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I want to bring some incense in here
and just, kind of, you know, get some energy,
maybe come meditate.
NARRATOR: Self-described hippie chick Krista
wants a house in Durango, Colorado,
with good vibrations and vintage charm.
Oh, I really like this --
the old and the new put together.
Don't you?
Not really.
NARRATOR: Her army-vet husband, Ryan, has other ideas.
Brand-new, no maintenance. I love it.
Is there possibly a house out there
that can work for both of them?
These ceilings are a little low for me.
KRISTA: Adds some character to it.
I think I just got hit in the face by a spider.
If this is forever, then convince me.
How can we make that wall work?
[ Doorbell rings ]
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
[ Bell clanging ]
Aww, she missed you today.
Good girl!
Yeah!
I'm Krista.
I'm Ryan.
We met at school.
I'm an English teacher, and Krista's a counselor.
Hey, meet you in five minutes?
Yeah, I'll see you in the courtyard in five.
[ Students "Ooh"ing ]
Ryan and I are perfectly similar and opposite.
Krista is, like, free-flowing, energy, yoga, kind of
fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants hippie,
which is the complete opposite of me.
I was in the army,
and I have everything planned out.
Everything needs to be in its place.
Krista comes in, and she leaves her stuff everywhere,
spread out all over the house.
So I got her the bowl.
And now everything fits nicely in the bowl.
She never has to worry about a thing.
They've been together for a little over a year
and met during a difficult time in Ryan's life.
His father, who was sick, passed in December of last year.
And when you see a man go through losing his dad,
you learn a lot about him real quick.
The first time Krista met my dad,
she kissed him on the forehead, and that was it.
I fell in love with her right then.
They married a month ago...
The doggies. There's you!
Canine bridesmaids.
Yeah.
...and have been enjoying their active life together in Durango.
Think you want to go a little more?
Yeah.
Durango's right on the edge of desert and high mountains.
The town is totally based on hiking, camping,
mountain biking.
And it's beautiful here. It's great.
But living in Ryan's bachelor pad is less than ideal.
It was good for me, but for both of us and two dogs,
it's just there's not enough room.
We also would like a single-family house,
'cause this place is a townhome.
It's time to have our own space.
Our budget's $350,000.
And that's just the nature of Durango.
Everyone wants to live here,
so if you want a single-family home,
you have to start kind of at that price point.
And we're fortunate enough that when my dad passed away,
he left me some money to be able to afford a house.
Is this an investment home, or is this our forever house?
It's our forever house.
When it comes to buying a house,
I'm learning so much about him
and what he needs and what he has to have.
And he's learning so much about me.
We're going into the neighborhood that I really like.
For me, having good spiritual energy in your house
and a lot of light, which is great.
I want a good wood house, kind of older.
Something that has more of a homey feel
and not so many sharp edges.
A turn-of-the-century charmer in Durango's historic downtown
would be her top choice.
Ryan -- not so much.
I want a new home,
and I would love an energy-efficient home.
All the homes I've owned up until now
have been older and just not very efficient at all.
I want very clean lines, very uncluttered space
that has the newest appliances.
I would love a stucco home, and I don't want
any kind of yard with any kind of maintenance.
This is what I hate --
wasting a beautiful afternoon watering a lawn.
He doesn't want one blade of grass.
I was raised with a big yard. I love grass.
I really want a place that has a garden,
that has lots of plants.
Can I grab you anything else?
I think we're good. Thanks.
I'm great. Thanks.
NARRATOR: Ryan's good friend Chelsea is their agent,
and they're hoping she can find them a happy medium.
I'm into my yoga,
so I definitely want a yoga space in a house
or somewhere that I can facilitate that.
CHELSEA: Do you need a garage?
Yeah, I need that.
We've got motorcycles, bicycles, a couple cars.
I know the neighborhood that Krista likes
might pose a problem for your garage situation.
In their budget,
you can buy a lot more when you look at newer neighborhoods
than you can when you look at
the in-town historic neighborhood.
But at the end of the day,
I really do want to try and find something
that both Ryan and Krista will like.
NARRATOR: This morning, Krista and Ryan
are heading slightly out of town
to see a home in a new subdivision,
which should be right up Ryan's alley.
Oh, man, I love it!
It's brand-new, no maintenance. I love it!
I don't know. There's a lot of dirt around it, babe.
Well, you can customize the landscaping a bit.
Rock and native plants. No grass.
What's up with the front here?
So, that's gonna be a stone facade,
and then you can see the stucco exterior.
Oh, I love it. Love the garage.
Bikes, cars, and motorcycles.
I like the floors.
The floors are great because they haven't been put in yet.
CHELSEA: So, carpet throughout or...
No carpet. No carpet.
So, you are at a point in the construction
where you can select the flooring materials.
