Meant new paint colors on the exterior.

I bought my house 16 years ago with my ex-husband. It was supposed to be our first house & we figured maybe 5 years & would move before having to worry about schools. Unfortunately things did not work out in our marriage but I could afford it so stayed & put a lot of work into it. I love our house but not a fan of the neighborhood. I am re-married & we are still in this house but our kids go to a different school district. So we are trying to figure out if we should love to a better location but might not be a better house or stay in our house & deal with a not so great location?

NOt sure yet. Just moving in. Drastic downsizing. There are some "must do's" if there is any chance at all. (My moving helpers just looked at me when i said this might just be a stop over). I bought it because my house sold and there was nothing else available.

truly, madly, deeply.

I am amazed and saddened by the number of people who have neighbor problems. I didnt think it was just me but wow. Lessens my faith in humans even more.

Since my comment above on 3/2014 I moved. Neighbors house still for sale but not selling so I decided it was time for me to go. My sanity depended on it. That and the fact that I really didnt want to go to jail for other people's deficiencies.

Love my current detached single and my townhouse went under contract in two weeks. Guess I got lucky.

I'm truly sorry for every one else who is dealing with what I was able to get away from.

I agree we need a thread on terrible neighbors. I knew it wasn't just me because it's my second home with similar problems. A mixed bag of neighbors - some scare me - we had meth heads and dealers - in their late 30's to late 40's - and this is a upper middle class house. Fortunately - he got tossed in jail and had to sell his house for legal fees - but then his neighbor (a woman near 50 dating someone my stepson's age) - was his girlfriend so he just moved in with her. She'd been bad enough with her first rob the cradle boyfriend - loud music - louder fights and obvious drug dealing - who has 10 friends an hour stop by for less than 5 minutes? I was afraid they'd blow up the house and hurt someone next door to them. Thankfully - she's been repo'd by her own sister! Woman actually wanted to physically hit a 15 year old boy - after racing down her driveway so fast she broke the concrete storm drain in front of my house - and the boys had said if she kept driving like that she was going to kill someone. That's enough reason for a almost 50 year old mother to try to hit one of the boys? Then she grabs her boyfriends car to tow hers back into the driveway - she had broken her axle - so she barrels down the driveway at 40 mph and hits her own car wrecking his as well! That's the kind of neighbor you want in a well-known walking neighborhood with kids too! There is at least one couple or friends walking the neighborhood for exercise every hour of daylight! She was bound to kill some one someday - thank goodness I have a large yard or she'd probably have backed into my house eventually.

In the small city we lived in - same address - but we're in an unincorporated area now - the city police would enforce code violations like noise complaints - the county may or may not ever get around to it.

But then you have neighbors you could be friends with for life. Guess every neighborhood has to have at least one trouble maker.

Moved about 40 miles from my old home. Bought 21 acres of mostly wooded acres. Built small cabin/cottage (900 sq feet). I love it. I do more living outside. I have just what I need on the inside.
I love living with less stuff. I love having less space to clean. More time spent living.
Great topic by the way.

I love love my little house. I bought it all by myself after my DH and I had to walk away from a house on the east coast due to the financial crash. I was able to buy this with just my income. It is an older house with lots of character and it is really affordable and something we can stay in forever now that he is retired. We just renovated the kitchen which has sent me into a heavenly place. I love love my house.

I tell my spouse daily that I love our new house. There were doubts when we bought it as it didn't tick many of our boxes, but location, price and enough space for what we needed and not much more won out in the end.

I loved our last house too, but not so much the apartment we lived in inbetween.

tpbond

Please tell me where you got your sink in the kitchen. I have a galley kitchen and am looking for a farmhouse sink. I love it !!! tngrowland@Hotmail.com. Teresa

Yes! We live in a 1947 bungalow and love it!

@ Teresa Pratt Rowland

I got our sink at Overstock - they had the size I was looking for - 30" wide ; since my galley kitchen is not very big, I didn't want the sink to be this big monstrosity that didn't blend with the rest of my already eclectic style.

We've put more time and money into our current house, than any other, so yes, I love my house (it's my taste). However, I don't attach sentimental value to property and it's never been a problem for me to leave a house, purge and move on. Besides, I'm very lucky; my kids and grandkids live nearby - that's what I'm sentimental about.

I voted other. I loved it up until 4 years ago. Everything was perfect- my style and taste-beautiful. Then FIL decided to downsize from mcm to 2 bed flat {not kidding}[ MIL had died 12 months previously], and against my wishes hubby brought home the "extra " furniture, pictures and extra crap. Not my taste at all. My home is now stuffed with stuff. I live in big house that is so now cramped. Ironically people think I'm hoarder- I have a ton of books - but it is DH that won't throw anything out.There are times when I would give anything just not to see the "extra" stuff. It's in every room...It just saddens me...

