The best way to buy a house - Listed

Back in the day, when we were selling the other house, we also spent a lot of time dreaming about what our next place would be.

Okay. Check that. *I* spent a lot of time dreaming about what our next place would be.

So in July of 2009, when we were off cavorting in DC and sun bathing in Mexico, there was one particular lazy afternoon in Mexico. Not that they were not all long days filled with nothing but sun bathing, but on this particular day, we missed the boat (literally) and had hours of time to kill between checking out of one hotel and catching the next boat out to our next hotel.

While Robert was waiting on the side of the road in this little hut sipping on adult beverages and scowling at the children who would come by trying to sell various trinkets while slyly trying to make off with our luggage that is "(conveniently) on the side of the fence that would be hard to defend…

We managed to have a long conversation or two about what it was we wanted in a house. Now. If you had clicked on the links above, you would have seen some of my ideas of "must haves" and would be nice to haves. Yes I know. Those were old links and real estate isn't moving THAT slow so some of those posts have come down but the general gist of why I loved those particular homes is still there.

All said, we were so bored that we flipped over a piece of important paper (probably return itineraries) and did this:

This here is a list of all the very important things we thought that we would need in a house in order to be happy. If you look close you will see a few things. Of particular note:

Yes. That is a list of 35 "must haves".

Yes. #14 says "kitchen" because, evidently, we were looking at quite a few places that didn't have that option.

Yes. #5 says "pool in backyard". This is what happens when you have a California boy and a desert girl hanging out on the beach day dreaming of what they want their next house to be. In Seattle. Where it rains almost every day and pools are more liability than luxury.

I think #20 (or maybe it is 19.5) says something to the effect of "paint on the walls". This is also a desire born out of an intense desire to save our marriage should anyone get the bright idea that painting 2200 square feet in one long weekend is a great DIY project.

Certainly, that was before we even fathomed moving into 4300 square feet.

All that to say that the very best way to buy a house is to write a list. And save said list. For those moments when you're fretting at your perfect life and how horrible it is that you have 4 toilets to clean, you just return to your list and remember that it was YOU that added #8 to the list and it was YOU that jumped for joy when you realized everything was a 50 percent off sale resulting in TWICE of everything you wanted for the same price. Oh the curse of having way too much. Talk about karma.

Coming next...how that list became reality for us.