Houses
I'm dubbing the Urbana house as the "pretty good house". It's nice and I see why I liked it when I rented it, but it's not magical like my mom's house. I made a list of pros and cons for each house.
Urbana House
Pros:
I can keep my therapist. This is a big one because I had a hard time finding a therapist who's simpatico.
It's in Urbana, which I really like.
Lots of storage.
Birds in the back yard.
Not much lawn to maintain.
Close to downtown Urbana--walking distance.
Near good public transportation.
Near the University.
Cons:
I don't know know yet if I could buy it.
It's nice, but not magical.
It's small. (That also is a pro too.)
No utility sink in the basement to wash litter boxes out.
It would cost me more than Mom's house if I could buy it.
Mom's House
Pros:
The back yard, the back yard, the back yard. I completely destress there. The pond and the gazebo.
It's a very cool house.
There's a cool Unitarian church in the area.
Lots of storage, but I have to clean it out first!
The fireplace
The memories
The cats like it.
Cons:
Limited public transportation
Big yard with lots to maintain. (That goes for the house too.)
I don't really know many people there.
I'd have to move AGAIN.
It's in poor shape. I'm trying to catch up on years of delayed maintenance.