House Hunters

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Note:  I wrote this last night but I didn’t get around to publishing it until this morning — Sorry! 

 

I am so tired!  Running on 4 hours of sleep and house hunting for 13 hours is enough to do anyone in!

 

We met with a realtor in the town of Tega Cay and Baxter (both in South Carolina) to check out homes! It was SO exciting because we’ve been renting together for 2.5 years.

 

Walking over the threshold of the first home we looked at:

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YAY!

 

The first home was in Tega Cay, which is a mostly residential community.  We’re checking out South Carolina because the property taxes are MUCH lower than North Carolina.  This first house wasn’t anything special from the curb, but when I walked in, I discovered it was 3 stories and had an outside deck on each level!

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Next, we decided to check out a small area called Baxter, which is DEFINITELY more "our speed."  It appealed to the Urban Planner in me because it’s a mixed-use development and you can walk from the homes to parks, a running trail, a shopping area, and several restaurants (like a wine bar AND a British pub!).

 

The second home we looked at was nice, but it was too small.

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The third home was perfect! I want this one so badly. It’s a corner lot, has a picket fence (!!), fronts a green space, has a detached garage, and has a nice little yard for the dogs.

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Love it.  We’re not actively looking to buy anything (the Husband has 1 year left of school in Orlando still), but checking out houses gave us a good idea of what we could afford in the area.

 

Here are my eats of the day.

 

Mid-morning snack: 1/2 a box of a single serving Kashi Heart to Heart.

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Lunch was from Subway.  I had a 6 inch wheat sammie with turkey, pickles, lettuce, mustard, and onions.  With a side of baked BBQ Lays.

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Mid-afternoon snacks…. a True Delight bar.

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And nuts:

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Dinner included a side salad…

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And peel and eat shrimp, steamed veggies, and wild rice (not shown).  I ate about 1/2 of everything.

CIMG3030I’m BEAT!  We’re finally in Charlotte, and our new hotel has a really great gym (I walked in and checked it out).  But it’s 10:15 and I’m way too tired to run, so I’m going to hit the hay and wake up early to sneak in a run and the Shred before everyone rises.

 

GOOD NIGHT!

 

Describe YOUR dream home!  Ours would be 2 stories, Colonial or Queen Anne style, have 3 – 4 bedrooms, a garage, a fenced in backyard, and be within walking distance to a park, shops, and restaurants. 

{ 35 comments }

 

  • Erica March 20, 2009, 5:07 am

    OH MY GOSH! This is so exciting! If you move to SC, We have to meet up!!!! Love Love the houses. Very cute, very SC!

  • Jess March 20, 2009, 5:12 am

    Oh those houses are really nice. Especially that last one! I think it’s smart to start looking around and gauging what’s in your price range!

  • One Healthy Apple March 20, 2009, 5:19 am

    Did you go to school for urban planning? That’s what my fiance does and I have learned A LOT about it! Our new house is my dream home- the scariest purchase we have ever made, but worth every last penny!

    Love the threshold picture and have a great trip!

  • VeggieGirl March 20, 2009, 5:19 am

    SO FANTASTIC AND EXCITING!!

  • Bi0nicw0man March 20, 2009, 5:23 am

    You and I have very similar tastes! We are in our starter home now which is sort of a bargain version of what we really want. Next place will have a bigger kitchen and a full recreation room (mainly for hubby and his guitars and big TV…hehe).

  • Mica March 20, 2009, 5:32 am

    Wow, busy lady! Thanks for taking pictures so we could share in the excitement of house hunting with you!

  • Brandi March 20, 2009, 5:36 am

    How fun!!! I love looking at house, even though we’re not seriously looking yet either.

    we really want a log cabin with no neighbors around 🙂 BUT close enough to a town/city to still have fun stuff to do, too.

  • emilydh211 March 20, 2009, 5:42 am

    I have always loved the ranch style houses. Like the ones that are just one story but are really spreed out.

    I just love the Charlotte area, it is a really great place to live!

    Good luck with the house hunting!

  • therunningaddict March 20, 2009, 5:48 am

    Wow the houses are so different from how they are where I come from!
    Its hard to think of my dream home – it would definitely have a massive library, a gym and a whole little house for my family and friends to stay at!

  • Amanda March 20, 2009, 5:50 am

    i LOVE baxter village! if my husband and i looked there before we bought the house we’re in, we so would’ve bought there 🙂 i particularly love the homes with the double porches (plantation style?) Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!

  • dailygoods March 20, 2009, 5:51 am

    ah those houses are picture perfect!!! so beautiful 🙂

  • Lynne March 20, 2009, 5:53 am

    I love the last house – that one would be my choice too. I grew up in MD and love the historic victorian and bungalow homes.

