Thanks for the advice, not having kids but buying a place for them gets me too, though I worry that if we wait until things are on a timer due to pregnancy, we'll be in a poorer position to exercise caution and good judgement in purchasing.
Really, I hadn't planned on getting a place this year, it was more next year or two. This place we're looking at though, after seeing over 50 houses in the greater Chicagoland area, is pretty special. Nowhere else we've seen even approaches how much we like this place, there's just this perfect storm of all our must-haves, really-like-to-haves, and like-to-haves. I think the main reason this place hasn't sold already is that it's on a hill, which means nasty shoveling/snowblowing/ice/salt/etc. in the winter, but that sounds like a character building exercise to me.
Once you're pregnant, you've got
at least 9 months to find the perfect place. I'd argue you have even more. My wife and I had our first kid when we were in college, living in a 1-bedroom apartment. We stuck the kid's playpen in our closet. That gives you at least another 6 months to find a place to live.
So that sense of urgency is out. It sounds like you still have a sense of urgency about this particular house, that you're afraid it'll get away after all the time you've been putting into your search. But then you mention that you're looking at a 1-2-year time frame, so it must not be *that* urgent to get *this* house.
About 3.5 years ago, I changed jobs. Old job had a 25-50 minute commute (depending on the project), new job has a commute <10 minutes. It is
incredible how valuable that time is,
especially when you have kids.
So, as a one who is living in the way outer suburbs of Chicago, in a house like the one you're describing, with a wife and kids and a short commute, I say "don't do it." Between the expense of the commute, the $10k/year you'll be paying in property taxes, and especially the loss of time with your family, I don't think it's worth it.