I voted Other, as we are in transition. We are living in the midst of renovations, but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The interior will be done, outside next.

When we bought this house, we lived in a nice small two storey. My husband retired very early and we had appropriate payment and taxes. I walked into this house (open house) probably just to get decorating ideas. I just couldn't leave. It was comfortable and I loved it. I worked full time and immediately called him. I was like the house of my dreams, he was like you already live there! There were 13 offers and they countered two. We got it. That was 13 years ago. Every time I get home I feel great. Still love it. Oh I like to change the look frequently.
Paint helps but I love a new site, walls need love too. I can stripe above the fireplace anytime I want to change it, colors or dots! Now I have large anchor with small anchors surrounding. Love it.

I like my house - but love my HOME

I like it and love it more every time I finish a room.

I am still trying to love my mobile home; it is hard after leaving my dream home that I loved. I am really trying to make this home a home that I will love. It's just been hard to let go of things that my husband and I worked so hard for. I know one day we will have a home that will make us forget about the past.

Great to see so many people happy in their houses. I love my house, but there are things we are slowly changing. It took more than a few years to figure out what I liked, which, I guess, is normal.

I like the location of our house - only a 20-25 minute subway ride into Manhattan, lots of conveniences like a ton of restaurants, grocery stores, dry cleaners all within walking distance. I love the style of our pre-war tudor townhouse, especially the spacious living room, but we need a major renovation. The kitchen and bathrooms especially need some serious updating and I would be thrilled to have a modern laundry room. I love my small garden out front with space to tend a little veggie patch in summer. We're fortunate to have great neighbors too!

I do.

A year before we got married (been married 35 years) my fiance and I walked down the road half a mile and saw an old Craftsman - that I was never allowed to trick or treat at because it seemed dark and maybe abandoned.

After a few months we bought it and found out no one had even looked through it. It was perfectly livable, an almost bedridden lady lived there, was moving to a nursing home, and the law said she had to sell it. It had never really been redecorated with no work being done on the house since it was built, which means the woodwork had never been painted.

I suppose the reason no one even looked at it was partly because mortgage rates were at 12%! About a year later my sister, who is an RN, had the lady in the hospital, and after introducing herself, was asked "Are they taking care of my house?" See, she had had the house from 1918 until 1980, and I suppose always thought of it as 'her' house. No different than my husband and I buying it in 1980, and planning to be here until we die. (I have genes on my mom and dad's side making me believe I could last until my 90's.)

I love the area, my Dad went to school in this one high school district, as did I, and my kids. My Dad was one of 13 or 14 farm kids, and my maiden name is recognized around here, in a good way - good farm stock.

My husband and I did most of the work, or was involved in it, as was my Dad. We did what we thought was important first, new electric, new plumbing, new heating system. We had to fix the ceiling in one of the bedrooms, fix the soffet, and paint the exterior to get our escrow money back from the bank.

Well this post is getting long and I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop and just say again, I LOVE this house!

Mom333, I love your story, are you willing to share some pics. Wishing you many more happy years with your home. We have been married 32 years and I am hoping for many more, in fact as long as I don't walk past a reflective surface I don't feel old at all

I love our home. We wanted a one level home with a basement. It took some work but we made it ours. Our neighborhood complete with quiet, friendly yet considerate neighbors is perfect too.

I'll love it better when the knob & tube wiring is replaced, the sagging plaster ceilings are replaced, the kitchen kick-out is added & finished, and the screen porch windows are replaced. But otherwise, I like it just fine.

yes! i have a queen anne victorian painted lady built in 1896 :)

I have had 2 houses I loved. I was raised in a 8 br Victorian, built by my great grandfather, which I later inherited. As an adult I bought and renovated another 8 br Victorian. I despise the house I live in now. Small. dark rooms in a third world country.

Absolutely love it!

I absolutely love my house too! We would not have bought it if we did not.

actually i bought my home for my cats, it has a 440 sq ft porch. they are very happy and even though i can not use half the house any more, so am i.

My answer was a resounding 'NO'. We have our current home by 'default'. It was in my Husbands family for years, my Husband bought it from his parents & my Hubby had rented it out to renters long before we met & married. We married & then moved in here because it was convenient & Hubby already owned it. The neighborhood is nice. However it is a 'raised ranch' and the kitchen & main living quarters are on the second floor which is a pain in the rear! The kitchen is small & not laid out well which is also a negative. All of the wood trim throughout the house is 'dark' wood & Hubby won't let me paint it white because his Dad had hand picked the trim out & stained it dark, he is sentimental about that fact.

