But I feel I really need granite countertops.... No?

Want vs. Need is a huge factor in home buying. You have to analyze every house for what it would offer you and what you can “settle” for and what you cannot. Mr. A and I gave each other the assignment to make a list of wants and needs for the house hunt. We have a meeting with our REALTOR tonight so we want to be able to help her in the hunt for the perfect house. 

We are looking all over the city, but our main focus is in north Allendale and northwest Austin. The main difference is going to be space. In Allendale the houses are going to be smaller, but have a lot more character and cost a lot more per square foot and in northwest Austin they will be larger, newish and in general make more sense.  What I mean by “makes more sense” is that the floor plans in the older homes don’t flow the way the newer homes do.  So knowing this I felt that it was important to have two sets of wants and needs the “inside the loop” list and the “outside the loop” list. We also have two different price points we are looking to spend. In Allendale and central Austin we can spend much more and still get way less. Outside of Austin, we expect to get much more for much less money (I am talking 100K difference here people) All of this is going to come into play as we make our decision.

First off the “inside the loop” need list: 

1)      2 bedrooms with an office space

2)      1.5 bathrooms

3)      Over 1200 square feet

4)      Fenced in yard

5)      Needing updates ok, but no major renovations needed to move in

6)      Safe neighborhood

7)      Highly walkable (meaning we want to be able to walk to restaurants and bars from our house)

8)      Quiet neighborhood. Currently our street is super busy with lots of barking dogs!

“Inside the loop” want list:

1)      3 bedrooms

2)      2 bathrooms

3)      Updated fixtures

4)      No carpet, all wood flooring (laminate is ok)

5)      Big backyard

6)      Quiet street, not a lot of traffic

7)      Easy access to all major roads

8)      In Allendale or 78757 area

9)      Over 1600 square feet

10)   Good schools

“Outside the loop” need list:

1)      3 bedrooms

2)      2 baths, 2.5 if two story house

3)      Over 1700 square feet

4)      Fenced in yard

5)      Established neighborhood, no new construction

6)      Easy access to major highways

7)      Good schools

8)      Updated fixtures, and flooring

“Outside the loop” want list:

1)      4 bedrooms, or flex space for a kids play room

2)      Updated appliances

3)      Updated bathroom and kitchen

4)      No carpet

5)      Rainwater retention system, other green updates

6)      Quiet street

7)      Lots of young families and couples

8)      Easy access to shopping, night life

9)      Do not HAVE to take 183 to work

10)   Large master bedroom and bathroom

I am sure as we really begin to look Mr. A and I will come up with more and relax on other items on this list. But for now this is what we are looking for. For those of you who don’t live in Austin you should know we have pretty much NO SHOT of getting into the neighborhoods we like in Allendale for the price we want to pay. We shall see what we can do about that. 

I am so excited to get out there and see what we can find. Wish us luck!