Saturday, October 03, 2009

Pick a House...Any House!

Something tells me that I'm not the only person who does this: act like I just won an obscene amount of money in the Lottery and then go house hunting online. Please tell me I'm not alone!

I don't know why I do this, but I do know that--to me-- it's fun and certainly doesn't depress me. (Probably because I'm well-satisfied with the house I have.)

If I did win that Lottery, I would want an adobe-style home out in the desert on a good-sized parcel of land. No neighbors breathing down my neck. Three or four big dogs to go roaming with Denis and me. A couple of watering holes on the property for the wildlife. Nothing huge, and nothing too far off the beaten track because I wouldn't want to mess up any book shipments. Denis and I could live quite happily out in the desert for half the year, but when those triple-digit temperatures rear their sweaty heads, we're going to want someplace else to hang our hats.

Someplace like the Isle of Skye in Scotland. I love it there, and that's probably why I like to check the houses for sale on the island from time to time. I just did this, and I can't make up my mind between three properties. I thought you might like to help me.

I'm going to show a photo of each of the three houses. When you click on each photo, you'll be taken to that house's description at RE/MAX Scotland. There will be a slideshow of photos, both inside and out as well as a description of the property.

When I looked through the properties...
  1. I looked for something that was pretty much move-in ready. I might want to slap on a coat of paint here and there, but I don't want to be stuck remodeling a place to get it up to snuff.
  2. As always, I looked for lots of windows to let in all the light possible-- more important in Scotland than Arizona!
  3. I looked for something that was right on the shore.
  4. I didn't want neighbors breathing down our necks.
  5. I wanted to be fairly close to a large town that had decent shops. No traveling all day to get groceries!
Here are my three choices. Remember to click on each photo to learn more about it!


Sea Cottage is close to Broadford, which means shops. It also means that it wouldn't take long to get to the Skye Bridge and be on the mainland. Going "to the big city" for any of these cottages would mean driving to Inverness, which means I'd get to travel up the shore of Loch Ness and say hello to Nessie on the way.




Seawrack House is in Camuscross in the southeastern part of Skye known as Sleat. It's farther away from Broadford, but the drive is a short one on good roads. This house isn't far from the ferry to the mainland.






The Bothy is only a couple of miles outside of Portree, the major town on Skye, and looks out across the sea to the Isle of Raasay.












Click on each photo and take a look at the property. Which one do you think I should buy? Is there anything special about the property that made you choose it?

20 comments:

  1. All three are nice but I love the second one! I don't really like the kitchen floor though.

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  2. I would not even look at the others once I had seen number two, superb! But this day dreaming would depress me too much when I had to face reality.:0(

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  3. I have to say I like the Sea Cottage - House #1. I love the open spaces in it, and it's situated nicely, too. Delicious!

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  4. Sea Cottage for me! I'd really like to be near the water. And no, you are not the only one who does this.

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  5. I'm surprised at how nice the kitchens are in all of them - kitchens in France weren't so hot. I vote for #2. Let me know when you're getting ready to close, so I can buy my plane ticket.

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  6. I'd go for number three. I think my husband would love the boat mooring and the smoke house and the view is amazing!

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  7. #1 for me by the water. So bright and cheery. I love Loch Ness and Inverness, would love to live there myself. It would be full circle since my ancestors came from Scotland.

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  8. I'd go for 1 or 2 - shame they're both under offer.

    As you may know we're currently doing this for real, but looking in the Scottish Borders, not Skye. I'd love to live there, it's spectacular - the Borders aren't bad either! Wish us luck!

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  9. After I saw this place: Mountain Bird Ranch, I stopped looking for my dream house.

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  10. The first one for three reasons:
    the view, the light colours indoors (Scandinavian taste) and finally it is the house that seems most ´authentic´ for Skye.

    But don´t worry, Cathy, no matter which one you buy, I´ll come and visit you :D

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  11. Cathy, I do this kind of thing all the time. Thank you for broadening my horizons, too - when I think about an ocean front property, I always think of British Columbia, but now that I've seen these properties, Scotland's right up there for me, too! I'd definitely go for Seawrack House - it's too bad there's no sand beach, though.

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  12. I'd choose #1 - because of the skylights, the gallery landing, & the window seat in the kitchen area. Great views too.

    I like the bedroom balcony in #2 and the kitchen in #3, but overall, for my money (ha ha), I'd live in Sea Cottage.

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  13. I'd choose #1 - because of the skylights, the gallery landing, & the window seat in the kitchen area. Great views too.

    I like the bedroom balcony in #2 and the kitchen in #3, but overall, for my money (ha ha), I'd live in Sea Cottage.

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  14. I love number 2. Number 1 is nice too, but I think it would cost a fortune to heat.

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  15. I love #1 The Sea Cottage..seems more open..and the view from the window are amazing!! I have a friend who lives in Scotland..hope to one day visit..she loves it there!

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  16. Loved both 1 & 2, but the water and the views make #1 my choice. Now all I need to do is win the lottery!

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  17. I think I'd be happy in any one of these!

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  18. They're all pretty incredible, but the Sea Cottage (cottage! Ha, my left toenail!) would be my choice. It seemed to have everything and then some. I might miss the trees, though. What a choice! Why don't you buy all three -- then there would be plenty of room for visitors. :)

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  19. I've always loved looking at houses. I will often browse the real estate listings just to see whats out there and get ideas for my own house!

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  20. You've all given me lots of food for thought. Stay tuned because I'll be talking about the house I chose Saturday, October 10!

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!