NHB, I'm so jealous! If it's meant to be, it will happen! And think of the fun you will have decorating and making it your own! But I have to ask, I've been going back and forth looking at your present kitchen that you previously posted on another thread and chose your paint color BM Decatur Buff...you said that you would like a brighter kitchen than you presently have. Did you mean the lighting or the paint color; I only ask because I'm getting ready to paint mine as you saw in previous postings but can't decide, the Decatur Buff looks darker in my kitchen than yours. You also suggested painting the underneath of the bulkhead the same; would that make it even darker or richer? I'm going to paint my stained trim a semigloss ivory white or white dove in hopes this would reflect onto the Decatur Buff.

Sorry, didn't mean to impose on your excitement, but when I saw that you had posted I had to get your opinion; you have so much knowledge!

NHB, it can't hurt to go look, you've not promised anything. If it doesn't suit you, you'll know at first glance. And if it does, well then you can worry about buying/selling. (I love your home now and would never leave!)

Our builder (our home is 27 yrs old) lived at the end of our street and of course, they had a very lovely home. How I wish I had mentioned to them that we'd be interested if they wanted to move! Someone else did, and just like that, it was theirs, without putting it on the market. Such is life...but it never hurts to ask.

Susan

NHB, is this the home you mentioned a few months back in your neighborhood that you had been eyeing for a while? If so, it sounds like it was meant to be. Please keep us posted.

patricia43 - I don't know and don't remember mentioning another home! LOL There are a few that I eye. LOL Could you find the thread, through a search and I will let you know?

mpwdmom - So true! This is the second time we have had this happen. The first time, we never got around to actually going to see the home, and it never went on the market. A few years later, a friend of ours ended up buying it after commenting that they loved the house. It is an older home on a huge lot. They did extensive work and an add-on. When we were invited to see the results, I was jealous that we had not taken the time to take a look at the house ourselves. Gorgeous!

debbiemarie - I am just a bright loving person. It was my husbands turn to pick kitchen cabinets, so he chose the cherry. I prefer white or creamy off-white. IMHO, you have to have a lot of light in your kitchen, if you are going to have dark wood cabinets and darker paint. We have that light, but I still missed those bright cabinets. Here's my previous kitchen.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Most people like the darker cabinets, but I feel closed in. When I use to walk in my previous kitchen, I would smile...it made me happy. Now, my current kitchen depresses me. LOL Just not cheery enough for me.

I still think your bulkhead should be all one color, and you should go with the white, white on your trim. Ivory would make the paint appear even darker.

Thanks, NHB! DH and I went out and bought more paint samples today...we're getting closer! Good luck in your home venture, I hope it all works out. I love the looks of both of your kitchens, can't lose with either! Thanks again for your input!

NHB...how exciting! Like debbie said...if it was meant to be it will work out! I always love looking at pictures of your home...it is so gorgeous! Good luck!

Thank you!

Count down - 3 hours. :)

I wish I could take photos and post them, but that would be unethical. The best way to describe the house setting would be an upscale Hansel and Gretel type cottage in the woods.

I have worked myself into a migraine worrying. LOL

I LOVE your previous kitchen. Wow - what I wouldn't give for nice, bright kitchen cabinets! Hopefully this other house will be exactly what you're looking for or at least have the potential for it!

My daughter and I just did a drive-by. There is no doubt that I love that house from the outside. It is so private, even though it is on a main drive and corner lot. Lot's of trees, which means lots of leaves. DH will not like that.

I'll report back after we see the inside. It may be later tonight, because we are going out for dinner afterward.

Gosh, I am so nervous!

I can hardly wait to find out what you think of it, do you know if the house is bigger then yours, square footage wise.Have fun tonight, I'll be thinking of you, and keeping my fingers crossed for you too.

No, it is either about the same size all around, or smaller. That's why I am worried the house will not have a large enough dining room, pantry, laundry room, enough bedrooms.............. :)

Although, the house does seem to have part of it's daylight basement finished, where we did not finish ours this time. However, the main areas of the home do not seem to be as large as ours.

With this up and down economy, trying to sell a house is the last thing I want to do. Or buy a more expensive house. That would be a major consideration for us.

So is the main attraction the private lot?

I am curious as to how many children you have living at home? (You mentioned you need 5 bedrooms).

I also am not one who relishes moving. When I think of all in our oversized garage, the basement and attic, to be moved, that would probably stop me. LOL

You have a lovely home as is. But only you (and your family) can answer the moving question.

Good luck!

tina

I cannot remember the thread but it seems you said you had seen it on a drive in your neighborhood and how much you liked it, but it must not be this house as I recall you said it was bigger, a reason you liked it.

Just as I feared, the home was smaller than ours, with a price tag of $250,000 more than what we would sell ours for. It just didn't have $250,000 worth of extra WOW.

The home was beautiful, and the outside features and yard were to die for. However, the inside had no formal dining room. The original room had been turned into a study and part of the area was taken for a larger foyer. My table would not fit comfortably.

We did love so many rooms of the home, but there were others that did not suit us and would not work. :( Only 4 bedrooms, with a possible 5th in the basement. We prefer to have at least two main level bedrooms, for when elder relatives visit, and this home only had the master on main, with the other three up stairs.

tinam61 - Our area of town is till doing well with the housing market.

We have three young adult children, two of which have recently (and temporarily) have moved back home. Our son is in college.