It comes with a laminate. You can upgrade, as well.
Yeah, I'm thinking hardwood for sure.
You know, I really am not digging
how the two colors come together and kind of cut each other off.
The energy kind of breaks it up for me.
Can't have broken energy, that's for sure.
I can't. If this is forever, then convince me.
How can we make that wall work?
Well, how about this?
What if we had a wood stove in here
crackling in the wintertime, laying on the couch.
I am a fire sign, so that sounds very intriguing.
And that would be an upgrade, too.
So, these are hickory cabinets.
The home comes with laminate countertops,
but you could upgrade that, as well.
The color's nice.
Yeah, it looks pretty.
Just, kind of -- I don't know.
It's not popping at me. That's all.
I'm not upset,
but I kind of feel that it's a big-time Ryan house.
And considering they've known each other as long as they have,
I kind of feel a little favoritism.
I did not favor Ryan when I selected this house.
The reason why I wanted to show them this house
is because it is such a good value.
Oh, wow. Nice view out here.
Love it. Mountains. This is beautiful.
So, this is the half bath.
Obviously, you're gonna have to use some imagination here.
KRISTA: Yeah, exactly.
And this is the master.
Whoa. Look at that window.
It looks right at their front door.
There's no privacy there.
That's pretty close.
I don't feel comfortable with that.
Would this be the yoga room?
CHELSEA: I thought it had potential for it, for sure.
I really like it.
It's very clean, a lot of straight lines.
Of course.
Perfectly linear.
And it's got the western view.
Well, that's kind of a downfall of it, technically.
With my yoga in the morning,
I need an eastern view, when the sun comes up.
No grass?
Yeah! No grass!
[ Laughs ] I don't know.
Definitely I know that I want to have an area
where I can have all my plants.
My garden, basically.
It would be nice to do some grass.
This is a bathroom. It's pretty basic.
Okay.
And you've got two bedrooms.
What is that?
RYAN: Yeah, I think we finally agree on something in this place --
neither one of us like the stairs in our view there.
No, I don't.
Things I like about it is that it's very new,
and I don't have to do any maintenance on it.
It's all just done, and I love that.
It's new. It's really new.
It doesn't have any character yet.
Even the smell -- like, I'm just, like, trying to --
I want to bring some incense in here
and just, kind of, you know, get some energy,
maybe come meditate.
And even location-wise --
you know how much I want to be in town.
This is more of a Ryan house.
So maybe next time, we can find a Krista house.
Absolutely.
Well, I've got a couple in mind for you downtown, as well.
So we should take a look at those, also.
That'd be great.
NARRATOR: So now they're all headed
to one of these historic homes,
and it sounds perfect for Krista.
It was built in 1898,
and it was built by miners, so it's all stone construction.
NARRATOR: Krista is a free spirit.
All right, it's time to go.
Her new husband, army vet Ryan,
is more buttoned up and orderly.
Before Krista moved in, I had everything perfectly organized,
and now look at this closet.
It's absolute chaos. It drives me insane.
NARRATOR: Not surprisingly, they're having trouble
agreeing on what type of house to buy
in Durango, Colorado.
She wants an old charmer with space for a yoga studio.
He wants a new build with clean lines
and a garage for his motorcycles.
Working with a budget of $350,000,
they've seen a new build perfect for Ryan,
but Krista wasn't sold.
So today, they're headed to the historic section of downtown
to see a vintage charmer.
The one thing that this side has been doing
that I even know from living here 15 years ago
is they take homes, and they have been upgrading them.
Really nice.
RYAN: Yeah, but they're still older homes.
Yeah, but the value is going up.
I mean, this is a good area, right, Chelsea?
CHELSEA: It's a great area. Great investment, for sure.
But this is definitely a historic home.
It was built in 1898, and it was built by miners,
so it's all stone construction, but it's very sturdy.
RYAN: I like that. Wow. This is it on the right here?
CHELSEA: Yeah, this is it.
Wow, lookit!
It's got, like, a little A-frame on top and everything.
I like it.
It's got the fence.
You do?
The fence. It's got a nice front yard.
Yeah, it's brick, too. It's almost as good as stucco.
It's just got some character.
Automatically, it has character.
Wow.
I know.
Wood floors. I like it.
I like the window.
That's an original window.
Ohh.
[ Grunts ] It weighs more than you do.
[ Laughs ]
You know, 1898 windows scream inefficiency to me.
Wind coming in, letting lots of heat out.
Right, but good southern exposure in the winter,
so you have nice light coming in through here.
Oh, I really like this -- kind of a brick,
the old and the new put together.
Don't you?
Not really. Not really.
It just seems weird that one corner of the room is brick.
KRISTA: I like it.
Right behind you here is your bedroom.
This is tiny.
Whoa!
This kitchen is way smaller
than what we already have and way dated.
