Looking Forward

I love the new year. I think everybody does - I've seen quite a few blogs waxing philosophical. I'd do the same; but maybe another day.

If you know me, you know my love of projects - build a computer, refinish a piano, write a song, start a company. Something new to learn and do and throw my energy at. I've been wanting to own a home forever and have been renting for twice forever - or at least since 1996.

One person's trial is another person's opportunity, they say. With rising foreclosures and dropping property values, we are sniffing around at real estate possibilities. Clinton thinks I'm unhealthily obsessed with it, and he's probably right. I'm really trying to be sensible, reasonable, and rational in the fact finding stages of this prospect.

First-time buying is itself a project, and then the ownership of a home provides lots and lots of different projects - outside, inside, upstairs, downstairs, building, planting, mending, organizing, and doing. Lots of planning. Lots of thinking and researching and learning and doing.

These photos come from our Saturday pilgrimage to Virginia neighborhoods where we were scoping out the plentiful listings to see what can be got for how much in what kinds of neighborhoods. We were looking for signs of friendly habitability. (if that's not a word it should be.) We found people taking walks, youthful dog walkers, toys and swingsets, nicely maintained lawns, well-cared-for houses.

We identified which neighborhoods have less care and upkeep, more forbidding fences and signs, cars that appear to be not running, and indicators of less habitability. A long Saturday; but educational and I thought it was fun. These don't indicate homes we're planning to buy; just a few of the photos we took.

So maybe I'm a little eager; but don't be changing your Rolodex just yet. We're in the middle of trimester 3 of a pretty big project which takes precedence over house hunting at the moment.