Why this house? Factor 1 - location

So, we had been looking at real estate for awhile. Years actually. It all started with an architect designed beauty that needed some work in west st paul. That was 2007. That was the first of a few houses that we lost out on because we were too slow, not sure, or undecided. It took us two years to get a little more decided on what we wanted in our next house. We had to look at a lot of houses and run through different scenarios. A bunch of factors went into our decision.

Factor 1 - Location

A big factor in buying the duplex was location. The age old truism in real estate. But location is about more than the value of your home, it's the place where you are going to spend a majority of your time. It's your start and end point. It's your neighbors and roads and parks and schools.

The only neighborhood we could both agree on was the one where we already lived - the longfellow area of Minneapolis. We knew we liked it. It's close to everything. We love being by the river and close to both downtowns. We didnt want to move to the suburbs. We love walking and riding our bikes.

But the choice was not without compromise.

Living in the city means a small lot. The new place is the same as our existing lot - about .12 acres, 50 ft by 120 or so. Not a lot of space to run a landscaping company. But it will work, because the alternative was the suburbs, and a long commute.

Also, the neighborhood is made up primarily of small homes, 1200 sq feet or so. The new place is 1900 sq feet. It is literally the biggest house on the block (but not by too much). We realize this is risky from a real estate perspective. However, there are a number of new homes going into the area, and lots of people fixing up their homes. The area is quiet, located in the heart of mpls and st paul, and is close to the river. We think its a great place to live, and we're doing this for us, so it's a risk we're willing to take.

Factor 2, to be continued: the budget.

I was at : 91 Silver Mountain Dr, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601,