Pursuit of Happiness: What Won Us Over

When Dave and I were brand new to house hunting, we started off the process with an excessive amount of research. We got organized, but not before making a prioritized wish list. We saw several houses that came well-equipped with several items on our wish list. We were able to decide which items were crucial and which were frivolous, but how did we choose one house?

You may recall that we had narrowed our search to two similar homes. Actually, they were very similar.

So what finally won us over? Our guts.

You guys, I was so organized throughout this house hunting process. I went from total dummy to self-proclaimed expert in a matter of days thanks to lots and lots of research. I documented everything - every fact, every number, every anecdote. I kept trying to view it as a piece of property, an investment, but that's not what a house is. It's a home, and no amount of spreadsheets or venn diagrams in the world can help you choose something so close to your heart.

Our house was the first one we looked at. I know it sounds cliché, but it was love at first sight. I stumbled upon it on a whim, while searching for upcoming open houses in our area of interest. I knew that it was our house as soon as I saw photos of it. Visiting the open house absolutely confirmed that hunch.

I never had "that feeling" that every bride is supposed to get when they try on "the gown," but I had that feeling with our house. I saw our things in this home. I saw us relaxing on our couch by the fire, reading some good books on a cold night. I saw our wedding photos on the walls and us smiling at them through the next few decades. I saw kids running down the stairs and gasping as they saw lots of glimmering gifts beneath a beautiful Christmas tree. I tried to push these dreams out of my head and remain objective, but I was attached.

We looked at several more homes, and even found another home that, objectively, we liked just as much. They both looked great on paper, but one just felt more like home. The only way to truly remain objective was to bring in expert opinions. We brought our realtor to this house (without telling him our feelings for it). He told us that it was a great house and that we were fortunate to find it at such a reasonable price. Once under contract, we had inspector take a closer look. Even he was impressed.

I think it's important not to get too attached too early in the house hunting process; but once you know in your gut that you've found The One, I've learned it's important to trust your instincts.

If you've house hunted before, were you sentimental or logical? If you're still in the planning stages, which way do you think you'll end up leaning?