Natalija wants to make the big leap from renter to homeowner. Her younger sister just graduated college, and Natalija believes that it makes no sense for them both to rent out apartments. So she wants to buy a home and rent it out to her sister. Natalija is currently dating Matt, a contractor who will help her pick and repair her new home.
The couple met in college, but only recently reconnected. Natalija has a $500,000 budget. She’s willing to go over it a little, but wants to stay under budget as much as possible.
Wish Lists
Natalija wants a move-in ready home, but Matt thinks that a fixer-upper is a better investment. It’ll be cheaper, and he can help her turn it into her dream home. Natalija believes it’ll be more affordable to live outside the city, so she aims to move towards the Medford area. Natalija loves the Spanish villa styles, but knows that those are very rare in Boston, so her aim is more towards buying a colonial style home.
Natalija’s new home needs to include parking, a white kitchen, granite countertops, updated appliances, and a small, low-maintenance yard. She also wants a laundry room. Natalija’s long list also includes a double vanity, an open concept floor plan, an extra bathroom, hardwood flooring, high ceilings, and a walk-in closet.
Can House Hunters really help Natalija get everything on her wish list?
House #1, $465,000
This bungalow style home is located in Medford. The unit doesn’t include parking, but it has many of the other things on Natalija’s wish list, like hardwood flooring, and a low maintenance backyard. The home also has two bedrooms, one bathroom, 1100 sq ft, a mud room, and a hot tub. The place is missing high ceilings, and it’s not an open concept layout.
Natalija also thinks the kitchen needs to be completely remodeled. She also doesn’t like that the laundry room is located in this weird unfinished area with a toilet. Also almost every room in this home is way too small. The only really big part of the home is the master bedroom and the semi-finished basement areas.
House #2, $529,000
This is a duplex home that is also located in the Medford area. It has two bedrooms, and one and a half bathrooms. It’s about 1200 sq ft with an open concept. The place is much bigger than the first home, and it has tall ceilings, hardwood flooring, and lots of counter space in the updated kitchen.
This home also comes with a laundry area, but Natalija doesn’t like that it’s located in the kitchen. There is also one parking spot and a shared yard.
House #3, $489,000
This home is a located in Everett, a location that’s a little further than where Natalija wanted to live. This is a colonial style home that is in mid-renovations. It has 1900 sq ft, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. It’s a mainly open concept with high ceilings, a dining room area, and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen.
The major issue with this home is that it needs the renovations finished, so there is a lot of potential work and costs.
Decision Time: House #2 was clearly the house that Natalija loved the most, but it was way over budget. House #3 needed the most attention and work, but if you have a contractor boyfriend, why not put him to work? House #1 was a good blend of low-cost, needing work, and having move-in ready aspects, but it was very small.
Natalija picked…House #3.
There were 25 offers for the home, but she won it at a $503,000 bid. Matt has been helping her remodel the place. He redid the floors, started finishing the bathroom, repainted the entire home, and he is still working on other elements of it. To help pay off the mortgage, Natalija also decided to rent out rooms in the place to her sister and her best friend.
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