In Search for a New Chez Nous---Part 2

So I've looked at houses, then more houses and then some more houses...and why not some more houses. I feel like I've seen so many that they're all running together. I have my little folder with all the flyers of information, taking notes...like the nerd I am.
Y'all, I've never seen so much pink ultra-plush carpet as I have in the past 3 days! That carpet salesman of the pink ultra-plush must have scored big time when he rolled into Sheboygan. It didn't matter the kind of house or when it was built, but evidently everyone redecorated in the mid 80's and haven't touched anything since. Of course I can't forget the avocado green ultra plush carpet that came in a close second. Blasen kept asking what my beef with carpet was and I told him that even my grandmother knew enough to rip her avocado carpet out and install a neutral instead and that was years ago when I was a child. And to think of all the people and pets that have lived on that carpet...I don't care what kind of vacuum you have that carpet isn't going to get all the way clean...yuck. If I'm going to have carpet, I want to be the one to put it in. Also, why do people put carpet in dining rooms...white carpet at that? You're just asking for a disaster. One of my favorites(insert extreme sarcasm) was the one with carpet in the kitchen. By yesterday, even the realtor was poking fun at me over the carpet issue. I'm just thinking of my kids ruing this stuff as soon as we move in where you have a house that has light cream-nearly white carpet in the entire house.
I know you're thinking just take off your shoes when you get in the house. No, my husband, for some reason, hates having to take his shoes off when he comes in the house. He wants to wonder around awhile tracking all the funk from the day through the house before he takes them off in the living room, by the couch, followed up by complaining that one of our children is playing with said shoes, or heaven forbid pulling the shoe laces. So, let's forgo all that and just have hardwood floors that are lots easier to clean...right?

Can you sense that the house hunting went about like most house hunting goes? I have discovered that selling a house can be far worse than buying a house, but after this weekend, buying could come in a close second. If I could take about 3 or 4 of the houses and piece together the parts I liked, I'd be happy. But that's impossible...right?

Here's a preview of my top 4:

St. Clair house

This house is in the northeast side of Sheboygan just two blocks up from the park and Lake Michigan.
Upside: location(close to parks, school and lake), huge (4399 sq ft), nice commercial stove/oven, great fenced yard, 2.5 car garage, old house character with mouldings and built-ins throughout.
Downside: location(apartments next door, but not shady apartments), only massive formal dining room for eating, some rooms have no over head lighting(the switches operate the plugs, which evidently was very popular at some point, because we looked at several homes that had no over head lighting expect in the kitchen), carpet over hardwood in living room, how would resale go?

Huron house

This house is one that we looked at when we were up in February. As you can see, it's a fixer-upper. It was in the middle of remodel and the deal the two guys had sort-of fell apart. I fell in love with the house when I first walked through it, regardless that it didn't have a floor in the family room and no kitchen except one counter with a sink. But there is so much potential...and all the woodwork and leaded glass is beautiful.
Upside: location(2 blocks from Lake and houses surrounding it are really nice and reno'd already), nearly 3500 sq ft, sort-of blank canvas, huge yard, garage, close to school and parks.
Downside: not livable at this point(how would that work out?), lots of questions regarding how far the other people got on their work, do I really want to do this again?

Kohler House

This house is in the Village of Kohler...Blasen could walk to work. Smaller township of Sheboygan but like 5 minutes back into Sheboygan. I tell Blasen it's like walking into Pleasantville. I like it, but sometimes it's a little creepy with how perfect it seems.
Upside: completely remodeled, literally next door to the school(to the left of the house is the school yard), like I said Blasen could walk to work or be home for lunch, garage, fenced in yard (not much but school yard is right there), parks and library close by.
Downside: semi-small but enough space for us, price a little higher than we wanted to spend, semi motivated seller (new job in Milwaukee so can commute, but doesn't really want to), creeped-out by possible Kohler brainwashing.

Sheboygan Falls House

This house is in Sheboygan Falls which is just beyond Kohler Village. It is smaller than Sheboygan, but bigger than Kohler and not as "Pleasantville"-esque as Kohler. This house is definitely one that makes sense in my head, but doesn't quite go along with the style that I like...again, old house girl here.
Upside: plenty of space (3592 sq ft), floor plan flows pretty well, great basement, nice yard, garage, close to work.
Downside: can we say "ranch"(I never thought the day would come, but a ranch style home has made it on my "possibilities" list), only eating space in kitchen, 4th bedroom in basement with a door that leads to outside, light cream carpet in most living spaces, cathedral ceilings (not a fan of...I know I like 11ft ceilings, but not cathedral, not sure why)

So of all the houses that we looked at over the past couple of days, let's say these are MY top four. Blasen may not completely agree with me. But this wouldn't be the first time. I once had a realtor tell me she truly believed that when you walk into the house you're supposed to get you'll know. I actually believe her...or at least that has been my experience the last two times we have bought homes. Not sure if I've felt that with any of these. Also, not sure if Blasen will allow me to go in and start tearing up and making it the way I want it. I may have to live with the cream carpet and blonde oak cathedral-faced cabinets...ugh.