I realized the other day that it’s been quite a while since I last blogged about how cold it is here. Last winter, when I was still new to the Rochester area, I continually found myself amazed at how cold it was. Temperatures reached the single digits? You bet I’d blog about it. Wind chills feel like -3? I’d blog about that too. Snowstorm? Pictures galore! After all, anything below 32 degrees is kind of a big deal to a native Texan. On Tuesday, amidst all the polar vortex hullabaloo this fine nation has been experiencing this winter, the wind chills hovered between -15 and -25 degrees…all day. And, you know, I thought nothing of it! It didn’t even get a mention on this little old blog! Kind of amazing what a difference a year makes, isn’t it? Granted, my skin (and my soul, I’m pretty sure) has thickened a little bit, I now own – and regularly wear – wool socks, exceptional snow boots, thermal waffle shirts, CuddlDud long john under layers, a long down-filled coat, and thick gloves and hats that were actually made for this climate. But now, wind chills below zero is kind of old hat. Still cause for the occasional grumble or complaint, especially when the winds are whipping around at 30 mph, which they frequently are, and snow is blowing in your eyeballs, and your face gets a wicked red wind burn rash that lasts for days. But I just thought it was funny – the difference a year can make.
On Tuesday night while Ted was away at a tech rehearsal, I was at home on the couch nursing my extra-sore jaw with ice packs (yes, when it was -20 out. I do see the irony. And I probably could have just gone and shoved my face in the snow for a while, but alas…), and though it was only Tuesday, I was still whipped from my wisdom tooth extraction on Friday (which I think the meds are playing a major part of) and we were up against a tight deadline at work to get an excellent quality Clybourne Park Discovery Guide written and to the printer, which was really exhausting. And so I wanted, and needed, nothing more than to lay on the sofa wrapped in blankets, eat mushy mac n’ cheese, numb my jaw with ice packs, relax, turn my brain off for a few hours, and watch something entertaining but mindless…something I didn’t have to pay too much attention to, and if I dozed off in the middle of it, so be it. Enter the perfect show for a cold, achy, girls night in on the couch…House Hunters. House Hunters International. Beat the House. Property Virgins. Basically, any HGTV house buying show you can think of. And, after sitting through several episodes of various shows with couples looking to purchase homes in Boston, New Jersey, Atlanta, New Zealand, and South Africa….along come an episode about a young couple – probably close to our age – looking for the perfect home right outside of Rochester, NY. Attention grabbed…instantly. Except their budget was $200,000 – which is kind of unfathomable to us since our budget would likely be somewhere in the neighborhood of $75,000-$125,000. But there were several things that really struck me….
One: It’s kind of amazing how much, or little, a $200,000 budget will get you, depending on what area of the country you’re looking to live in. The Rochester couple was hoping to stay right around $200,000 and they were shown several really large, spacious, nice, upgraded homes in our area for that price. A home in Texas would likely be similar. The couples from Atlanta, New Jersey, and another New York community had budgets between $400,000 and $500,000. And even with double the budget, these other couples were struggling to find something similar size and quality wise to a $200,000 Rochester home.
Two: House buying brings out the picky in the people. And, I suppose, it should – it’s a huge decision. But some of the couples and individuals – especially on House Hunters International – looked at homes that were just fantastic. Right in their budget, had everything on their “must have” list, were beautifully maintained, great views – and they were still like, “Well, I don’t know…” I’m kind of flabbergasted by how many people on these shows don’t realize that a huge part of buying a house is prioritizing and compromise, and again, how many of them can’t commit to an excellent deal when they see one. Some of these homes, I would have snapped up instantly. And yet people were dragging their feet on the smallest of details. I get it – everyone wants their home to be just right for their family. Fair enough. I do too. But when you’re working with a budget, sometimes you just can’t have absolutely everything, and when something that’s 95% great comes along, you just gotta jump, you know? For me, if I were in the house buying boat, a beautiful, spacious, upgraded kitchen, an amazing bathtub, and a great deck/backyard would be near the top of my list. Ted’s list would definitely include a basement he could convert to a workshop and bowling alley, a big garage, and a nice office space. Though these would be important features to us in a home, I think we could be flexible and compromise as well, if need be. And if a great home, right in our budget, came along that had everything but one or two of the things we’d had our heart set on – who are we to tempt fate?
Three: I’m a little nervous now that I’ve discovered Beat the House. Because the show is kind of intriguing and I can see myself wanting to watch it…often. The premise is that an individual or couple has already found a house that they love and want to put in an offer on. Two different brokers battle to show the buyers a home that is a better house then the one they’re planning to purchase. It’s an interesting show because one of the brokers is usually content on getting the couple their perfect home – without compromise and with minimal regard to their budget – while the other broker is intent on getting the couple a great home that they might want to upgrade a bit, but for under their budget. Meaning, the female broker is willing to go over the buyer’s budget to get them to fall in love with something that is completely move-in ready, requires no renovations, and has everything they’re looking for, even if it’s over budget by up to $100,000, and the male broker would rather find the buyers a great house that has most of the things on their “must have” list, but is under budget so they can use the money they’re saving upfront as money they can invest back into the house to make changes and renovations that allow the buyers to put in their dream kitchen, but still increase the value of the home in the long run. Frankly, I’m much more inclined to follow along the path of the male broker. But the show presents an interesting premise, and kind of makes me excited for the day when we decide to purchase a house and can make these decisions for ourselves.
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Clearly, this is precisely the type of long, rambling blog post that comes out of post-op meds and multiple nights spent on the couch nursing sore gums.
Thanks for reading along :)
Also, in case you missed my post yesterday about how to score yourself some awesome FREE clothing and milk – quickly and easily right now, be sure to check it out here.
