January 26, 2008
I sometimes lay awake at night fantasizing about having this as my kitchen. With these appliances.
Isn’t it just DREAMY?! I salivate over retro kitchens. And they don’t even have to be authentic retro, just anything resembling anything retro in a kitchen is the bees knees in my opinion. I think it’s the bright colors that do it for me since the rest of my taste in regards to all other rooms in my house is a darker and more muted taste, black actually, and so having a room with a full-on COLOR EXPLOSION is an attempt at balanced home decor I guess.
All of these fantasies and daydreams are a result of the fact that we are moving. Painfully, dreadfully, disgustingly moving. I am overcome with grief at the mere mention of this reality. I. DESPISE. Moving.
Some may caution against buying a home in this crappy market. But, we have been renting over the last 9 months and can’t stand the thought of throwing away another penny on rent. Especially when house prices are this good. I know that the other rationale is that prices may continue to go down but we are throwing caution to the wind and buying anyway. On a happier note, the market in Boise isn’t as bad as the national housing market is. But still, it does make us nervous. I just cannot believe how many foreclosures and repossessions are taking place around the country. And how many people are losing hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars. It’s a sad sad deal.
Around here, right now, you can get a great family, well built home for under $250,000 EASY. Homes like these:
All of which are brand new construction and within 20 minutes of downtown Boise. So, it’s dumb to be renting, as you can see.
You realize this is all a desperate attempt to get my bloggy friends to move to Boise, this posting of dreamy houses with great prices. I am CONTINUALLY campaigning to bring everyone here and start our own community, like in The Village where we can talk and behave as thought it’s the 15th century still. Except for the blogging obviously, there would still have to be blogging. But our kids wouldn’t know any better because we could send the blind girl to the city for Windows updates. I’m telling you, it could WORK!
But no, really, I am curious as to how this compares to wherever you live and what your market is doing in that place. I used to have a fairly good grasp on market values around the country but things have changed quite a bit over the last 2 years. Do tell, do tell.
Back to my initial thought, which was to complain and cry about moving, I was going to tell you how boring our new kitchen is and how I want to remodel it. Someday. This makes my husband want to beat me because there is absolutely nothing wrong with the kitchen, it’s not even dated or worn. It’s practically brand new actually. It’s just really really boring and bland with every kind of cheap and conformist material known to man. It’s just very mass-produced kitchen, if that makes sense. No color, no umph, no love, nothing.
I just realized how incredibly whiney and spoiled I sound. Excuse me while I go throw up. On our new kitchen. Oops I did it again. GAH!
Posted by Jamie @ 11:59 pm • Boise in the Hood
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January 27th, 2008 at 12:53 am, melissa Says:
That top house is beautiful. They’d all be about $500,000 in Portland, Oregon. I think buying now is a very smart idea.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:00 am, misty Says:
ah, we are such individuals. had a lovely home in Michigan. (worst right now in re: to the housing market detestation boom) we loved it. The second we saw it, we knew it was made for us. It’s walls held our daughters growth progress and walls the color palate of our lives…
It was our home.
And then our rates shot up, and the value plummeted $22,000. Refinancing wasn’t an option with the market as it was and we were stuck. $4,000 mortgage payment (plus a doubling association fee due to recent foreclosures in our neighborhood) or flee.
We fled.
And it broke our hearts…
So for six months, we’ve been here (daughter and I) while my husband worked there…
And now he comes home, at a third of his income there.
My sister in law is buying a house here too… and it’s great. I am so glad… but a different angle on the perspective: suddenly it feels safe to be renting. It feels like a much better investment than all of the money (and heart) we threw away on a home we couldn’t keep…
January 27th, 2008 at 1:08 am, HabeshaChild Says:
wow - those are a SCREAMIN deal. Almost makes me want to move to Boise!
I, too, covet the groovy retro appliances. But since I’m no June Cleaver, it’s probably best to avoid them. Don’t want to invite comparisons.
January 27th, 2008 at 3:16 am, Julie Says:
Well there was a flyer left on my door today from a Real Estate agent, announcing the sale of a house on my street. Built in 1956 with 1400 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 1.75 bathrooms and it just sold for $440,000. I can hardly believe how much prices have dropped around here! (Los Angeles) Come on… let’s totally set up “The Village” here. It doesn’t snow here. It’s nice and warm and sunny here. Ya know you wanna. And plenty of 1950’s homes with original vintage kitchens.
January 27th, 2008 at 9:09 am, erinthebeekeeper Says:
Well I really want to move to Boise now! If only the Navy had some jobs there.
However it looks more and more like Seattle will be our next homeport! And I’m so excited I could SCREAM!
I hate renting. I hate white walls. I hate hate hate it. I want a HOME again!