We like to retain a bedroom for each child when they are home, and also have a guest room available. Plus, when our children have families of their own, we want to have room for them (and future grandchildren) to visit. :)

Well, I am disappointed, but at the same time, relieved that I don't have to pack up and move. LOL

Thanks for reading!

I am sorry it did not work out, but your house is so beautiful and could you just take some ideas from the landscaping if that is what you loved about it, and incorporate into your own outdoor area.

I understand about the market. I think what is hurting the market the most, in addition, to the loans that were made to people who did not qualify, is talking down the market. Nothing supresses/depresses the market more than talking it down.

I'm surprised since I'm not that far from you. There is an obvious decline in houses being sold around here. And we are in one of the most "increasing" (for lack of better word!) counties in Tennessee.

It doesn't sound like the house would be worth 250,000 more than yours so it's probably a good thing you didn't like it. I agree with Patricia, maybe you can incorporate some of the landscaping ideas into your own home.

tina

If you dislike your dark kitchen, I would guess you could sell those beautiful stained cabinets for a decent price and could redo your kitchen with the lighter cabinets to make it brighter for less money than it would cost you to buy/move to a new home. Take into consideration, realtor costs, closing costs, moving costs etc...

NHB, do you live in a subdivision? It's a bit unusual to have a spread of $250K in homes in the same SD, unless you are in a planned community and the homes are in different mini-subdivisions within the larger community. Even if you planned on being in a house **forever*** you would not ever want to be in a SD home that is significantly more expensive than the others.

I do REO work for bank foreclosures...even neighborhoods that aren't "in trouble" per se are eventually affected by this subprime mortgage problem, and not owning the priciest (or one of the priciest) homes in the community is just good business.

Hi newhomebuilder, sorry it didn't work out for you. At least you know now what it looks like inside,you do have a beautiful home and what you want in a home. I agree with you about the kitchen, our kitchen is all white too, and I feel happy when I'm in an all white kitchen.I better go check my turkey in the oven, it's Thanksgiving Day here in Canada. Take care.

patricia43 - You have that right!!!

Although we did love the yard, it had several mature trees, which means lots of leaves! YIKES!!!

caroleoh - LOL It would be easier to build a new home. DH and I talked about adding onto our home, and doing some of the other cosmetics we want to do, but if we could find a nice lot to live on in our neighborhood, it would make more sense to build.

tinam61 - I mentioned the housing turn around in our neighborhood. We live out in a golf community, and homes here are quite desirable for buyers. They are taking a bit longer to sale, but are selling none-the-less. Just in the last 5 months, we have had at least 6 homes in the $750 - $1.2 million range to sell. Even had one that was over 2 million, but that was a trade with a smaller home in the neighborhood. We have several community members that have had two or three homes is this neighborhood.

I missed the other above post.

lacombe - Happy Thanksgiving!!! Enjoy your day.
PS - The kitchen cabinets of the OMS home were a beautiful creamy color, but a little on the small size.

kswl - Hope I answered your question with my above answer. The homes here range from around $500,000(a small patio home area) to $2 million. It is not very big area, but lots are a fairly good size, and some have golf/water views. I'd estimate about 200 homes.

Thanks for explaining the area. Are there available lots left? Perhaps building again would be the best way to get what you want. Views does increase the property value - we found that out when we bought our property (we have a mountain view). I am remembering you have a lovely view.

Mature trees is something very desirable to us. We don't live in a subdivision, it is a more rural *neighborhood*. There are other homes nearby, but most everyone has acreage. NO RAKING here though LOL, we mulch our leaves.

Hope you find what you are looking for!

tina

I am so sorry! But if you decide to move do you think we could pick up your current home and move it to the middle of SW Virginia on my 20 acres. I do love your home!

Alicia

Yes, NHB, that explains the variation---that's a huge variation ($500K to $2million) but obviously it must work in your area or nothing much would sell near the top of the scale.

You're probably right about building yourselves, and actually, now is a very good time to do it. Builders are slow, materials are less expensive and more available... all the really good craftspeople are looking for work.

If you decide to build I hope you blog! :) (I agree with you about the kitchen.... we just remodeled our kitchen to white cabs and it makes an almost eerie difference in how I feel about the room.)

I would guess that the median housing is around $1.5 million. That $2 million is very large and has a golf course and panoramic mountain view, located right on the course.

The following photo, taken from the front of my house, and across the golf course was taken last year at this same time. The white house to the right of the red tree, is rumored to cost $2.5 million...cash. The owners have been building it for three years as they have the money to finish it, and it is still unoccupied. It is huge!

To the left of the red tree, are some of the three sets of patio homes. These are the $500K. There have been a few more built since last year, and they look out over a TN Walking Horse horse farm, and the golf course and lake.

I've been following this thread, waiting to hear what you'd decided. I'm sorry the new one didn't work out for you. Hopefully it'll be for the best in the long run. I feel for you about your present kitchen, though. Something like that is so hard (and expensive!) to change in a new home. I was feeling just the opposite, until last year at this time. We had whitewashed pine cabs in our new home and I longed for dark cherry ones. It took 14 years before I could change mine out to the dark cherry. Would bringing in more light with skylights or a larger window help any in your kitchen? Either would surely be less expensive than all new cabs . . . but then again, is there a second story over your kitchen????
Lynn

Yes, and we have plenty of light. A white kitchen just makes everything so much cheerier. My cherry cabinets are far from horrible. They make a beautiful kitchen and most buyers would love them. :)