Tom and Erica reside in Oahu, HI: They want to go from renting a place there to owning a home in Waikiki. This House Hunters‘ couple has dated for three and a half years. They have been married for a year in a half. Now that they have a year old baby, Harper, andn two big dogs, Tom and Erica believe it’s time to create their perfect home.
Their budget is $900,000. According to them, that’s more of a starter price for property in the Waikiki area. Erica being closer to her job is one of the main reasons that they want to move to that area.
Wish Lists
Erica and Tom are looking for a place with at least four bedrooms and two bathrooms. They have plans to expand their family, so they see the extra bedroom as a future place for the next child. Tom and Erica both want a place close to the beach and a big yard.
Hers: At the top of Erica’s wish list is a place no more than a 20 minute drive from her job. She also wanted a completely move-in ready space with a cottage style. Erica would love a high-end bathroom and a large, white kitchen.
His: Tom doesn’t mind a fixer-upper home but he needs a loft style one. He wants it to have high ceilings, lots of natural lighting, and a music room–for his work as a musician.
House #1, $899,000
Home #1 falls within the west side of the island. It’s 45 minutes from Waikiki and Erica’s work. It has nice original flooring, and an open large kitchen. It doesn’t, however, have the brightness that Erica wants.
The home has plenty of rooms (four), including one that could convert to Tom’s studio. It also has a beautiful view from the large master suite.
House #2, $1.05 million
This home is located on the east side of the island, far closer to Erica’s work. It’s also a four bedroom and two bathroom home. It’s about half the size of House #1. It also needs some remodeling and updating, unlike the previous home.
For the price, this home is very underwhelming. The only reason the owners can charge such a high price is the location, because nothing about the place screams worth over a million dollars. The best part of this home is the large backyard and nice view of the mountains.
House #3, $838,000
This home has a bungalow style, which makes it closer to Erica’s desired style. It’s so close to work that she can walk from her home to it. It only has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The place needs serious remodeling. There is no way Erica and Tom can move into it as it is, so if they purchase this home, they’ll have to do a complete renovation.
Decision Time: To us, the obvious choice was House #1. However, Erica seemed set on finding a place closer her work, which makes sense, as she said she didn’t want to spend more time away from her family. Taking that into consideration, the closest place is House #3. This place needed a lot of work, so if they picked it, it would be an investment.
They decided to go with…House #3.
They bought it for $830,000 instead of $838,000, and received a $10,000 credit. Currently, their home is still being remodeled, which will take at least an additional month.
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