Location Location Location

With all the changes and improvements I am making to my home, it is easy to forget why I chose this house in the first place. It would have been so much easier to buy a house already fixed up or even new construction. The construction process has been enlightening and fun, but it is also starting to get old. I want to be in my house!

My neighborhood is older, but not too old. The houses are all pretty cute, and we are within walking distance of many awesome things--including a park with a measured walking trail. Today, I timed how long it took me to walk from my front door to the park: five minutes. You can't beat that.

If you are still looking for a home or considering it in the near future, I cannot stress enough the importance of location. You have heard the old realtor's mantra 'location location location' many times over, but really consider it. Not only does it matter when you go to sell your home, it matters while you are there. Yeah, I might have paid a little more for my house because of where it is, but I am also saving $90 a month by giving up my gym membership in favor of using the park. And forget $30 drunk cab rides, I will be stubbornly stumbling home when I need to since it is only about six blocks away. So assuming I indulge in a few of those nights a year, right there I am saving $1260 a year... just because of where my home is. Add to that the gas money I am saving by being close to work, and I think the slight increase in price was totally worth it.

Now, all that might be negated by my proximity to Graeter's ice cream, but that's another story altogether...