Mini post: lessons in house hunting

Notes from our first real day of house hunting:

Like this bathroom? Yeah, me too. It's $50,000 over our budget.

Seeing a flea jumping around on the carpet is like finding a hair in your salad: you can try to remove it and just carry on, but you will never really be able to stomach it.

The queensway (Ottawa's major highway) is very loud and apparently is following us from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. 

 

Apparently at our budget level, we'll be looking at either a charming 2-bedroom murder scene, or a 3-bedroom garden home with bonus former grow-op in the basement.

Apparently looking at houses has changed me. In one neighbourhood I said I didn't like the look of the neighbours. This was after seeing a topless guy, covered in tattoos, wearing cargo shorts and army boots walking a tough-looking dog. I had to remind myself that excepting the topless part, I usually keep my shirt on, I look quite a bit like him most days--tattoos included.

Trying to stick in your budget is pretty much impossible. Again, it's like wedding dresses: there's always something so much more beautiful, if you're only willing to pay 10% more than you could ever possibly afford.

If you want to sell your house, paint it in bright colours. I can't tell if your house is ever going to be sunshiney when you paint it burgundy and forest green.

When you think you've established what you both, as a couple, are looking for, the other one will say something absolutely the opposite right in front of the realtor. And that's what you'll argue about all the way to the next house.