We’re about to begin the process of looking for a home in Greenville. When we did it in Asheville about a year and a half ago, we were heading out with entirely different thoughts. We knew that the prices were completely disproportional to our income (particularly since I was working as a teacher’s aid in an EC classroom), and we were just hoping to find something in our price range.

In said price range, we found

• a place with major cracks in two of the four foundational walls, allowing a whole corner of the house gradually to sink into the earth (Price to fix: too much to contemplate);
• a place that was in such bad condition that it honestly had no lock on the front door;
• lots of condos, with association fees upwards of $100;
• some pre-fab homes;
• a few double-wide trailers (which we didn’t even bother looking at); and,
• assorted cottages slightly smaller than our apartment.

When we began looking at real estate in the Greenville area in the same price range, we were shocked — and that’s one of the reasons we decided to move there. You can still get a house for well under $200k there! In fact, there are two-bedrooms listed for under $100k!

That’s like driving by a service station and seeing the price of gas at $1.89. (Which in the south does happen — it just means the station closed several years ago and was simply abandoned.)

We’ve sat down and made a list of wants and needs.

Non-negotiable

• Price: [redacted — same as in Asheville]
• Location: east side of town, but more importantly, in a location where houses sell fairly easily
• Minimum ft² 1,300; ideal, 1,500-1,700
• Big kitchen, open to living area (not cut off from where the action is when entertaining)
• Minimum 2 bedrooms (if 2 bedrooms, must be partly finished basement; otherwise, 3 bedrooms)
• One and a half bath
• Not on a busy street
• Not in a new house crowded into a new development with no trees
• Minimum 0.3 acres

Preferred

• Close to a park
• Garage and basement
• Trees in the yard
• Deck/patio

Would be nice…

• Brick
• Fireplace
• Hardwood floors
• Front porch

The most pleasant thought in all of it — that L will have a backyard to play in.

So tomorrow we begin our hunt. It’s kind of exciting, looking for a house with the intention of buying, as opposed to looking at houses with the hope of finding something affordable that’s not a complete dump…