Here's the skinny...

(Hmm...wonder where that phrase came from?)

Anyway, we drove and drove and drove around neighborhoods last Friday and found one that felt right. We picked up fliers and found one that sounded like it was the right size and the right price. So we went to see it around lunchtime. While I was talking to the realtor in the dining room, I could see Toben looking at me from the kitchen mouthing, "I want this house!"

We waited about half an hour after leaving and called to make an appointment to see it on Saturday morning with both of the girls. After about ten minutes, Toben said we should make an offer, so we did. But on Sunday the realtor called to say he had another showing with someone who'd seen it before and was also planning to make an offer. Since we offered so much less than the asking price, I really didn't think we'd get it.

But we did!

The neighborhood is wonderful--all the homes are 20-30 years old, and there are lots and lots of big trees. There are trails running throughout the neighborhood, lots of open space (but wooded open space), and swimming pools and tennis courts. What impressed me about the neighborhood too is that it's so uniformly well cared for. So many of the neighborhoods we drove through were hit and miss--some of the houses were loved, others clearly neglected, and most somewhere in between.

The house is not too big and not too small. Lots of hardhood floors, a huge backyard, two raised beds that will be perfect for a spring garden, a basement with the possibility to finish into a rec room at some point, a guest room, a loft for Toben's office. The master suite is big enough for us to have a couch or chairs or something of a retreat at one end. Most of the house has been updated--all but the kitchen, which is not very pretty. But the layout of the kitchen is good, the cabinets are solid, and new paint and hardware and flooring will make a big difference.

We're going tomorrow for the inspection, and I'm going to remember to take some pictures to help me remember where things are as I start to think about where our furniture will go. (And fun for before and after pictures too!) My mom is coming up to meet us afterward so she can see the house too.

Here's a couple of things I really love: There's a big window in the living room--deep and low to the floor that will be a perfect reading/drawing/dreaming nook with a cushion and some pillows. The deck has a funky, fun built-in table and flower boxes. The family room walls are paneled and painted a lovely golden color. The fireplace in the living room is wood burning (the one in the family room is gas). There's a bunny in the backyard. The front yard has boxwoods and a border of tangerine-colored pansies. There are built-in bookcases in the loft and one in the family room. I think we'll be able to hang the girls' swings (made with Papa) from one of the trees.

And it just feels like home.

Comments

[Sam Bobek]

Congratulations on finding a home that you love. We are putting our house on the market today. My husband has accepted a job offer in TX, so we are selling our FL house very soon I hope! I don't care for this part of the move, but I love looking for a new home and scouting out new areas. I can't wait for that part of the process!

[capello]

Oh yay! It's awesome to find a house that "just feels like home".