Open House

There was sun shining in through our balcony door and down through the living room skylights this morning. There has been precious little sunlight this past week, so we decided to do what we have been doing for the last several Sundays: drive out to a few open houses. Viewing real estate on the market without an appointment or a commitment seems to be an activity largely limited to Sundays in Cincinnati, and it is fast becoming as much a part of our Sunday traditions as watching CBS Sunday Morning from 9:00 to 10:30.

We scoured the Internet listings and came up with four new possibilities. One was in an attractive condo development where we had viewed before but which we had largely discarded because the two-bedroom condos were too small, and the four-bedroom one we had seen was a bit too large and even more too expensive. This was a three-bedroom, and it was much more to our liking. In fact, it was so much to our liking that one of us was ready to move in tomorrow. There had already been another condo that we had viewed two weeks ago which was very much to our liking: three bedrooms and in the same area where we are currently living, thereby close to stores and public transport. Alas, that one is now under contract to someone else, but I am keeping my eyes wide open for similar models in that development.

The fact is that we are reluctant to commit to a new property before we sell our house in Spain. And though we are returning to Spain next month to ready that house for the market, it would be very dumb to expect action too soon, and foolhardy to act on that expectation. On the other hand, we are living in a rental and will have to decide by next April whether we intend to renew our lease or not. So even though we are not ready to make a commitment in the next few months, we are spending our Sunday afternoons exploring different parts of the region and different styles of living.

We have driven to the east and to the west. We have driven north, though I am reluctant to go very much farther north than where we are already situated; we have not explored very much to the south, so that may come next. But the longer we stay in this area, the more we see its advantages: we had one agent last week rave about the wonderful community center in this town and the modest cost for seniors--and we have yet to darken its door. This week another agent explained that we have one of the most reasonable tax rates of any of the surrounding communities, because of some industrial properties (which we generally bypass) and lots of commercial properties (which we have taken great advantage of).

Time is on our side, so we will continue to explore and examine and think about what we need and what we don't at this particular point in our lives. Can we really find a smaller house with an open feeling that still allows enough space for each of us to have our private area?  A place with at least one bedroom and full bath accessible without steps, and a laundry room on the same level as the primary bedroom? With a low-maintenance but attractive yard? With walking and public transportation close by?

Time is on our side. While we watch and hope and let one or two get away, we are also peeking into a lot of closets and garages and observing the state of many properties on the market. All of which gives us a good idea of what and how much we need to do when we get back to our house in Spain in November.