It has a lot of character,
but I also see a lot of work here.
This is at the top of our budget,
and so we're not really gonna have any money left over
to do a kitchen remodel.
Ryan has things that he likes the way he likes them,
and I can appreciate that.
But I could see the kitchen having potential.
RYAN: This is the bathroom.
The bathroom.
Wow. This is small.
I do like the skylight, though.
How do you feel about the tile?
It would all need to be torn down.
It looks like this is pointing us in a direction to move.
[ Laughter ]
And you have a laundry room.
What is that?
You should open it up and find out.
Oh, wow.
There are stairs. Appears to be a basement.
RYAN: I think I just got hit in the face by a spider.
No! Really?
Furnace here, water heater's over there.
It's a lot of extra space.
Yeah.
I don't like having the water heater down here, though.
If there's ever a problem,
you have to come down here to turn the water off.
Perfect! No maintenance. I like it.
Well, it's got what I like -- garden-esque right there.
NARRATOR: And there's a storage shed, as well.
Not bad. The bikes can go in there, at least.
It's big enough for that.
So, this room is a second bedroom.
KRISTA: It's got potential of, kind of,
having enough space for a yoga room.
It's got, you know, east-facing window,
which is kind of nice.
So, this room here is the master.
These ceilings are a little low for me.
Got some character, again, to it.
KRISTA: Well, I definitely think
this house had a lot more character for it -- for me.
RYAN: It does have a lot of character,
and it grew on me a lot.
I really like the outside.
There's just no maintenance in the brick and in the grounds,
and that's great.
I just like that you're finding some happy things about it
because this is where I, kind of -- I like.
Yeah, but it also has a lot of big projects
that need to happen to modernize it.
And that, I'm not too excited about.
NARRATOR: But Ryan's willing to look at another historic home.
And this next one may be a winner.
The good news is it was completely remodeled
in the last year.
It's very low-maintenance, which I'm all about.
It's actually a good combination of you and I,
if we can agree.
[ Train whistle blows ]
Lookit. Oh, they're so cute.
NARRATOR: When it comes to buying a house
in Durango, Colorado,
army vet Ryan is all about having
an energy-efficient new build,
while new wife Krista, a self-described hippie,
wants an old charmer that gives her a happy vibe.
I guess I just want to walk into a place
and feel and know that this is gonna be our home.
NARRATOR: So far, they've seen a new build
that has everything Ryan wants
and a historic property Krista liked,
but it needed work.
Hey, guys.
RYAN: Hey, Chels.
NARRATOR: So now they're headed to see another historic home --
this one built in 1908.
The good news is it was completely remodeled
in the last year.
There is some grass in the front,
which I'm not really psyched on, but I love the stucco.
I love the corrugated, rusted metal.
It's just a great look, and it's very low-maintenance.
It's actually a good combination of you and I,
if we can agree.
Yeah, it's beautiful. I like it.
Yeah, it really feels like a home.
Oh, my goodness. I like this.
Are these real hardwood?
They are. In the second bedroom, too, there's no carpet.
And, you know, it's the second place I've seen
with two drastic wall colors, and it's kind of growing on me.
Yeah, I like it. I like it.
It's a good contrast, for sure.
It looks like all the windows have been replaced,
so that's great.
Very efficient.
CHELSEA: Everything's been done last year,
so it's really fresh for you.
Yeah, I mean, it's new,
but it's got all that feel of the old.
I know I get considered
or called a hippie from my husband and whatnot
because of my little Buddhas and my burning incense and my yoga,
but this house has that energy.
When you find a home that has that feel --
the mix of kind of Ryan and Krista,
it has that kind of potential.
CHELSEA: This is your second bedroom here.
But look back in the corner there.
There's a pipe. Now, what's that next to it?
You know, that's a good question.
That may be some ventilation.
So, we'd probably want to look into that.
Character.
Or question mark. [ Laughs ]
But it's a little small.
It could be an office.
It's not a yoga room.
I like the space. It's a little small.
Right, the ceilings drop down in here.
Yeah, I just felt that same, "Whoop!"
Like, I was like, "Okay."
I do like the fact that all the appliances match.
The countertops are -- I like the color.
They're not any kind of stone. They're definitely laminate.
Well, and you've only got, like,
a few feet of countertop even on this side,
so it would be really inexpensive to replace.
And here's the bathroom.
It's a lot bigger than the last bathroom.
And it's certainly a lot nicer,
and the tile's actually really nice.
Yeah, you wouldn't have to do as much remodel.
Don't think I'd have to do anything in here.
So the master bedroom's up here.
RYAN: I like it.
It's a little small, but it's airy.
I really like the recess section on the wall.
So, this is the backyard. There's a really large deck.
This is a really nice, big deck.
It could be a great space for entertaining our friends.
