Wishy-washy

I feel so damn unprepared to make a decision on a new house. We've done our research, to be sure. We've visited every home builder in the county, we've researched each one of their reputations. We've tossed around the idea of purchasing an already built home. And we're no closer to an answer than we were when we first began.

Wil is more in favor of building rather than buying. His logic is that you get a brand new house... there's nothing possibly wrong with it. I agree with that, but there's also the fact that you're paying top dollar for a basic house when you could buy a pre-existing house that someone else has already taken the time to upgrade and make nice. And there are LOTS of houses out there right now that are only a year or two old.

The second factor to consider is that if we decide to build, we'll either have to settle for something out in the boonies with well water. I like the boonies and the idea of houses not stacked on top of one another. If I were building a house just for myself, this would be ideal. But we have to think of Jonas's well-being, and that of any future additions to our family. Do we want him growing up out where there are no sidewalks and streetlights and no other children to play with? I do realize that most of children's playdates now are arranged through other venues, but I can't help but think that living in an area where other children are is more beneficial. Some of my fondest memories are of being able to ride my bike through the neighborhood, and of walking to school with the other children. We always had someone to play with and hang out with and we didn't have to have our parents drive us across town to do so.

I, up until now, have been totally against the cookie-cutter neighborhoods that are built down here. You get less than a quarter acre, and you can practically knock on the neighbors door from your own driveway. But living in such a place will ensure Jonas a relatively safe place to grow up. There are sidewalks, community pools and playgrounds, all the things I want him to have. So is it fair of me to move him out farther from civilization just because I have an aversion to planned communities?

The houses in the neighborhoods are nice, new, have all the things we want. Open floorplans, great kitchens. Truth be told, they're the exact same houses we're thinking of building, only someone else already built them. And they're in the same price-range. I personally think that they're the best option. Convincing Wil of this may take time.

See what I mean? One minute I'm all excited about finding the floorplan we love, and then next, I'm throwing that out the window for something else. Someone with some common sense, or at least some experience in the real estate market, HELP! What really IS the best decision.

No matter where we go, the property value is going to do nothing but increase, but are the planned communities more desireable than the boonies? Or are people trending more towards the open space? And does any of this really matter in the grand scheme of things?