We have been looking since after the new year, mostly at little SLC 1950s bungalows or more run-down ones in Davis County whose repairs have scared us unskilled folk. I was also on the lookout for any home in the Lakepoint or Kamus areas but none ever came up that seemed to fit or we could afford. We settled on southeast Farmington homes mostly due to Glover Lane. Some of my ancestors were Glovers and I honestly felt drawn here. Stop-offs in Farmington going for a walk to the pond or drive to the cemetery also got me through some tough times when my parents were on their mission, and I have good childhood memories going to my aunt's old house there. Isaac, apart from all this, hand-picked the location as somewhere we could easily access several trails and the freeway. That we he can bike or easily commute to work downtown and I can get exercise or go exploring.
We never should have found this home in the first place because it was out of our price range and "For Sale By Owner". And yet the second day it was on the market I came across it anyway (and wanted to see it because I saw in the pictures its view of the Island of Wonder :D). It really just felt great from Day 1, even after disappointments got added to the mix. Of course I wondered if this was a bad financial decision since we were going for something really cheap, and I had my doubts about things the owner and inspector told us. But the Lord really helped us get through everything and blessed us to be able to have our own lovely space to call home.
When Isaac and I first saw it, we evaluated it like usual and these were the pros/cons he told me [my thoughts are in brackets]. I think these will be fun to have down the road when we look back at why we bought this house and how it all came to be.
Pros
-Location: I expect the quality of life to improve
significantly if I am able to bike to work, even occasionally [best mix of small-town feel/least amount of traffic and best access to the city]
-It has been a wonderfully updated house and well cared for
-It has a great view
-It is in a great neighborhood, on what is almost
a cul-de-sac
-Great schools for great resale value
-Baby grand piano and other furniture could be purchased
-May be able to rent it so we won't be stretched so tight
-Back yard is small and front/side yards are mostly boulders so it would be less work [this is actually a CON for me--I loved the yard at a nearby house that was an acre, had a huge tree with swing, playhouse, and garden boxes out back]
-Equal distance from parents/close to family [We never planned to stay this close, but we'll take that it's so handy. Neither set of parents has to get on the freeway to get to us, which I think will be a big blessing as we have babies and they age]
-Lots of room [I wasn't picky about bedroom size at all, but I do love that each room fits a queen bed and thus can be useful for lots of stages]
-Master Suite
-We could keep the house forever and it would meet our needs (aka wants) [I am still holding out that the Church or some other job will send us to Asia or Africa, but even so, we likely won't sell this so that we'll always have a permanent Utah home]
Cons
-Over the price we want to pay for our first home
-There are a lot of repairs that need doing first, including to get it ready for renters
-In a particularly strong earthquake zone and susceptible to mountain flooding/mudslides
-Steep on a hill, with settling issues
-Not the best back yard for children [I accepted this because we can walk to a park that has tennis courts ;)]
-Will need a fair amount of work to maintain it, due to its age of almost 40 years
Anyone reading this might disagree with many of these or think we're crazy to one extreme or another once you actually see it. But it's not about comparing it to other people's homes for better or worse but being grateful for what each person and home has. One of the things we have learned from house hunting and life planning in general is that the adage "to each his own" holds true. No one is right or wrong, we all just have different priorities, expectations, and dreams. So here's to several decades,we hope, in the new place of our dreams. :)
