So, we did it! In the last whirlwind of a week, we've gotten word that the funding for Erik's dream job will be ongoing, got ourselves a real estate agent and pre-approval for a loan, looked at some houses, fell in love, made an offer, and bought ourselves a house!! Of course, everything is still contingent on the inspection, etc., but we are thrilled.
The house has 3 bedrooms and a full bath on the top floor. On the 2nd floor are a living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, pantry, half bath, bedroom (office), screened-in porch, and 2-car attached garage (something I never thought we'd get on the kind of older home we wanted). The basement has a finished playroom, an unfinished workroom (that I plan to finish as another office), laundry, and storage. It's on a corner with a fenced yard and it even comes with a swingset. It's a 1930's home which gives it all of the great character I love - hardwood floors, built in bookcases, lovely fireplace, archway between the living and dining rooms. But, the current owners have made a lot of great updates - new bathrooms, new roof, new windows, new boiler, etc. Plus, they have great taste in paint and decor - we can just move right in. It's on the smaller side of our square footage range, but the spaces are all perfect. It's got a very 'not too big house' feel to me - smart spaces with character and charm as opposed to big empty space for the sake of space.
The neighborhood is great. We're right across the street from a tip-top rated elementary school with a fabulous playground. The library and some cute shops are a quick walk away (and there are sidewalks everywhere - the lack of which are a major source of stress in my current life). There are a TON of kids in the neighborhood - I've met the mom across the street who has two kids the same ages as ours. She assured me that Go-go and Mui-mui will never lack for neighborhood playmates. And we'll be changing wards - we'll be in the city ward which has a really nice vibe.
The timing has been amazing and a blessing. We've seen a lot of houses online and have been doing the open house circuit for the past month and a half; we've seen several that had one or two things missing from our lists or could work if they had to. But this house came on the market just a few days after we decided we could go ahead and buy and we were able to get to it first. We'll close at the end of July. Here are some pictures (obviously not our furniture):