So as a result the house is too dark looking for my tasted due to all of that dark wood trim. So this house really isn't 'me' & not practical for having BBQ's or parties in our yard, potty training a puppy to do his business outdoors, or getting things from the garden while cooking because the kitchen is located on the second floor & there is a lot of up & down the stairs. Potty training our dog was a work out going up & down those stairs a million times a day for several months! He is trained now so it's much easier now. I will make sure our next house {retirement} will have the kitchen on the ground floor & white bright trim!!!!

Dang artsy that stinks. For me it's in between . We bought our house in October before moving cross country. We only had a two week trip to find it. Knowing we would have to do a total remodel to make it accessible we looked for certain features. It had to be the right size, in good shape and in the right area. We found those things in a bungalow that could be remodeled which was a big step. However it's now April and we are still remodeling/unpacking. I think once it is done I will love it, I'm starting to like it so that's a good starts.

artsy, surely there is a way to correct some of those things, just to make it easier? i am sure that if you look on houzz you would find some rooms you like despite the dark trim?

I had my handle before I found this post. There's your answer. :-)

We have 2 homes...one for every day and one for vacation. The every day home is a tract home. It's on 1/4 acre with block walls all around. While we've made some decorating choices (and one "change order") it's really not a home I sigh about. On the other hand, our vacation home is custom. It's on 10 acres of pinyon, juniper and ponderosa "forest". We picked everything in it, and the view is spectacular! This is a home to soothe the soul and is sigh-worthy.

nancybaker7777

My house and I have a love/hate relationship.................after 50 years next month! It was our 1st house and we have had our "dream house" in our hearts almost the entire time, but things always popped up to block our dream......We've had our babies here *now in their 40's , pets, 4 remodels, added a pool, wallpapered, from a house without any plants except 1 wax leaf ligustrum in the front flower bed to literally an arboretum with every known plant and bulb giving a 4 seasons show, carpet vs. hard floors, layers of paint, celebrations, grief, lots of automobiles-new & used, sickness, friends, jobs, retirement, several roofs. and on and on..............I'm sure there isn't 1 square inch that hasn't been touched. When I think about it I just feel somewhat burned out - maybe just tired of it; however, it has always given us shelter and comfort.

I love my house. I inherited it from my grandmother and it is tied to the history of my family. It came to my family when they became homeless after a flood.

It was a terribly dysfunctional, outdated house, but I have been able to make it my own.

I have sweet, protective neighbors, who I love, love, love.

My complaints would have been that it does not have good closets, but I was able to take a bedroom and make a storage room / laundry room and it became functional and I smile every day about that.

I don't hate it but it could be better.

We've moved since my original response, and now I can say with complete certainty that, Yes, I love my home.

good for you, see there is hope dc

Yes .... what's there not to like? It's in one of the most beautiful places on earth...Laguna Beach.

Rosanne: I designed & built my house in '92. I was in my early 40's. My beloved partner died in '99. Love my neighbors, kids come to my house for movie afternoons, I hold brunches, etc.

However, I live on a mountain. Now, in my 70's, I just want to cut off my hair, jump in the shower, throw on jeans & T-shirt and wander down the street: shops, bookstores, galleries. Just a little studio w/a small garden for flowers & a table & chairs for tea in the morning.

Wouldn't that be "loverly"?

The first house we bought was almost 1700sqf. We moved in the two & A half of us when I was 7 Mo. along with our first baby. A beautiful 1911 old Portland style house, with a huge covered front porch [20ft. long], a porch swing with a view of the west hills & The twinkling lights at night. Our Daughter was the calm before the storm. The porch swing was the perfect spot, rain or shine for ONE of her colicky twin brothers. The old windows had panes of wavy glass. We had plenty of natural light, a wood burning fireplace & Crown molding that adds amazing character to a home! With the addition of our fourth & finale baby, our Daughter was so excited to have a roommate of her very own! So what if that roommate is a boy. As long as she can read to him, it was all good. We got rid of our dining room table a few years ago to make way for the Barbie party playhouse, lincoln logs, blocks & A variety of toys. We had a 3 bd., 1 bth., large eat-in kitchen, home with a full unfinished basement that's damp, okay wet, during the rainy season. Did I mention we live in Oregon, where the rainy season can last 7,8,9 even 10 months or More! After 10 years of memories, it was time to find a larger home. Wow, we knew the housing market had gone up all over, but the Mt.Tabor area had gone crazy. As buyers, we were priced out of the market in that area. Our home sold for three times what we paid & We still couldn't afford 1 more bdr & 1 more bth. We refused to be house poor. Which would have cost over $500,000 just to stay in our area. We looked in all directions. Including across the river in Washington State, No thanks I would rather NOT pump my own gas or pay a sales tax. So off to the suburbs it was for us. It's not a 1911 old Portland style, but it was less than what we sold our house for. A 9000sqf lot, Frml.Lr, Dn.rm, 4bd, 3bth, fam.rm, bns.rm, den, sauna, hot tub, backs to grn.space. It's not a cookie cutter house, your neighbors aren't stacked on top of each other. The only problem is the lack of character. It's gonna take some time & Money to put the finishing touches on it, But we love it. Even though it looks like we are moving out when you walk in the living room due to the lack of furniture. The old place only had a living room with enough room for a couch, oversized chair, T.V, coffee table & An end table. All of which is in the family room. But we are gonna take our time & Wait till we find what we feel really makes it our home!

