Before I started my search, I needed to figure out what I wanted. This was not my first time to own a home and I wanted to go into this purchase more prepared than my last. I made a rushed decision with my last home - I was nearing the end of my lease and had viewed a ton of horrid homes, so when I found one that was cute, I made an offer. I didn't really research location and after moving in, realized I would have liked other areas better. I was young and the home worked for me for that time in my life.
My list of requirements this time around wasn't very long, but I went into the whole process knowing more of what I wanted than last time.
Location: Central OKC - the area boxed in by I-44 to the west, I-235 to the east, NW 10th Street to the South, and NW 50th Street to the North.
There are neighborhoods that are walkable and super safe and nice (ie. Edgemere Park, Crown Heights, Mesta Park, Heritage Hills), but finding a home in one of those neighborhoods within my budget would be close to impossible. If, by some miracle, a home was within my budget, it would most likely need tons of renovations (that I couldn't afford).
Central OKC has other areas that are walkable to restaurants, parks, and entertainment (ie. The Plaza and The Paseo Districts). The downfall is this: There are "pockets". What I mean is you can have a street lined with nice homes and 1 block over find homes with boarded up windows and overgrown yards. The crime statistics reflect this as well. The nice "pockets" have low crime rates while the bad "pockets" have higher crime rates.
I started my search online months before physically going inside a house. More often than not, I would find a home within my budget that looked nice on the online listing and then do a drive-by to discover it was in a bad "pocket". So the search continued.
Age/Style: I love older homes with character - no cookie cutter traditional homes for me. There is also a quality of workmanship and materials in older homes that is hard to find in newer homes.
Dream home style: Craftsman. But I wasn't nailed down to that. A good thing about Central OKC is most of the homes were built before 1960. So finding an older home wouldn't be an issue!
Must Haves:
- Hardwood floors
(I love the look and functionality. Olive is a shedder. It's so much easier to Swiffer dog hair than vacuum it up from carpet.)
- Washer and dryer hookups inside (Sometimes hard to find in older homes - I found a lot of hookups in garages instead of inside.)
- Garage
(Also hard to find in older homes. If there is a garage, it is often 1-car and detached. I just wanted space for a workshop and protection from Oklahoma hail storms. Nothing fancy or big needed.)
- Updated plumbing and electric
(I knew that if I purchased an older home, there would be potential repair issues due to wear & tear. I wanted mitigate those issues as much as possible by having 2 major things updated.)
Everything else about the house is left up to my gut. Do I like the layout? Can I see myself hosting parties here? Would my furniture fit? Is this a house I would like 5 years from now? 10 years? Does this house scream "Abby"?
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