  • greendogwine March 20, 2009, 5:56 am

    Love that 3rd house – it looks amazing! God – house hunting is sooooo much fun! I miss it!

  • tfh March 20, 2009, 5:56 am

    House hunting is so fun– and I agree w/ therunningaddict, it’s so fascinating to see the different architectural styles. Real estate is so expensive around here (although obviously getting less so) that it’s been hard for me to even dream!

  • Elina March 20, 2009, 5:57 am

    Wow, those houses look amazing. I’m trying to mentally figure out how many millions this would cost in Boston 🙁
    My husband and I are actually in the market, trying to buy a place now, so I know exactly what our requirements are (ok, maybe not a dream home but definitely good for our first place) – 3 bedrooms, huge kitchen, lots of closets, big garage 🙂 … and in Boston (ok, now I’m dreaming!)

  • Dori March 20, 2009, 6:12 am

    I love the picture over the threshold! This is so exciting to look at houses — I feel like we are too young to be doing this and it is like playing house, but really that is not the case!

  • Haleigh March 20, 2009, 6:18 am

    I am so excited for you!! I have no idea what our dream house would be except that it would be walking distance to a park, stores, etc!

  • just me March 20, 2009, 6:20 am

    oh, i def like the first house, and the one you really liked! i dont’ even know what my dream home would look like…i can’t seem to stay in one spot long enough to decide!

  • Lori March 20, 2009, 6:30 am

    I love House Hunters!

    It will be good if you do a sex offender search using zip codes. It is a free search and you can do it online for free.

    http://www.nsopw.gov

    You will be surprise how many you find (even women) even in nice areas!

    Good luck!

  • AshleyT March 20, 2009, 6:39 am

    The 3rd house is SOOO cute!!

  • Katie March 20, 2009, 6:42 am

    All of those houses are adorable!

    Our dream home would probably be the home we own now, just moved to be lakefront with a master suite added.

  • Sarah W. March 20, 2009, 6:49 am

    house hunting – what fun!!!!!

    we would like a tradition 2 level shouse (with a 3rd level as a baseemnt) 3-4 bedrooms 2.5bath

    2 car garage

    nice yard.

  • Oh She Glows March 20, 2009, 7:03 am

    I LOVE the 3rd house- so cute complete with a picket fence!!!

  • Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point March 20, 2009, 7:16 am

    lori – thanks for the info! that’s definitely something important to consider. i remember that i did that search on my old house and there was like 20 sex offenders within a mile of my house. that’s miami for you!

  • Run Saraaah March 20, 2009, 7:38 am

    Those homes are gorgeous! I would love any house or townhouse right now, but we will probably stay in our 1 bedroom city apartment until we have kids…because we both love being in the city more!

  • lauren March 20, 2009, 9:05 am

    the houses are SO cute!

  • Rose March 20, 2009, 9:11 am

    My dream home needs to include two things:
    1) a big kitchen
    2) a front porch

    Those are really the only two things I care about.

  • aron March 20, 2009, 10:13 am

    those houses are awesome!!! so fun 🙂

    me and my hubs really want a house with LAND… like a couple acres. then our dogs can run around and we can get more dogs too 🙂 i want big one story with lots of rooms and a big kitchen and a pool and area for a big bbq 🙂

  • RhodeyGirl/Sabrina March 20, 2009, 10:43 am

    looks beautiful there.

    my dream home: plenty of room for all the babies i want 😉

  • Melissa March 20, 2009, 10:59 am

    House hunting is so much fun.

    We currently have a 3 level townhome. I would love a single family home – 1 level w/ basement on a good sized lot.

  • Andrea of Care to Eat March 20, 2009, 11:08 am

    The hubby and I have only had 1 bathroom for years, so right now, a dream home would consist of anything with two toilets.

  • Christine March 20, 2009, 12:08 pm

    My dream home is a “Georgia” style home with a large porch….gas lanterns…fans on the porch…walk out basement…double decker porch on the back with a pool….I’m dreaming! haha

  • eatingRD March 20, 2009, 1:22 pm

    Those houses look like southern charm! How beautiful and exciting to look! My fiancee and I just opened escrow on a townhouse in Vegas. We’re excited and nervous. I’ll have to post pictures, have fun in Charlotte 🙂

    -kristen

  • livelovelaugheatlearn March 21, 2009, 5:14 am

    Oh those houses are so beautiful!!!!

    My dream house is a tiny little cottage. There is one near my house and I drool ever time I walk past!!

  • whitsgettingfit July 27, 2009, 9:15 am

    So, I am just now reading the Charlotte posts, and may I say I LOVE Baxter! It is one of my favorite mixed use neighborhoods. The houses there are so cute!

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