KRISTA: Well, I'm seeing the yard.
Oh, wow. There's a lot of grass out there.
I know. I know.
But this yard just opens up, and it's beautiful.
This is something that maybe we could consider moving into --
I would mow the lawn.
It's gonna be really tough for me to get past all that grass.
I mean, if Krista promises me
that she'll water it and she'll mow it,
then I can get past it.
Did you see the --
The shed? I love it.
It would be great to keep all the bikes and my tools in there.
The beauty of this property
is that you have alley access right here.
So down the road, if you wanted to add a garage,
that could definitely be an option.
And this has been already approved for a garage.
So, it's a huge bonus for being downtown.
That's true.
Yeah, that's great.
Hardly anyone I know who lives downtown has a garage,
so that would be amazing.
That's great that it's already pre-approved.
That yard was definitely, I think, my favorite part
of this whole thing, Chelsea.
RYAN: I love the fact that it's stucco on the outside.
It's been completely remodeled.
A few of the things that didn't work for me --
There's not really a yoga room,
and that's kind of a downer for me.
And you don't have a garage.
But with extra money...
Yeah, I mean, you're already getting it under budget
at full listing price.
If you can negotiate anything off the top of that,
that would leave you a little bit more room
to do those projects.
The good thing about this neighborhood is
that if you do put the money into your house,
you're gonna get it back
because this neighborhood is appreciating,
and I think that's a really good investment.
Which one do you see yourself in for the next 20 or 30 years?
Hi. How are you today?
Good. How are you?
NARRATOR: With a budget of $350,000,
newlyweds Ryan and Krista
have been searching for a house in Durango, Colorado.
They've seen very different types of houses.
Now they need to decide whose tastes are going to win out.
KRISTA: The new house -- I don't know, you know?
The character would have to come from me,
not from the years of being in this town.
But the great thing about it is it's a blank slate right now.
You can add your style to it and your flow and your energy.
It's already got the garage that I need.
That's true.
It's got the low-maintenance. And that actually --
The only place that has really good yoga space.
Yeah. But we're not in town.
Well, we're in town.
We're just a little farther out from downtown. That's all.
The arrow house.
The arrow house.
It was in town. I mean, it was quaint.
It was cute on the outside.
The garden, you know, had potential.
What I can't deal with, though,
is how much work the inside needs.
The Krista house. It's Ryan-ready.
It had the character. It was modernized.
And that was something, actually,
I was surprised you would even appreciate, and you did.
I loved the remodel that they did.
I do like the fact
that it's already pre-approved for a garage,
but the bedroom was really small,
and I'm not so psyched on the grass.
Which one do you see yourself in for the next 20 or 30 years?
I see myself in the new-construction house.
We won't have to do any projects on it
because it's a clean slate.
You get to do whatever you want to it.
Well, that's what I want to hear.
I mean, if I can bring the character to the inside,
I feel like we can make that house ebb and flow beautifully.
All right, I think we made a decision.
Here's to us.
Cheers.
[ Doorbell rings ]
Got it?
Got it.
Nice.
So we literally moved in this morning.
I mean, we're still moving in as we speak right now.
Yay.
We've got the big stuff here.
Now it's time to make this place
warm and comfortable and happy.
It feels great to have a brand-new home
because I know I won't have to do anything on this place
for years and years and years.
And so it just makes me think about
being able to focus on us and our life together,
instead of focusing on big, giant projects.
The original base price for this home was $336,000.
With all our upgrades,
including stone countertops and wood flooring throughout,
we ended up at the maximum of our budget,
which was $350,000.
And the wood stove was an upgrade,
and unlike a fireplace,
the wood stove, I think, heats a lot more efficiently.
For me, it's just having
that romantic, nice, warm home to come home to,
from a modern house to kind of have that old-school feel.
This is where we were looking
right out our bedroom window into their house.
And they built a fence for us. It's great.
KRISTA: I think I found a yoga space that's gonna work quite nice
for the energy of sitting in the right direction.
It's downstairs, kind of in the corner.
I'm gonna have to get a little altar,
put up my Buddha, get a candle.
It's gonna be perfect.
This house is amazing for me
because I've got the oversized two-car garage.
Motorcycles here.
KRISTA: Obviously, the biggest compromise we made
was a no-scape yard.
So, as you notice, even though Ryan got all his wood chips,
I was lucky enough to find some really nice purple sage,
and I have some lavender over here, as well.
And I figure, over the years,
I can just kind of sneak some plants in,
and it'll get a little greener and a little greener.
Come here. Come here.
Getting this house really has had a profound effect on me.
I lost my dad. I got a great wife and a whole new family.
And so, when I see this house,
it's kind of, like, my dad's legacy to me.
It's amazing to think that a year ago at this time,
where we were at and where we are now.
It's amazing.