I do love my home, I just wish it had one more bedroom. Also, It's a 2 story. I don't like the stairs but I am an artist and the downstairs gives me the opportunity to have a studio.

I plan to buy raw undeveloped land, pitch a tent and develop and design a Permaculture Oasis with an off grid homestead including my custom earthship im designing and a huge crop garden and permaculture orchard blending in my rabbits and connecting different systems to the homestead.

I'm the proud owner of an 1895 Victorian with classic sub-styling that is undergoing a complete resto-mod. I love this house!

I haven't lived a day in it yet but have put countless hours of work into it - with my husband's hours dwarfing mine. Remodeling and working this house into our home has become his day job.

As a family, we've handpicked and purchased every single element going into it - from toilets and cabinets to wall paint and the hi-velocity HVAC system - albeit the challenge and momentous tasks of shopping on THAT kind of scale.

Naively, we expected the initial renovation to be 6-9 months. We are closer now to a move in date after 18 months, but still not there yet.

I find pleasure in sweeping, cleaning up with a shop vac or simply dreaming in this space of what will be my family's home. I love this house.

It's so much more than walls and a structure. It's history. It's possibilities. It's a canvas of dreams. It's an historic house that has stood the test of time and seen the passing of experiences. I am happy to be a chapter in its novel.

I love this house!

I LOVE MY HOUSE! Small, imperfect, cozy. Human-sized. A gift to me from my husband following his death (insurance), he enabled my move closer to family. It’s full of potential, as we all are, and radiates the love he and I shared. My home is not just the decor or design or architecture. It is the love it radiates. Truly.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE MY HOUSE! Perfect ranch style on 0.5 acres. Lots of fruit and ornamental trees. We have outgrown the three bedrooms (4 kids) but I have plans... we have finished half of the basement, adding 50% square footage, including a second kitchen (kitchenette?) and I am dreaming of an addition for the perfect master suite to give the kids the current three bedrooms (the twin girls are sharing the current master with their own half bath, oldest boy in his own room, baby girl with us in another room). We have an awesome location (the middle and high school are across the street, I dream of my kids walking to and from school when they are bigger) and its so close to everything else. Both of our jobs, the beach, the zoo, parks, museums, the city in a 15 minute driving radius. I have woods on 2 sides, one neighbor on the other, and the schools in front of me. Privacy despite being in the suburbs. We could have afforded so much more in a mortgage but we are customizing it bit by bit and are not in the least bit house-poor- in fact I can cover the mortgage with just one weeks paycheck by myself. It is not large or fancy but its awesome and its home and it supports our dreams rather than taking away from them (ie is not a money drain). It was built in the 1960s and lovingly maintained by two owners- and the most recent was only two years before they moved for a job. They replaced the roof and furnace thinking it would be their forever home and had it landscaped. We put offers on two other houses before this one and I shudder to think of how we almost got stuck with those!

I like mine because it's pretty and its a smart house!

I lost my job and my home 9 years back when my 38 y/o husband passed unexpectedly d/t an undiagnosed medical condition. I never thought I would ever be a homeowner again. I applied for a mortgage on a whim. At this point I was debt free so my credit was pretty good. I got pre approved. I had just switched jobs so the mortgage company said i had to be at my job 6 months then they would start the process. I found a home that had been on the market for a year without being sold. They took it off the market on halloween. I called the realtor to ask them the next day if they still want to sell it and i gave him my offer. 20 minutes later the realtor called me and said yes they will still it and they took my very first offer. This was in the fall. the sellers knew I couldn't buy it till I was at my job 6 months. The sellers waited 6 months just so I could get it. I love my home and am so proud of it. I have been updating, decorating and remodeling. I love to sit outside and look at my home and yard and the inside as well. it is literally perfect for me! and now comes the clencher... When times were tough I was driving past the house several years earlier. I told my friend as we drove by " If I could just find a house like that my world would be perfect 7 years later I am the proud home owner of that very same house. All the stars were aligned and god was shining down on me. I'm a single mom btw. My prayers were answered. I have a garage, a shed, a big beautiful yard, mature trees. I was also able to save up and pay with cash for all new windows. Im am so happy in my beautiful little forever home ! Also I was offered a lot more of a loan than i really needed. It will be paid off in 10 years. And my interest rate is spectacular. I always felt like you should leave things better than when you found them. A friend called it my Goldilocks home. Not too big, not too little, just perfect.