Ch-ch-changes!

It has been a while. So far, this year has been crazy, but now I am married(!), moved to Austin, and Tuesday I will start my new job!! I am more than excited.

But this post isn't (just) about my life changes.

Reese and I are renting a house for a few months while we figure out where he will be attending law school, and this experience has taught us a lot about what is important to look for when house-hunting. So I thought I'd share a few suggestions with any of you who are house-hunting or thinking about doing so in the future.

Things to look for in a home:
• Is there an entryway? Because if not, you’re going to be cleaning the walkways all the time. I think entryways are pretty common, but our current house doesn’t have one, and it’s a pain to sweep/mop EVERYWHERE all the time.
• What is the cleanliness condition of the house? This is not only an indication of the current/previous owner’s housekeeping habits, but also whether the doors and windows are sealed well.
o Check corners, hallways, closets, little-used spaces
o Look around entryways
• How well is it insulated?
o What’s the electricity bill like (esp in summer/winter months)
o How thick are the exterior walls
• I know this seems silly, but check to see whether all the walls are square/straight, whether the bathroom towel racks have been set level, and things like that. This is especially important if you’re looking for an apartment, as most of those places (especially new ones) are thrown together.
• Water
o How much is the water bill?
o How big is the water heater?
o Is there standing water anywhere in the yard, street, or in bad cases, inside the house itself?
o Is the house in a flood plain?
• Yard
o Is it clean?
o Is the yard mostly dirt, weeds, or grass?
o Is there a sprinkler system? This could be a pro or con, depending on your budget
• Paint (interior & exterior)
o Has it been painted recently?
o Did they do a decent job?
• Extras
o Is the trim (inside and out) well done?
o Are there bugs?
o Any evidence of rodents?
o Is there an interior closet you can use for shelter during tornadoes? (I hadn’t even thought of this until we had tornado warnings a couple of weeks ago and I discovered that our house has NO interior rooms!)

That's all I can think of for now. I know most of you who read this have already been through these things, but it was just something I've been thinking about.