Today on House Hunters!

It's funny how after watching House Hunters on HGTV, shopping for a house can feel like being on a tv show. I've got Brady hooked on watching that show, by the way. He's even compromised watching an episode of the Simpsons at 10 to watch it with me...sometimes even both episodes :) So I realized I didn't post pics for our favorite house so far that we've seen. The market here is really slow, plus we want to be sure we have all our ducks in a row before we buy, since it would be our first house. Us taking our time will probably work to our advantage because we'll probably be able to get it for a lower price if it's the house we ultimately choose.

Ahem, here's my best attempt at being the host of the show.

"Brady and Krys are two recent graduates from Arizona State University. He manages a blueprinting company and is a freelance nature and wildlife photographer, while she works in healthcare. They are engaged to be married in late October and would love to close on a property before they walk down the aisle."

Alright, enough of that. On to the house! These pics were taken during winter so the trees look bare, but it's nice and full right now!

"They have recruited the help of real estate agent Kurt, who is confident they can find a house that will fit their needs."

Kurt: "Brady and Krys know what they're looking for. They want a house that they can keep for the long term. They have their priorities, like having a large grassy backyard for their dogs. That seems to be the main concern. They like hardwood floors or tile for the main areas of the house. They like an open kitchen. Other than that, they're flexible. I do know they would love to have a room they can transform into a home theatre, but they understand there might not be the space in most homes. I'm going to try my best to find something that has enough space for them to do that though. I think we have some really great options for them so that they can get quite a few things from both their needs and wants lists."

Host: "Today they are looking at a two-story, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in the North Phoenix area with just over 1700 square feet. It has a large rec room addition above the garage, a fully fenced backyard, and is close to hiking trails and just down the road from some of their favorite entertainment areas, including the bookstore where they had their first date."

Krys: "I like the trees and hedge around the driveway. The security gate by the front door is nice for the dogs too."
Kurt: "The owners are from Maui and so they put security bars on the windows so they can just lock up and go away for a few months and not worry."
Krys: "Yeah I don't mind those at all."


Krys: "Oh I LOVE the shutters!"
Brady: "The house has a really beachy, island feel."
Kurt: "The owners lived in Maui for about 20 years and then moved here. Their kids are all grown up so they're moving back to the islands."
Krys: "Yeah, you can definitely tell that they're from Maui with how they decorated. I like it a lot." (Just my style!)
Brady: "I don't think the entertainment center is going to fit on this wall." (To the right)
Krys: "We're not getting rid of my entertainment center." (He's always teasing me) "The plasma would look really great there though."

Brady: "We could have a pretty big table in here."
Krys: "Yeah, I like that the windows continue into the dining room."
Kurt: "That's an interesting art piece." (The door frame behind the table) LOL
Krys: "Wow, I really like this kitchen. It has a very warm feel to it. The countertops are great and different too." (They're coated wood)
Kurt: "The appliances look pretty new."
Brady: "We could always add a counter over here by where the hutch is."
Krys: "Yeah, that could add more counter space. I even like the cabinets and look at the blue tile on the window sill! I love that the window looks out to the backyard so I can watch the dogs out there."
Brady: "I wonder if they'd want to leave some of the furniture."
Kurt: "I would think so. It would be really expensive to ship everything out there."
Brady: "I kind of like this hutch."

The hallway to the laundry room is to the right of the fridge. The hallway also takes you up the stairs to the rec room. The laundry room is HUGE, the biggest I've ever seen. There's tons of room for shelving and storage. I'd like to finish the floors in there, probably tile it.

Krys: "Oh my gosh, I love this backyard. It's HUGE!!"
Brady: "That tree really keeps it shady." (There were leaves when we were there!)
Krys: "The dogs would love it out here. They'd be rolling on their backs in the grass." "It'd be big enough to have our reception out here!" (Leave it to the bride.)

We also talked about possibly expanding the house on the right side and adding an RV gate, but not for an RV :) I really like the oleanders that cover the fence on that side and would like to add them to the rest of the length of the fence. They also have some great wicker furniture on the patio that has a tropical floral print. We'd see if they'd leave some of the furniture. Like I said, the picture was taken in winter and we saw it during the summer so the tree is completely full and green and the oleanders have filled in. We also found out that there's a misting system on the porch, which I love! Brady, not so much, but that's why you can turn them off :) The staircase goes up to our second favorite part of the house, which we unfortunately didn't get any pictures of.

We'd probably fill in the gravel area with grass. The backyard is actually much bigger than this picture shows!!

So we don't have any pics of the bedrooms or the rest of the house, but our second favorite part is the rec room above the garage. It's decorated very island-ish, which we'd keep. The wall covering is a mix of lauhala (looks like a basket weave) and bamboo. If we get this house, it would be turned into our tropical movie theatre/sports lounge and we'd probably spend most of our time up there!!

The only negatives are that the master bedroom suite is a little small. We'd really like to have double sinks and more space for getting ready. A walk-in closet would be nice, but the double closets in the master would allow plenty of room. We could potentially expand the house on that side, giving some more space to both bathrooms, the master, and the second bedroom, but that would be a project way in the future.

Stay tuned for updates on our house hunting and to see what house we ultimately choose!