wood paneling and trim - beautiful to some (including Mr. Dream House), but NOT what I want in my next house, and I think seeing it painted over would be painful for Mr. D.H. (This property is priced at $230,000, and is still on the market.)

Pros:
Pretty good size acreage
Good architectural bones
Has some outbuildings (a plus)
Reasonable price

Cons:
Not old enough
Too far away
No view and on road
Already renovated
Windows not original
Dark woodwork
Two story

House #4

Another October weekend drive...here's the ad copy "35 acres of private paradise within commuting distance to Austin. Old 1915 farmhouse on property - leave for character, rehab, or tear down." I knew from the pictures that it was too far gone, but was so intrigued I had to see it.

This one's a short 30 minutes or so from home, but on the "flat" side of the freeway. Nothing but flat fields all around. Listed at $325,000 it's pricey acreage, and the price of rehabbing that place would have put it way out of our range. There were no pictures of the interior, so no clue about that. (This was still listed a few days ago, but no longer is.)

Pros:
Ummm...it's old?
Close distance
Good amount of acreage

Cons:
Two story
Ugly landscape
Needs too much work
Costs too much for the above

House #3

October now - prime driving weather - and this little farm house happens to be in my home town. Well, it's on the far edge of town, but still technically in town. About an hour and half from (current) home, built in 1900 on 4 acres. I don't really have much good to say about this one, other than it looks better from a distance! (And that it's priced at $139,000.)

First off, I'd HAVE to center that front door! Secondly, the interior is stuck squarely in the 70s, with none of the original early 20th century "bones" left to pick. And third, it appears to have asbestos siding - not something we want to deal with. (This house is currently under contract.)

Pros:
Old
Reasonable distance
One story
Low price
Definitely a renovation project
My home town

Cons:
In town
Not enough acreage
No view
No architectural bones
Asbestos siding
My home town

House #2

It was September before the house-hunting bug bit again, and the ad for this one snagged us hook, line, and sinker! (I still can't look at the photos without swooning...) Over a three-hour drive away (already a negative), it was advertised as "around 100 years old" on 23.84 acres near the edge of a small town. Perfect! The pictures were all captivating, and it was priced at a very reasonable $275,000. We couldn't wait to go see it!

So what was wrong? Well, besides being a VERY long drive, what the top picture doesn't show is that apparently the property only includes a narrow right-of-way along that drive, and on one side sits another house (very close to this house), and on the other side sits a mobile home! No, sorry, not the view we want from our front porch. Our hearts sank. (This home is no longer on the market.)

Pros:
Exactly the style of house we're looking for
Good architectural bones
Some updating done but could use more
Nice size property
Reasonable price

Cons:
Too far from current area
The "view" is a mobile home
Doesn't really need "renovating," just some cosmetic work
Not private enough

CHAPTER 1 - THE SEARCH

House #1

The first time we actually drove out and looked at a listing was last February (2011). Only a short drive from the city (maybe 30 minutes), it was advertised as built in 1918 on a one acre lot (this was before I realized just how small one acre is), and is perched on a hill overlooking the lake - gorgeous! And priced at only $239,000 (a steal for the area).

So what could be wrong? Well, besides the fact that this house isn't on the kind of private acreage we want, the neighborhood could best be described as "trailer park." It remains listed today (almost a year later) at a price of $235,000.

Pros:
Old house
Gorgeous view
Good condition
Good price
Close to home (maybe too close; not really "country")

Cons:
Not on acreage
Undesirable neighborhood
Two story
Already renovated
Doesn't have the kind of interior architectural "bones" that we're looking for

INTRODUCTION

So this is my first foray into the blog world...I'll begin by telling a little a bit about myself and what I hope to create.

My husband and I have both worked for a large state university for more years than we care to admit, and are yearning more and more for that not-too-far-off blissful sounding state called "retirement." Part of the dream (maybe more on my part than his) is to buy some acreage in the country and restore an old house. About a year ago we decided it would be a fun weekend diversion to start driving around various parts of the state to "see what's available." That quickly led to an obsession on my part with real estate websites, and the discovery that everything sounds SO much better when described in a real estate ad than when viewed in person! So far we have viewed more than 15 properties (from the outside and real estate photos only; we are not yet to point of working with an agent), and I have come to the conclusion that my Dream House does not exist (or on my better days, that it's just not for sale yet and I have to keep looking...). Admittedly we are a bit picky; hopefully this will be our "forever" house, and we have certain criteria we hope to meet. One is location - not too far from our current city, but far enough to be "country" and preferably with a view; two is acreage - big enough to not be able to see the neighbors, but small enough to afford; and three is the house itself, which comes with a whole separate set of criteria. In order to be my dream house, it must be an OLD house, preferably early 1900s, and in a certain condition. Not falling down, but not already renovated; part of the dream is to renovate it ourselves. A one-story would be preferred, as we will obviously be aging. And of course there's the issue of price, which seems to vary greatly with area. What I've found so far is that all the great old houses seem to be in towns, and all the great acreages have no house or a newer house. So it seems we have a conundrum on our hands...how to have it all!

So come along and share my search, and maybe one day we'll drive up to "The One" and like little Susan in Miracle on 34th Street I'll yell "stop the car" and go running into what I know is Home.