We are searching for a larger house.
Sort of.
The "sort of" is the source of our on-going discussions and assertions of differing viewpoints. Right now, we own a cozy two bedroom condo right in the heart of a bustling river town. We have walking access to just about everything we could need. Out of infant Tylenol? Need a gallon of milk? Have a craving for an ice cream cone or a gourmet coffee drink? We need only walk a few blocks and we have a grocery store, drug store, dozens of excellent restaurants, a wine shop (mmm...ChocoVine!), a fantastic library, several parks and playgrounds, schools, the express train to New York City...well, you get the idea. We are in a major hub. Ideally, we would purchase a larger home in this or one of the neighboring towns with a similar composition. If it were not for the taxes. We can afford a nice home with everything we are looking for. But, the taxes? Notsomuch. Not where we would really like to live.
And, there is where we don't see eye to eye.
Most of my childhood was spent living in a rural setting. I remember well needing to get in the car to go anywhere. It's just something you get used to. My husband has always lived where we are right now. The need to drive to a park or to a place to safely take a walk is foreign to him. I adore our town, our condo and the just-out-the-front-door access to everything we could want. What I'm not so fond of is the lack of space and the price we pay for such conveniences. While I will certainly miss the walkability, I'm willing to make the move out of town to have what we do not right now: much more space inside and green space outside.
We're trying to figure out how to make a compromise. It is not easy.
So, for now, we look at online listings. When we see something that looks like it could be of interest, we'll do a drive-by to see if we like the property, the neighborhood. And repeat. Eventually we will make a real decision about a town and compromises we are willing to make. Right now, we talk and look and wait.
That can definitely be a problem.
ReplyDeleteMaybe try looking for something more rural but has a little town type area for shopping and stuff? Like you can drive there and walk around for the day.
It's hard! I grew up in a rural setting, then moved to an urban setting, back to rural life, again with the urban life - and finally back to rural life!!
ReplyDeleteWhile I miss the train into the city and the ability to take a walk to get pretty much anything we wanted/needed....I much prefer the quiet and quaint for our girls :)
A very hard choice...but you will get there and it will be worth it all!! We have faith!!!
ReplyDeleteOh boy ... do I ever know what you're going through. Here in CT. the prices are high for everything it seems. We would like to list our house late this Spring ... and buy something a bit smaller, perhaps a townhome vs. a house as we no longer need the green space with no little ones to raise, and no one wanting to garden and maintain the yard, driveway and walkways as we get older. The problem comes in with my wanting to live closer to the shore line (right on the water would be great but I know we can never afford that option), but a town on the water would be perfect, of course convincing the DH that we can afford such a place is going to involve magic of some sort.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your search, and your compromises Jen, they won't ever be easy, but they'll always be worth it.