Houses, Houses Everywhere

It's a buyer's market. Everyone keeps repeating this as more and more houses come available with a smaller pool of buyers interested and able to take on 15-30 years worth of debt. My husband and I have been out looking at a variety of homes for the past several weeks, but have yet to find anything that meets all of our needs. We wouldn't mind flipping a place (aside from the fact that neither of us have any tangible - or imagined - home improvement skills). However, as we shuffle through subdivision after dying subdivision, I have noticed that all of the contemporary houses are low-quality and low-character.

"Stick built homes," as my mother would call them, at least 70-years-old, or older, have ample character, but we are wary of the wear-and-tear of time. One of the nicest homes we have seen thus far was built in 1897 and successfully flipped - with slate in the shower and stainless steel appliances - all of the conveniences of a modern home with the turn of the century charm still intact. However, the (nicely finished) basement ceiling barely cleared my husband's head and he thought the neighborhood appeared dubious. So we passed.

Perhaps my expectations are too high and my budget too low. Perhaps, instead of continuing the search for a new home, I should instead start my search for a second job (as my husband so kindly suggested I do when I complained about the cookie-cutter houses we were inspecting). I am still keeping my fingers crossed that we will run across a home that is comfortable, conveniently located, and meets all (or most!) of our needs. Maybe even one with just a little bit of character. Because, really, is that too much to ask?