My family is patiently anxiously waiting for the Air Force to tell us if we’re moving again this summer. Interesting facts about me and the homes I’ve lived in.
Number of homes I lived in by age 18 9
Number of different dorm rooms I lived in 4
Number of homes I lived in since age 21 19
Number of homes that were overseas 3
Number of homes that were on military bases 8
Number of homes hubby and I owned 4
Number of new homes I’ve lived in 2
Yepper, you read that correctly. I’ve lived in almost 30 homes in my 29 ha ha years. I’ve lived in military housing, apartments, duplexes, single houses, foreign houses, pre-owned houses, a fixer-upper house and brand spankin’ new houses. Guess which was my favorite? Yep, the brand-new house. You can learn more about the benefits of buying a new home at BHI’s Start Fresh Buy New website {here}.
So-ooo, in all those moves I’ve learned a few things about looking for a home.
When we look to buy a house, we use a spreadsheet of course to help us evaluate each home. You can find more about how I find the perfect home for my family each time we move in the “Moving” tab at the top of the page. I use this spreadsheet every time we move. It helps me focus on the features that are important to my family in a home.
At one point in our moves we purchased an older fixer-upper house (because that was all we could afford, not because we were hoping for our own TV show!). The next home was brand spankin’ new. We lived in both of these homes in the same decade (although they were built 3 decades apart).
Let me show you some of the things I love about being able to buy and move into a brand-new home.
This is the fixer-upper. See everyone of those windows? We had to replace them all.
This is the newly built home. See those beautiful energy-efficient windows that came with the home? Our new home was so, so, so much more energy efficient. We could feel it in the more comfortable temperature in the house and we could see it in our lower energy bills.
Now let’s step inside.
The kitchen of our fixer-upper. We had quite the To Do list to tackle throughout the house.
And the kitchen of our new home.
We were able to move into this new home and not change a single thing. Talk about move-in ready!
Soon hubby and I are going to look at a few houses in our area (just looking nothing definite yet, family and friends). I’m going to start by going to BHI’s Start Fresh Buy New website {here} for more information about buying a new home. There’s even a search feature where you can enter your zip code and see newly constructed homes in your area.
It’s exciting to think that we might be buying a new home again. There’s nothing better than knowing you are the first one to put your spatula in that kitchen drawer!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I’m a mom of 3, a veteran and military spouse. I’ve moved into 20+ homes all around the world. My passion is helping busy people make the space and time for what’s really important to them.
Dianna @ Craft A Spell says
I can see why you prefer the newly built homes! That one is great!
Emily says
Thanks for sharing all of this information of the pros of a new home! I love that comparison sheet that you’ve created. I wonder if you’d recommend adding sections to identify areas of work that needs improvement, like the windows or old appliances?
Susan@Organized31 says
Great idea, Emily. Thanks! I’ll add those items to the checklists.
Cynthia Landrie says
Being a daughter of a Military officer and a partner to a Federal worker, I have a long list of moves also! I hate to count, it makes me feel old!
Cynthia
Kallee says
Great post. Lots of great info and pictures
Amy Latta says
I’ll have to keep this in mind if we ever move!
Sarah Tackett says
We’re moving in July and I will definitely come back and get some of your moving spreadsheets.