House Hunting Tips

Some humor from one of my favorite books to send us off on our trip:

After her house being blown away by a tornado....
"If you must move, that is the ideal way to do it. No packing boxes, no moving vans, no trunks full of clothes. Nothing. Just Mother and Dad and the kids and, of course, the insurance check. Terriffic....
"So I reluctantly started house hunting and learned, in the process, a few hints which I will pass on to all of you who may be house hunting because your home got blown away by a tornado. (I can think of no other reason to move.)
When looking for a new home, go alone. Do not, under any circumstances, let your husband go with you. The first thing he'll ask is the price, and if it's too high, you will be afraid to go through the house for fear you will fall in love with it and he won't let you buy it, and if it's too low, he will want to buy it even if you hate it.
Don't take your teenagers with you, for they will each insist on a private room with bath, and so what if the kitchen has a pump in the sink and a kerosene stove, look at the neat rec room! Also, if your teenagers are tagging along, you may find it difficult to keep from remarking 'This house would be perfect if it just had one more bedroom. Say, honey, when do you think you'll be leaving home?'
Don't take the little children with you, for no matter how many times you caution: 'Don't touch!' they will, and you may end up buying the present owner's furniture if not his house.
So go house hunting alone, with only the necessary realtor, who, if she has any sense at all, will keep her mouth shut and speak only when spoken to. Realtors should understand that a lady buyer doesn't want the facts about a house; she wants the feel of it. Let her walk through it slowly and silently, and in twenty minutes she can tell if it is right or wrong for her family. In the right house she will feel 'at home.' She will be able to picture her family in the various rooms, at work, at play, awake or asleep. She can mentally place the Ping-Pong table, the baby's crib, and the gosh-awful painting from rich uncle Charlie. She will want the house. Then she may ask about the price and the taxes, the furnace and the foundation, but it won't make any difference. If she wants that house, she won't care if the roof leaks or the furnace fumes, here is home."

Teresa Bloomingdale "I Shoulde Have Seen it Coming When the Rabbit Died"