Our Reno condo has finally gone on the market. That puts us one step closer to seriously house hunting. Traffic confounded our original plans to look at houses today, but we did go see one place in our neighborhood. $395,000  4 bed / 2 bath / 1,740 square feet / 9,150 square foot lot / 3 car garage + carports The Good: I am ridiculously charmed by the koi pond. Plus there’s a hot tub (under a shelter) and a full fountain, and two outside fireplaces. The garage is huge with a ton or storage. The 2 person garden tub is in its own little sun room off the master…

House 4: $498,000 3 bed / 1.5 bath / (unlisted) square feet / 6,570 square foot lot / garage The Good: Okay, talk about curb appeal. The house look beautiful on the outside and is on a corner lot, but one of those triangle shaped corners, giving it a unique look. Plus, it is in the Seward Park neighborhood, which is definitely upscale. The street it was on was quiet. And as a random bonus, the house across the street had to adorable big dogs. The living room area with two sets of French doors that open to what was probably once a porch, but is now a fully finished…

House 3: $439,000 5 bed / 3 bath / 2,560 square feet / 5,445 square foot lot / garage & carport The Good: When we arrived at the house, a neighbor was walking her dog by. She mentioned she could not believe how great the house looked. It had been bought and flipped, and she was thrilled. And while the house did not have the curb appeal of the previous brick house, it still looked quite nice, and fit in very well with the surrounding neighborhood. It was on a quiet street, Beacon Hill area, and again, seemed like an area where I would be fine with the girls playing…

House 2: $475,000 3 bed / 1.25 bath / 2,140 square feet / 5,432 square foot lot / garage The Good: The house has great curb appeal, and is in a nice Beacon Hill neighborhood. The streets are narrow, but quiet, a place I would have no issues with the girls playing outside. It has a large back and side yard, but without a lot of fancy landscaping the dogs would mess up. I really liked the flow of the public spaces of the house, with the fireplace kind of set between the dining/living areas, and then the French doors from the dining area into the kitchen. The basement area…

House 1: $385,000 4 bed / 2 bath / 2,080 square feet / 4,000 square foot lot / garage The Good: Based on the pictures, the price, and location, this was the house I was most interested in seeing today. It had a nice large kitchen with eat in space, and good sized, fully fenced back yard. The fireplace was lovely, and the two main floor bedrooms were pretty comparable, with a bathroom in between, making them good for the girls. The basement had been nicely finished with a family/entertainment room that was nice, and would allow perhaps for a child play area that wasn’t the main floor. The Bad:…