First-time homebuying advice?

[peggster]

My husband also hates to commute by car, but doesn't mind public transit. He likes the idea of having a nice quiet extra hour on the train each day to read a book or listen to music. The train also has free wifi on it, so he could catch up on his work emails in the morning on his way into work, as some of his coworkers who take the train from that area do.

I know you've already made up your mind, but I wanted to comment on this issue, which I didn't see addressed by many others. For the past 2.5 years, I've been commuting to work 1.5-2 hours per day. I use public transportation (in my case, a bus) as much as possible. I hate to drive, and I definitely enjoy having the time to read and catch up on homework. But I'll also say that the commute wears on you over time. It adds nearly 2 hours to each work day, so almost 10 hours per week. For much of the year, I don't get home before dark. I don't have the option of running home in the middle of the afternoon, or going back to the office quickly if I need to take care of something. If your husband is already commuting a similar distance, I wouldn't worry. But an hour a day adds up. (It is an hour total, not each way, right?)

Anything, I just thought I'd mention it. It may be worth your while to have your husband do a dry run on the train to see what it's like at rush hour, just to get a sense of what the commute is like.

Good luck!