As many of you know, we’ve been looking for a new property for the past two years. That quest has taken several drastic turns (from international to stateside, for one) along the way, and we’ve had our share of weariness.
Lately, if ANYTHING popped up on the radar, we’ve considered it. We came to a point in our pursuit where the dream had to be revisited. We had to ask ourselves what it’s worth to move forward versus standing still. We had to decide which ideals were okay to compromise.
Days like today really challenge us. A new house is on the market. It meets 60% of our criteria (which, you may be surprised to know, is rare). And in this moment, we had to determine if 60% is enough to warrant serious consideration.
The Pros
It’s almost an acre. It has a well. It’s less than 30 years old. It has four bedrooms. It has 2.5 bathrooms. What we can see of it is decently attractive. And it fits in our price range with room to spare.
The Cons
It does NOT have as much square footage as we’d like. No mother-in-law suite. No swimming pool. No tall trees to provide a canopy over part of the property. No sizable deck or patio. No dedicated study. It’s a couple miles beyond our desired location. And it’s right off a somewhat busy street (noise factor).
The Verdict
It looks like we’re going to pass. It’s the best looking option we’ve seen in a month or more. But our vision is for a haven. We’ll all be disappointed if after all this time, we end up in a house that technically meets most of our needs, but doesn’t fit our heart’s intangible desires (rest, peace, beauty).
Our vision is largely based upon a property we saw a year ago that we fell in love with but couldn’t afford. The vision, as it stands today, is to replicate that experience as closely as possible within the budget and requirements we have.
But it’s not an easy decision. For each compromise we pass up, there’s a sense of loss – lost time, wondering if we passed up the best opportunity that will come our way, and the return to a posture of seemingly endless waiting.
Can you identify? How far have you considered compromising to reach a major goal?