photo in front of our new home? presumptuous, i know...

so we are back to the home search...last weekend we were on counter offers on the other house i told you about...then we got a bad taste in our mouths when the sellers "counter" was their asking price plus they threw in other concessions they wanted us to make such as shorter inspection time, etc...so we decided to expand our search...which lead to the photo taken here...

we were driving past another house, just a few blocks from the one we were in counter offers on and there was a man out front washing windows who let us take an early preview before the open house scheduled for the following day...there were so many things we loved! not sure if this was cognitive dissonance kicking in but suddenly we were really rethinking the house we almost got...decided that house was a B house with an A yard and this house i'm about to describe was an A house on a B yard...so as much as i want a garden, pool, patio, sidewalk, fruit trees, grass, etc...we wouldn't have all of these things right away anyway so we have to go with the house we love over the yard...

so what does this home have that house #2 didn't? (i am now going to refer to house #1 as the one we put offers on but lost to a higher bidder; house #2 is the one we almost got but pulled out of and this house i'm describing now is #3)

#1. hardwood floors!!!! in good condition...under the carpet...thru most of the house...i thought i could compromise on this one but really i am SO excited we may get to have hardwood floors. i think it makes the house feel cleaner, are easier to clean, better for allergies, i like how they look and should improve the home value some day

#2. bedrooms all on the same floor and next to each other. when you first walk in to the house, if you turn left, there is a bathroom to your left and storage down the hall to the left (like house #1's layout) and then all 3 bedrooms are along the far left side of the house...sea/story's would be on the street side, guest bedroom in the middle and master bedroom at the end of the hall...which leads to the next thing i like about this house...

#3. sliding doors from the bedroom to the backyard...for aesthetics, cool breezes, sounds at night, light, etc...someday we could put in french doors to increase the value...these face west so the sun sets here...

#4. an extra bedroom/bathroom with separate entrance. great for mom or mother-in-law to live with us someday; or possible rental or cousin ally to live for a couple of years while she goes to school at sdsu across the freeway

#5. amazing view...m thinks we can see all the way to the ocean on a clear day; mainly it will help resell, is peaceful, one less neighbor behind us...the downside to this view is less usable yard than house #2 since most of our property is on the slope...BUT we could still have fruit trees planted there...

#6. open floor plan. we can knock out two partial walls and part of a kitchen wall and be completely open between front room, dining room and kitchen...until we have the money/energy/resources to do that i like the layout as is...

#7. even more windows/light than both houses...the front room (when you first walk in to the house) has a window that pretty much takes up the whole far wall...facing the yard and view...

#8. an extra space between the kitchen and outdoors with sliding doors (again could be upgraded to french doors someday) that could be used as an office space/play area and when the children are older we could have adults in one area and children in another...

so what are the down sides you may ask? (m and i got in to a whole discussion on how i tend to idealize things and in being so optimistic i lose a lot of realism...so yes, i am still looking at this house through rose colored glasses that will probably change if we find another...)

#1. the house needs a lot more work...new roof, we have to pay for termites, carpets have to come up, popcorn on the ceilings, painting, yard work, etc. just off the top...

#2. it will cost more (because of extra bedroom, view and more work)

#3. the biggest downside for me is less usable yard...i'm already reworking it to have the main things i'm looking for

ok...i'm having trouble coming up with many...i'm also tiring of this topic...guess we'll know soon if this house is the "one"...will keep you updated...

one last issue related to this one...i have been thinking about my dad a lot. a LOT...one time when i thought it was unbearable that he wouldn't be here for this huge milestone in our life i heard a train pass nearby and felt like it was his immediate answer that he was there...also, when we showed this house to my mom, there were two love doves in the tree out front who hung out watching us/waiting...and then flew off together as we left...i mentioned to my mom we almost got this house on what would have been their 40th wedding anniversary and these doves were just sort of a symbol of the cycle of life for me...

on a final note. we asked sea several times if she liked house #2 and she was very clear that she did not and did not want to live there. but she has said she likes house #3 although i'm still not sure she is ready to leave our apartment that is her only "home"...