new development

so the morning after we looked at the most perfectest house ever, we found out it was a short sale.

i know enough about short sales to know they can be a great bargain but they can also be a huge effing pain in the arse. i'm not one to voluntarily sign up for such hassles but we're not in a house-buying hurry, either.

so i did even more research on the topic (also known as "googling," my friends) and i spoke with two different real estate agents and while part of me wanted to just put in an offer and play the waiting game, awesome papa and i decided that it really wouldn't be worth it in the long run, with so many other options currently on the market.

so, after looking at several other houses (both online and in person) i came home last night more certain than ever that i just wanted to get a green home from the first builder we were drawn to when this whole process began. backstory: my husband introduced me to these houses about two months ago and i fell in love. like serious kinds of love. we originally had our sights set on the largest single story the builder had to offer, as it had tons of workable space and a very nice flow, but it still wasn't perfect. there weren't enough bedrooms if my husband were to have a dedicated office and my bean was to have his own space when he stayed with us. plus, after some additions and changes and the lot premium, the overall price would be slightly out of our comfort zone. we then looked at some smaller single stories and found one model that could work, but again, we wouldn't have enough bedrooms in the long run and there was only one large eating/living area and i hate that. i think it has to do with spending half of my life living in apartments but it's one of my biggest peeves.

after going back and forth (literally, too - i think in the last month alone i've visited the builder's model homes four times) we decided on a two story plan with about 60 sq. feet less than the larger one story we originally wanted. it still only has three bedrooms and ideally we'd want four, or even five - but it does have three living areas downstairs so we can have a comfortable living room, i can have a studio, and my husband can have a quiet, retreat-like area (though he understands it might not be quiet for another ten - fifteen years).

we are still waiting on final word from the lender and i'm sort of on pins on needles, but honestly, even though i don't meditate daily or any such thing, i am so completely at ease with the process and can maintain my cool until moving day - because nothing is for real until then, in my book.

so i am realistically optimistic and really happy that we decided, after looking at all sorts of options, that what felt like "home" from the moment we started this journey, might actually be home someday.

and did i say these houses were sexy, yet? because they are!