Ranch Style Houses as Far as the Eye Can See…
Reminiscing about my first obsession with residential architecture, I remember the copious details I added in the exterior of a house I drew on my chalkboard. Drawing with colored chalk was half the fun, but the house itself best identified with a ranch-style layout: it was horizontally long as opposed to vertical in height, I added a brick trim to the base of the house, and large windows to the front. The reason this was the house I decided to draw was based on my reality, all the houses in my...
Read MoreIncredible Credit Scores!
Part of my 3-step plan towards owning a home was to increase my credit score this year. Well, I’m glad to say that I’ve definitely done that! I’ve partly accomplished at least one of my goals, raise my score above 700, and feel darn proud of myself (and my husband who really worked on this part). Each bureau is now reporting a score in the “good” category, an excellent is now above 760. Early in the year, my credit score was a measly 581, a ghastly poor score. And...
Read MoreFinding Good Mortgage Rates
This year, my husband and I will be digging in our heels with the idea of fulfilling our home ownership goal. We couldn’t have picked a more opportune time; housing prices have finally come down to more reasonable levels and mortgage rates are quite low, historically in fact. Five years ago during the peak of the market, we thought we wouldn’t be able to afford a home in Southern California for many years, possibly not until we reached our late 40′s or early 50′s. We...
Read MoreLittle Cottage House Plans
My obsession with residential architecture seems to grow with age. Or, perhaps it’s because I still don’t own my own little house. However in my quest to own my own place, I have come across some fantastic little cottage plans along the way. Some of the plans I’ve encountered are from architects building communities in other states, so purchasing the plans is my only option at this point. Other plans are kit homes my husband and I have discussed as an alternative to buying an...
Read MoreWho Wouldn’t Want to Live in a Treehouse?
One of my childhood dreams was to live in a tree house. Of course, this may be because I didn’t have a tree house growing up as a kid. I was lacking a tree house not because I didn’t have any trees that could support the weight or structure, but my parents were quite cautious. My stepfather was a firefighter and sort of felt it was unsafe; *think broken arms, legs, head, etc. Climbing up into a little house in a huge, luscious tree sounds fairytale like in some ways. So many...
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