The San Antonio Home Search continues...

We're still about 6 months (+/- a week) away from leaving Japan but I've now seriously looked at so many houses that Hubby's starting to get them mixed up. Okay, I've been "sick in quarters" (SIQ) for the past week and when I'm not resting/recuperating, I'm enjoying rare unbridled luxury of internet surfing. The difference between Hubby and I when it comes to our laptops is that he surfs sites like youtube.com and I continue to "work." I don't work on my dayjob assignments, I work on our future needs...this time on the next home purchase. (Sometimes, I get distracted and venture over to online shopping and banking but for the most part, I stay to the task.)



The difficult task for me right now is NOT getting caught up with the feeling that I must buy that nearly almost perfect home NOW? Can't we afford 2 mortgages and our Japanese rent for the next, oh, 4 to 6 months? Oh, patience is NOT one of my primary virtues (also mentioned somewhere on my 2nd grade report card)...but I am trying to work on it. Did I say "unbridled...internet surfing"? Thank goodness it's not unbridled internet house purchasing... Hubby's used to coming home now to at least one more home to check out. We've agreed on a list of characteristics & have reached a compromise on many more...check these out (and if you know anyone who might be selling a home in San Antonio in the next few months, let me know!)

• Neighborhood with character and history, a certain energy and vibe that's difficult to describe


• Vintage home, preferably mostly if not completely remodeled


• Enough room for a young family, a dog or 2, occasional guests, and perhaps an au pair or nanny


• A porch or deck, nice backyard


• Fairly safe neighborhood for evening strolls with dog and/or stroller


• Nearby shopping areas


• Nearby neighborhood cafe or breakfast joint...not a requirement but definitely a plus


• Steady supply of teenagers with lawnmowers...does this exist as a summer job any longer or are they all indoors playing on their computers?

With this in mind, I've found a nice blog that provides some interesting insights not otherwise found during my recent forays into the San Antonio housing market. It's called "San Antonio Vintage Homes" and I've added it to my list of spots to watch. We love vintage homes (new term for me) but are concerned about the "dodgy areas" that sometimes accompany up and coming neighborhoods. However, we are far from wealthy and are not really DIY folks when it comes to self-help projects, so I think we'll end up spending a pretty penny on an already-done home that doesn't put us in the poor house. While a nice ranch house with a lot of rooms and a lot of land can be mighty attractive, we really don't need much room. We actually like each other, you know?