Decisions, Decisions

The house I own is falling apart. Quite literally, everything needs repairing or replacing. Once I paid off the mortgage, getting the money for repair was a little easier, although it took longer than I expected.   What I want to do is buy a house, live there while this one is being repaired and then decide which one to keep. I've heard such horror stories about kitchen and bathroom remodeling.

House hunting took a lot longer than I hoped. Apparently I missed the big foreclosure and sell off times, or maybe it wasn't noticeable around here. There aren't many houses in my price range and the ones that didn't need significant repairs didn't last long. There's never been more than 10 houses in my list.

My list was pretty simple. Besides price, I want a 1 story, 1800 sq ft or more, no HOV, at least 2 bathroom house. Sounds easy enough. The hardest thing wasn't the price, it was the HOV. I've heard awful things from both sides, since my BFF was on her HOV board for a year just ending. Almost all the subdivisions built in the last 20 years attached the money-making HOVs.

I looked at a house that I liked Monday. My realtor, an old friend, liked it as much or more than I did. It is on the street where my late aunt lived and is her floor plan. I'm hesitating about how I feel about the house because I think my affection for her is transferred to the house.  I spent thousands of hours in that house, enjoying myself with my aunt. I feel at home there, very comfortable.

I like the hardwood floors in the house. With our allergies, that's a big plus. There's plenty of space in the open rooms. It's light with plenty of shaded windows. There's a nice sized tree in the front. The only drawback for me is the garage conversion. The closest bathroom is all the way on the other side of the house. My son says that's not a problem, so maybe it's just my age speaking. I wouldn't want to get up at night to cross the house to go to the toilet. Of course, for me, that's several times a night.  Apparently the reason the people who converted the garage found the addition of a toilet too expensive. That's what the people I talked to said it would be. The location is across the highway from my house. I enjoy my location, and of course, it would make meeting repairmen easier at my present home.  I'm tired of looking and waiting.

I've found 3 possible houses in the city where my mother lives. Housing is even cheaper there, so I'd have a little money to buy furniture and decorations. I'm just afraid of making the wrong decision. The house across the highway is a known value in an excellent school system with elementary and middle schools close enough for walking and the high school about a 10 minute drive. I know I could rent it or sell it easily enough if I decide to move back into my present home. The other city is unknown.

This is agony to my Libra indecisiveness. I may end up deciding so I don't have to think about it.  My friend keeps advising me to rent, but I'm unlikely to have the money to improve my situation again. Then I remember how blessed I am to have this piddly "problem."

Tell me there's a light at the end of this tunnel, that you made the agonizing decision and survived it. Any tips are gratefully accepted. I've lived here since 1987. That's a long time since house hunting.