When it comes to compromise, the chef and I are old hands. He’s a social butterfly; I’m more of a homebody. He likes scary movies. I’m strictly a rom com gal. Giants. Redskins. The list goes on.
So when we sat down to create our first home “wish list” I was expecting the worst. Would he want our first place to be a condo in the city? Would the mere mention of “good school zones” send him running for the hills? I had already created the long and drawn-out pitch I typically make when having to support my respective point of view (think phrases like, “I don’t want to freak you out, but when we start a family…”).
With yellow legal pad in hand, and frosty beverages on the table, we sat down to create a list. I braced for the worst, and…..
It was totally painless. In fact, the entire process took less than 30 minutes and we both walked away feeling great about our list of “must-haves” when it comes to purchasing our first home. So what’s our top 6?
- Character
- Open floor plan
- 3+ beds/2+ baths
- Big yard
- Natural gas
- Good school zone
The next question inevitably is, “Is this realistic based on our budget?” I don’t want to set our expectations too high only to be disappointed later in the game. So, our next step is to figure out what exactly we can COMFORTABLY afford to spend on our first home.
At this point, the chef and I are admittedly in over our heads (marketing + chef = one couple that is terrible at math). So stay tuned next week for a Q&A with a Central Virginia mortgage broker who will answer our many (many) questions.