house hunters

we bought a house! yes! i can't believe i get to write those words and so soon after my mournful blog post of last week.

despite begging and pleading, jamie would never agree to be on house hunters so i decided to go for second best, house hunters a la blog. here is the catch, these aren't just any random houses, we actually made offers on all of these, so we obviously like them all! but only bought one... oh and no prices here (although if i talk to you for two minutes i will inevitably disclose everything) but i have ranked the houses with dollar signs designating their relative price.

house #1 - craftsman charmer with an uncharming kitchen
the basics: 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms, 1910 sq ft. $$.

love the outside. original leaded windows, stone support beams. but... no parking. none, zero, zilch.

seriously, i can't stand it. built ins? brick fireplace? love.

 kitchen needs some work though and although it is not pictured here, the main floor both has zero storage space and the two bedrooms on the main floor are tiny with tiny closets to match.

house #2 - backyard oasis with a hefty price tag

the basics: 3 bedroom/2 bathrooms, 1,580 sq ft, $$$

funny enough, in all of the pictures of this house they never show the front (which is very decent looking). so here is the back. which is awesome. this picture doesn't do it justice, it is updated in a way that makes you just want to hang out in the backyard all of the time (sorry, couldn't find high resolution pictures)

 the kitchen is huge and it's remodeled!! no more explanation needed.

living room or large hallway? this is the only living space and it is on the way from the front door to the dining room. that's it. want a family room? you have to use one of the three bedrooms. which they have already kindly converted to a serious man cave (ugh).

house #3 - a steal on the other side of the tracks
the basics: 4 bedrooms/3 bathrooms, 2660 sq ft, $

this house has serious room to grow, 4 huge bedrooms with closets (just wait until i get to the master suite) and three bathrooms, one on each floor. the cute craftsman front (or what you can see of it around the giant trees) doesn't hurt either. but to get to the cute shops and restaurants and green lake you have to cross a super ugly, super busy street. just say aurora to any seattle-ite and they will cringe. still, the house is on a very nice, leafy suburban looking street.

not my style, but it was obviously someone's style back in 1926 because they windows and the fireplace are all original. the doorknobs are beautiful, crystal and brass. and the doors are all mahogany. they just don't make things like they used to.

did i mention this house has space? the entire 3rd floor is the master suite. new bathroom, teak floors and huge separate sitting area. even has a fireplace for ambiance. the basement is all new too, new bathroom, guest bedroom and family room! what you don't see is the kitchen which would definitely need some remodeling in the future.

okay, time to vote! which house should we pick? (or, ahem, did we pick?)