The Lamberth Review

This weekend my parents came into town. They arrived Saturday around lunch time and left this morning after a big, yummy breakfast at IHOP.

The Lamberth Parents came into town because Carlton and I are making serious preparations to purchase our first home! We wanted to get our parents' opinions on the houses we are considering because they will have a more critical and experienced point of view than we first-time home buyers have. We are concerned that we could make a quick decision and get stuck in a money pit, or be charmed up-front and end up hating a house we are stuck in. The way we see it, the more opinions we have, the more pros AND cons we will see for all of our options.

Because my mom is pretty much an expert on making a house feeling "homey" and my dad is pretty much an expert on making sure a house and all its elements are working like they should, we brought them in to take a look.


{Exterior} While my dad and Carlton examined the exterior cedar shake, brickwork, windows, doors, paint, and other functional/structural aspects of the house, my mom and I absorbed the charm of the house, its well-established landscaping, the back patio, and how it all tucks in so privately to the rest of the quiet neighborhood.


{Interior} One of our main concerns was the air conditioning in the house, especially upstairs where all the three bedrooms are located. (It seemed pretty warm upstairs compared to our normal preferences.) My dad's assignment was to examine any obvious surfaces, flooring, window and door seals, ventilation, ceilings, and exposed plumbing for imperfections or possible problems. I took my mom on a tour with Katrina, our Realtor. Katrina took us from room to room and pointed out the special features like ALLLLLLL the built-ins, the large kitchen with its beautiful new Corian countertops and tile floors, the walk-in laundry room, and all the hardwood floors.

And while Katrina pointed everything out, my mom gave me a mini-quiz on what I would do in each room, how I would make it all ours. Carlton would have his own office just off the living room, would it be his "man den" or a combo room with my sewing table as well? Where will all the books and accessories come from to fill all the built-ins? What colors would I choose to paint the rooms? It was fun to share my crazy-imagination ideas with someone!


While we ladies went over the perks of the home and shared decorating ideas, Carlton and my dad made note of some minor issues with a few windows and a spotty looking area in the ceiling of the kitchen.

In the end, the house got two thumbs up from both my parents. In our budget, compared to the houses we have looked at so far, this seems to be our best option... and it's not a bad one to have! Now we're awaiting the arrival of the Joneses this Tuesday, and we can't wait to hear what they have to say on Wednesday afternoon about this house as well as two others we're going to look at. I'll be sure to update then and make note of what they think!