Image via

 

Morning all! 

I hope you guys are having a great week! We are still recovering from recent travel (did you catch my trip to Grand Rapids?) and Zain’s party over here. His real birthday is this Friday and I am thrilled that Trevor has the day off and we are going to really try to spoil Zain. On the agenda: the Lincoln Park Zoo (he hasn’t been since he was entirely too small to care), Sweet Mandy B’s for a treat and some long walks. Trevor’s parents get here Saturday and we are so excited to see them and to have a date night to ourselves 🙂 We are headed to one of my all time favorites, Le Colonial!

Today’s post is an introduction and update on our home search. I took a poll on Instagram stories as to whether you all were interested in our progress or not and since it was an overwhelming yes I thought I would share. I loved showing some pictures and videos while we toured the homes and getting feedback from you all has been amazing. I thought I would share a little background about where we are looking, what we are hoping for and how it’s going so far since I’ve received the most questions about these things. 

 

Location

We are pretty close minded when it comes to location, ha. We are set on the Cherokee Park/Highlands area. We really hope to maintain some sense of city living and this area gives us that. Stores, coffee shops, restaurants and everything else you can think of is in walking distance. The park is also amazingly beautiful so having that close by is a huge perk for us! The homes also happen to be exactly what we love—old. A lot of homes in the triangle have century markers and there are quite a few rules as to what you can change about their exteriors. When I was first reading about this I was annoyed I would have to apply to change something but then I realized how special these places are and that it’s nice to know no one will be ripping down your neighbor’s home and throwing up an ultra modern spot that doesn’t feel natural. 

 

How beautiful is the park in the fall? I can’t wait to walk around with Zain! Image via

Appreciate the art and sentiment, Image via

 

 

Style

We love a lot of the homes in the neighborhood but are drawn to brick over siding and really love a good painted brick. I’ve always imagined a white brick home (not sure why) but the colors we’ve seen have all been so pretty. As far as the inside, we’e hoping for something semi-updated since we don’t really want to be doing a gut rehab but would like to update cosmetic things to make it our own. As long as the  bones are good, we are happy. It’s also really important that the original details have been kept. Things like crown molding, fireplaces and window details are big for us and I especially love all those little touches. 

 

Love the front steps from the sidewalk on all these homes!

 

Progress

Most of what we’ve seen so far doesn’t really fit the bill. Although Louisville is more affordable than Chicago this particular area does seem to be pricier and with the homes needing a good amount of work we are trying to find something that allows us the flexibility to update. My parents live in Louisville so we always have a back up plan (anyone else back home ball while they were house shopping?) since we don’t want to rent. After almost buying a home here last fall we feel like we have been house hunting for years and don’t want to sign a lease on another apartment. If we can’t find anything before we move, we will move in with my parent’s until we do. We feel fairly confident something will catch our eye soon and I think I am more concerned about living with my parents than Trevor. He’s thrilled about the fresh Indian food and childcare 🙂 I will be sharing more about the process on the blog and in real time on Instagram so follow along! I’m really excited for some home renovations, before and after’s and all the decorating! 

 

I think that’s about it for now. If you guys have any advice for us or insight please feel free to reach out. You all always think of things I never would!