January 27th, 2008 at 10:22 am, Anna Says:
We have rented for over five years. When the water boiler blew last month it was fine. Because we didnt have to replace it. Sometimes it does feel like we are throwing our money away, but houses like the ones you have pictures of would be at least $500,000.00. Ideally we need to find a home around $150,000.00 which we can not do in Connecticut- or even in Massachusetts. But I love, love, love the East Coast, the different seasons, the rough new englander persona, the ultra liberal community… We have considered West Virginia, but my hearts just not in it yet. Maybe at some point owning a home will be important enough for us to leave our roots, but sometimes the american dream is more of a fantasy.
January 27th, 2008 at 11:07 am, anna Says:
houses like that don’t exist in brooklyn. with real yards and not highly coveted slabs of concrete…but a brownstone like the cosby’s lived in across the street which is absolutely beautiful but needs to be gutted completely because piegons have been pooping all over the inside and the original pre-war skylight has been broken and so it’s been snowing/raining in there for who knows how many years is selling for over 750K and considered a STEAL. So pretty much 3/4 million for a house you’d have to poor 300K into to make it even livable in a neighborhood that is still “up an comning”.
Boise is sounding pretty good, actually!
January 27th, 2008 at 2:04 pm, Sandcastle Momma Says:
Wow those homes are incredible for that price. The market here in Destin was SO overinflated that things became ridiculous and like everywhere else the bottom fell out. The house next door to us sold 3 years ago for 400k which is crazy. It only has 1600 sq feet and a small yard. The people that sold it bought it 7 years ago for 130k and they got out before the market crashed. We bought our house 13 years ago for 114k (1600 sq feet, big yard)and it was appraised 2 years ago for 420k. We would love to move to a bigger house but we’ve never refinanced our house so our mortgage is only 600 a month. That’s a mortgage that is impossible to find now so we’re staying put. There are 5 homes for sale on our street because they’ve all been foreclosed on and we are losing our neighbors at an alarming rate. They’ve got mortgages over 4,000 a month and who can afford that? If we were inclined to move we would pay close to half a million for under 2,000 sq feet and that’s just crazy in my opinion. I guess I’m still stuck in the 1980s because in my mind half a mil should buy you at least 4,000 sq feet and a killer view LOL And because we live on a barrier island insurance rates are unbelievable. Boise looks good but I’m a beach babe born and raised and could never live that far from the water
January 27th, 2008 at 2:17 pm, Melissa Says:
Oh, they’re beautiful. Our housing market in Dallas is outrageous. In some places, it’s about 450/sq.ft. In the hood however, it’s about $50/a month paid for by the Dallas Housing Authority as long as you don’t do drugs, don’t have stolen property in your apt., or don’t have an offender living with you. Which, by the way, disqualifies just about everyone living there.
My kitchen is so boring I sometimes fall asleep while cooking. It’s new and I really love old houses with 8″ baseboards and plantation shutters and front porches. Oh well.
I am excited for your house! You’re going to love it and you’ll make it your own! Can’t wait to see pics.!
January 27th, 2008 at 5:06 pm, Jess Says:
The house prices in Boise make me want to puke, just a little, considering that a similar house in a nice, Metro-accessible neighborhood in DC runs at about $800,000, and that’s if you’re lucky. We want to buy too, but GAH.
Also, I don’t think this is such a bad time to buy as long as you can afford your monthly payments longterm and you also aren’t planning to sell in the next year or two. If you can hold on to the house long enough for the market to recover, then you’ll be fine. In my completely clueless opinion.
Lastly, I LOVE everything retro and I would kill for such a kitchen. So there.
January 27th, 2008 at 6:32 pm, dcrmom Says:
Actually, this is a great time for you to move. You’re lucky you’re renting. To buy without having to sell is ideal in this market. Good luck! Those houses are AMAZING for those prices. In my neck of the woods, out in the country-ish suburbs of Philly, newish houses like mine with 2500 sq ft and 4 br, 2.5 baths are in the $350,000 - $400,000 range. Closer to Philly and the prices go higher. Right now houses are moving reallllly slowwwwwly in our neighborhood.
January 27th, 2008 at 7:11 pm, Lori Says:
Well, the market in souther NH has fallen sharply in the past year ish. The median home price before was well over 400k, but is more like 300k now…. I’d love to start a little commune of ET babes and blog friends - how fun!
Now, onto that kitchen of yours…. I can make that dream kitchen a reality, it’ll just take a few/several thousand dollars! Seriously though, if you ever want any rough ideas on space planning/design, send me an email and I can tell you how to measure the space properly for me to look at!
Lor
January 27th, 2008 at 7:40 pm, Nicki Says:
I’ve been looking at Austin, TX lately. I had no idea how green it is there. It’s beautiful - not too hot, not too cold. And the houses have yards! 300 days of sun! Swimming pools!
