Kissing Frogs

A couple of people have complained that I'm not updating my blog often enough. Yippee! People are reading and they care. I'll admit, I have been a slacker lately and I promise to post regularly from this point forward. I also promise that not all future posts will be about house browsing. Once spring arrives and I find things that catch my attention, you will see more photos taken by me as well. Now, with all that said, let's move on to what is on my mind today.

Of course it has to do with house browsing because that has been the focus of my attention this week. I've realized there is so much to pay attention to when looking at houses, not just with the house itself, but also the surrounding area. Does it have bus stop in front of it? Is it on a high traffic street? Is there an apartment building next door? Is the neighbor's yard filled with cars or is their yard well maintained? Is it across the street from a high school? Is it on a corner lot? Are there extremely large trees in jeopardy of falling on the house? Is it directly behind a liquor store (yes, I did drive by one that was - note the words drive by, not stopped by)? The number of things to consider is dizzying. Yes, I'm fully aware that I fret too much and some things can be overlooked if it's the right house.

I've also realized that as a single income person (not a large single income), I can only afford homes within a certain price range. Further, it seems that all the houses within my price range are "special" in some way. I expect some uniqueness and I expect to have a few items I'll have to repair or pretty up, but the degree of specialness I've seen lately is causing me to doubt my search for my future dwelling place. You know you're in trouble when the real estate agent gets to the house first and greets you at the door by saying, "Let's go see the next house." My mom is still wondering just how bad that one was; I've moved on.

Searching for the right house is much like searching for Mr. Right. As we all know, you sometimes have to kiss a lot of frogs first. Apparently I'm deep into the frog kissing stage of this house thing. For those who may want to chastise me and tell me that no man and no house are perfect, I realize that. I'm not looking for the perfect house (or the perfect man), but I am looking for the one that is perfect for me. You may say they are one and the same, I say that's not true. When I say I'm looking for the one that is perfect for me, I'm saying I know there will be flaws and there will goofy things that others will find annoying, but for me and my personality, it will suit me and be endearing and achieve near perfection in my eyes.

So the browsing continues. I know I'm probably driving my mom, step dad, and real estate agent crazy but I really can't help it. The right frog that will turn into an enchanted cottage hasn't come along yet. When it does, I will know it, and I will see beyond the warts and rough exterior to the beautiful life I will build inside its walls.