On Saturday, Nick and I drove 45 miles southwest of State College to search for our new home. We explored communities of townhouses and neighborhoods with For Sale signs. And we considered the pros and cons of buying vs. renting.
To Buy:
- Pros: Build equity and take advantage of tax incentives.
- Cons: Possibly leave the area in 2-3 years and have difficulty reselling.
To Rent:
- Pros: Freedom to move in 2-3 years.
- Cons: No pets allowed.
Fortunately, we were impressed enough with Parkway Acres in Duncansville that the decision became much easier. It’s a quaint community of townhouses nestled between I-99 (en route to my office) and Rt. 22 (en route to Nick’s sales territory). The homes are brand new — never been lived in — and most of the tenants are young professionals. And it has luxuries we’ve not yet had in our young married lives.
A garage for one car, two bikes, a pair of skis, and several bins of camping equipment. A large kitchen with ample counter space and a dishwasher. A master bedroom with a walk-in closet and double sinks in the bathroom. A washer and dryer on the second floor. A patio for a grill and a wrought iron table. Yes, please!
We’ve already mentally decorated the downstairs. We’ve browsed bedroom suits and media units and have a list of DIY projects that involve Nick’s new tools. We’re sending our security deposit today and planning to move next month!
We’re going to give this commuting thing a shot and re-evaluate after a year. Any of you out there have a commute longer than 45 minutes? Suggestions for making it more bearable?
Hi, I stumbled upon your lovely blog when I did a search on a recipe last week. Congratulations on your recent nuptials. We’ve just bought our first home and the commute to work is slightly longer than 45 minutes. We make it work though. We have agreed to reassess in a year’s time and take it from there. Good luck with your move.
Thanks for stopping by! And congrats on your first home purchase. We are so looking forward to that day.
Audio Books! Its kind of like reading while driving but ya know, you don’t kill anybody.
I second the books on tape…saved me on my 30 minute commute!
Melissa and Caitlin: Audio book recommendations?
I like to use my commute to plan projects. Large and small scale. It makes me feel a little bit like I got to spend that time at home. In fact, I’m pretty sure I dreamed up most of my wedding while commuting. Congrats on the new place! I hope we’ll get to see pictures!
So awesome to read! Congrats! So exciting! Advice for long commutes: When I first moved to LA seven years ago, my commute was an hour and fifteen minutes (and only 20 miles away. ugh!) I found solace in a really good audio system…music and books on tape. And a really cushy, perhaps ergonomically sound, seat cover. Essential.
Even though I wasn’t really happy with getting stuck in traffic, I actually enjoyed the commute because it let me prepare before work and then I relaxed a bit after work right before I came home and dealt with home life. It’s nice to have moments by yourself to reflect and think about various things.
Good luck with the move and the grand adventure up ahead!
Great news! Since I commute by train, I have more options to kill the time, but what do you think about a language-CD and picking up some German before you come over?! 🙂
Nick suggested the same!
Dishwasher — you had me at dishwasher. Congratulations on your fun upcoming move!
I too have a long commute (between 40 -60 minutes). I’m actually a very grouchy commuter, so I’m super curious to hear what ends up making it more pleasant for you! I always try to read on the train, but that would be v. dangerous in a car 🙂
This is repetitive but amen to audiobooks. I did the San Antonio to Austin commute for a year, it’s about 90 minutes if traffic is moderate- audiobooks saved my life. I treated it as an excuse to “read” fluff like chic lit (devil wears prada etc) and I also highly recommend the Harry Potter books (the narrator does the voiced which is hilarious). I borrowed mine from the Library. Worked out well.