We live in a suburb of Seattle: our house has 3000 sf., built in 2006 - $650k. Our housing market is holding pretty steady right now; thank goodness for that. But a house like ours in Austin would be $350-400k. I need vitamin D!
January 27th, 2008 at 10:32 pm, Kristy.......a lurker Says:
First, shame on you for making come out of the dark…… Second, I have no idea what your kitchen looks like, but I got so inspired looking at this post : http://emmafree.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-never-do-this.html Hope it helps!
And last (or third, if you are counting)…. I love in St. Petersburg, Florida and the housing market sucks here! There hasn’t been new houses (with the exception of the McMansions that are waterfront and no lawn) built here in about 50 years as we are sooo land locked……and you’d have to look hard to find a two story (my dream)….to top it off our 2500 sq.ft. house is now worth (or we pay taxes on) almost a half a mil!!!! Since we bought over 10 years ago for just over 100K, like another commenter, we are stuck here.
Keep blogging as I love to read ya (did that sound wrong to anyone else???)
~Kristy
January 27th, 2008 at 11:21 pm, Chandra Says:
Yeah for the move!! I definitely think it’s a great idea since you are renting. And you are doing it at the right time, especially not having to worry about selling a home. Yeah for you. Send me pics of your new house! That’s very exciting.
Chandra
January 27th, 2008 at 11:50 pm, Mrs. Baker Says:
So I think my husband might be in love with you - sometimes I will catch him giggling at the computer and then he follow up with something along the lines of “that battlestation couple is so funny - I wished they lived closer” - Dont tempt him with houses…I hate moving too!
January 28th, 2008 at 12:13 am, mandy Says:
New houses are fun! I don’t blame you on the moving thing…not much fun. Those homes are very similar to what you would find here in the Ohio Valley for about the same price, maybe a little less. I swore I was leaving here once I graduated from college, but the cost of living is awesome here and its really a great area–much like Boise I am guessing.
January 28th, 2008 at 12:53 am, Stacy Says:
I guess it depends on wher eyou are looking here, as far as prices, but since you aren’t far from here (Salt Lake area) and it sounds like you have family down here, I’m sure you are familiar with the market here. Actually we haven’t had much of a drop at all. In fact, on the way home today, we drove by a new construction, at the base of the mountain, that had a sign outside, “Just $660,000″. Insane!!!!
On the kitchen in the new home, you just need to tell your husband that yes, the kitchen may not have anything wrong with it per se, but that is where everyone invevitably ends up when they come over. It says the most about you out of any other part of the house. It is very important, so you aren’t being whiney at all.
January 28th, 2008 at 12:54 am, Stacy Says:
I guess it depends on where you are looking here, as far as prices, but since you aren’t far from here (Salt Lake area) and it sounds like you have family down here, I’m sure you are familiar with the market here. Actually we haven’t had much of a drop at all. In fact, on the way home today, we drove by a new construction, at the base of the mountain, that had a sign outside, “Just $660,000″. Insane!!!!
On the kitchen in the new home, you just need to tell your husband that yes, the kitchen may not have anything wrong with it per se, but that is where everyone invevitably ends up when they come over. It says the most about you out of any other part of the house. It is very important, so you aren’t being whiney at all.
January 28th, 2008 at 11:09 am, starfish Says:
Ten years ago I bought my house in suburban NY for under $250. It’s now worth more than twice that - it’s crazy here. And let’s not even discuss PROPERTY TAXES you’ll make me cry.
I’ll take that green house please.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:04 pm, Melissa Says:
I love that top house… where is it? I’m excited for you that you’re moving. The pictures you sent out from the Birthday party were so cute!
Melissa
January 28th, 2008 at 2:44 pm, Renee in Seattle Says:
I live 20 minutes from Downtown Seattle, and suburban homes in my ‘hood’ go from 400-500k. Anything under $300k anywhere within an hour of Seattle is a crack house that needs to be condemned and burnt down. Some Seattle neighborhoods start in the 600-700 thousand range. After reading about DC and NJ, I don’t feel so bad.
Of course I L.O.V.E. Boise, and have always envied the low cost housing/high quality construction.
January 30th, 2008 at 3:05 am, Ashley Says:
Ooo the top house is sooo pretty. I love house shopping. Bathrooms are my favorite to look at. I want a big tub with jets.
January 31st, 2008 at 7:37 pm, 50s Pam Says:
Hi, 50s Pam here — Thank you so much for spotlighting my 1963 Geneva kitchen. The good thing about having a “bland” kitchen, though, is that it is a wonderful slate from which to start. If you want to send me some photos, maybe we can make some recommendations to Retro Renovate it! Take care, Pam