House Hunters‘ married couple Sara and Bryce want a forever home in the suburbs of Kansas, MO. They’re high school sweethearts who married and started a family young, and have been living at their current home for five years. Bryce and Sara need a new place because they don’t have the budget to renovate the old onne.
Their next best option is to find a new place that can become their dream home. The couple consult their realtor, Bryce’s dad, for advice and guidance. He is going to have a tough time finding a place that fits both of their wish lists, because clearly they’re going to be giving conflicting requests.
They have a budget of $230,000.
Wish Lists
His: Bryce wants a fixer-upper with a craftsman style. He also wants a finished basement or den for them to entertain, and to have family time with their two boys. He doesn’t want the boys’ rooms to be too close to the master bedroom. Bryce wants some privacy with his wife.
Hers: Sara wants a farmhouse with none to very few construction projects. She wants a walk-in pantry and a dining room.
They both want a place with three to four bedrooms, and a fenced backyard for their sons and dog.
House #1, $209,950
This home doesn’t match any of the styles that Sara or Bryce request, but it’s new and contemporary, so more of Sara’s style. It has floor to ceiling windows that bring the house a lot of natural light. It is an open concept, which was one of their list items. It also has a walk-in pantry–Sara is very excited about this.
The kitchen is also eye-catching and updated, but they want to replace the countertops. There is also no private dining room, and the backyard needs a fence. There is also no stairs to let them go to the backyard from their deck. It does have a private suite and family recreation area.
House #2, $180,000
This house is way under budget because it’s stuck in a time warp. It was built in 1981 and definitely looks like it, and the house is overwhemingly brown. The kitchen is big-ish but very boxed-in. Bryce likes the bolted ceiling and sees this place as a good fixer-upper, but Sara doesn’t think that they have the time or budget for all the changes that it needs.
The best thing about this place is the big game room in the basement. It also has a neat extra feature with the sunroom, and a space for Sara’s dining room.
House #3, $239,900
This place also doesn’t fall within their desired designs. It’s a split level home, so they’re greeted by stairs, but they lead to a wonderful kitchen. This place is also an open concept home, without a real dining room. The kitchen is ideal for Sara and Bryce, especially with the huge island.
The master bedroom is pretty close to the other rooms, so they still wouldn’t have privacy. The backyard has no fence and slanted because of the hills.
Decision Time: To us, this one seemed like a no-brainer. Home #2 just needed to be completely changed to bring into modern times, and there is no way they could move-in in less than a year. House #3 was great, but over budget. And you could see the frustration in Bryce’s eyes about having to possibly not get privacy again.
The only viable option was…House #1.
The couple indeed picked that home. They paid $212,450 for it due to the closing costs. Bryce has already been hard at work building a fence. The couple joke about only moving if they win the lottery.
Side note: Bryce’s dad did a great job finding them places, especially for someone who just got his license. Having a realtor in the family seems like the key to getting great options and great deals.
Be the first to comment