House Hunters Steven and Olivia live in Elgin, IL. She works in the city as a salesperson for a cosmetic company, and he owns an ecommerce store that specializes in selling magic supplies. The couple loves Elgin because it has an traditional small town feel, and it also has some of the features that Chicago is known for, like skyscrapers.
Olivia and Steven currently own a small, cramp townhome with their dog Luna. They’re engaged and want to find a new home to grow their family, and to have a place for their wedding. Steven and Olivia have a budget of $350,000.
Wish Lists
They want a home closer to Chicago to lessen Olivia’s hour and half train commute to the city. Steven and her also want a spacious master bathroom in their new home. They want it to have double sinks and a clawfoot bathtub—except Steven doesn’t really want one because he’s very anti-bathtubs, because of the dirt and germs. Olivia and Steven also want a large kitchen with a large island and stove pushed against the wall. They also have one major quirky ask: enough space for a baseball field.
His: Steven wants a mid-century modern home with between three and five acres. He wants the large land for their wedding and the baseball field.
Hers: Olivia doesn’t want as much land. She believes that an acre or less is plenty of room for their wedding. Olivia also prefers farm style homes.
House #1, $359,900
This home is located in the Bartlett, IL area, a little closer to Chicago than Elgin. It’s a contemporary style home with four bedrooms, and three and a half bathrooms. It sits on a half acre of land. The moment Olivia and Steven enter the home, they’re greeted by a fascinating climate controlled plant area. As they continue their tour, they see a formal dining room, a formal living room, and an updated kitchen.
The kitchen is missing Olivia’s stove on the wall and big island. There is a three-season room, backyard, and big deck as some additional area. The backyard seems too small to Steven, but Olivia believes that, with a little work, it would be great for their wedding and his baseball field. This home also has a finished basement, large rooms, and a very spacious bathroom with Olivia’s dream tub.
House #2, $390,000
This home is located in Barrington, IL. It gives Olivia a similar commute as her current location. The place has three bedrooms, and two and a half bathrooms. The home is very rustic with exposed brick, high ceilings in the great room, and a large fireplace. The rustic charm comes with a price: it’s very outdated. The entire home would need some serious renovations.
The kitchen is one of the outdated rooms but it has a wall stove and a decent size island. The home also comes with a den and a laundry unit, which is hidden by an folded curtain. The best part of this home is that it comes with three acres.
House #3, $324,900
This home is located in Crystal Lake, IL, so it’s a little further from the train and Chicago. It’s a split level home with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. It’s on one acre of land, and it has been newly remodeled. Olivia and Steven immediately noticed the skylights and fireplace. They also love the kitchen with a white countertop, a wall stove, and plenty of storage. It also has a nice master bathroom with a stone shower.
The major issue with this home, besides location, is that the backyard feels small. They would have to have a front lawn wedding if they want enough room for it.
Decision Time: House #3 seemed the most move-in ready, but the location made it even harder for Olivia to commute to work. House #2 had way too many fixer upper projects with that huge budget. However, it did have the most character of the three places. House #1 was in the best location but the small backyard may mean that Steven wouldn’t get a baseball field.
Steven and Olivia picked…House #1.
They ended up buying it for $352,000, and removed some of the trees. This gave them plenty of backyard space for their wedding and baseball field.
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