The Scene In Which We Did Not Buy A House

You win some, you lose some. You love some.

But some have asbestos.

And roofs that weren't installed correctly.

With warranties that don't transfer.

And electrical hookups that could potentially light your house on fire.

Which you might be able to put out with water from the shower, but you can't use the shower, because it needs to be totally re-grouted.

Which probably means there's water in the walls.

Beyond the water you already found in the walls.

Which only adds to the moisture in the attic.

Which is there because all that moisture from the bathrooms hasn't been venting out correctly....and in fact is in your attic.

And to top it all off, the seller? Scares the crap out of you.

Because he's the kind of person who talks about how home inspectors scare buyers by "pointing out things that aren't really important."

Like asbestos.

And bad wiring.

And bad roofs.

So you decide that you love the house, but you don't love all the problems with the house, so you walk away. And you try again. To be continued.......

The Scene In Which We Get A Home Inspection

I hesitated to post my "We Got A House!!" post yesterday, for the simple reason that nothing is ever certain until you actually close. However, I figured you guys are with me through the good and the bad, and I wanted to share my excitement about our new place!!

And then we did the inspection today.

And I realized I should have waited to blab.

And I know it's not a huge deal, in fact in the great scheme of things, it's not, at all. It's a house.

But it may not be mine, now, after all.

To be continued.....

The Scene In Which We Buy A House!!

We bought a house!!!

After several weeks of searching for homes (and one unsuccessful, adrenaline-pumping 24-minute mad dash to submit a bid for a house we wanted that had gone up for auction that day) Cute Boy and I finally narrowed our search down to four, two smaller homes we liked in an area we loved and two larger homes we loved in an area we liked, about 10 minutes away from the first area.

The day before we were scheduled to look at them all, we learned that House #4 had sadly accepted another offer. Since we had loved that one, we asked Realtor Brad to find other houses in that area that might be on the market. Unfortunately, there isn't too much out there right now- apparently, folks tend to stay longer in those homes. (Green light!)

We did schedule one "mystery showing" for the end of the day, and took our parents and Justin's sister to see our top three choices. Each had their pros and cons, and let me tell you, they're easier to see through the eyes of others. (We didn't end up liking house #4, so I haven't included it.)

House #1:
My mom: This is cute!
Me: Yeah, I really like it.
My mom: The yard is nice, but are those businesses you can see over there?
Me: Yeah...that's the Mousetrap.
My mom: Whaaaaa?
Me: It's a bar.
My mom: Oh.
..........
.........
My mom: Well.......

House #2:
My dad: This is nice. I have a few ideas for easy ways you can make the rooms bigger, too.
Me: Yeah?
My dad: Yeah! See, I don't think this is a load bearing wall.....
Me: Uh huh.
My dad: So what you do is cut this wall out....
Me: Uh huh....
My dad: ......move it over here, move this door, move this window........
Me: Uh huuuuuuh....
My dad: .....then in THIS room, move THIS door here.......
Me: Um, I think we should go to the next house now.

House #3:
My dad: I like this house.
My mom: I like this house.
My future mother-in-law: I like this house.
My future seeeester: I like this house.
Cute Boy: We love this house.

So the next day?

We bought that house :)

Or I guess I should say, we put an offer on that house, it was accepted, and we are currently in the process of inspection/finalizing/insurance/preparing for closing in LESS THAN A MONTH!! Keep your fingers crossed for us that everything goes well!

from The Reader

New book review:

"Cutting for Stone"

up over at Just Can't Stop Reading!

The Scene In Which We Are House-Hunting! (Advice, please!)

It's official- Cute Boy and I are shackin' up!

We've been on the hunt for a few weeks now, checking out properties in and around Indy, and to be honest, I'm a little surprised at how well it's been going.

I think it's because Realtor Brad was due for some good house-hunting karma with me. A few years ago, Realtor Brad toured my brother and I around a couple places within our budget.

Including one with bullet holes.

We were due for some good houses, is all I'm sayin'.

But back to our search! Cute Boy and I are looking at a few different neighborhoods in town, and over the course of looking at about 15 or 16 different houses, have narrowed it down to two areas we like, with two houses in both areas.

And this is where, YOU GUYS, I am struggling.

I love them all.

There are things about them all that I don't love.

But there are lots more things I love.

In an ideal world, I want the adorable paint colors and awesome finished basement of the first....along with the neat 1930s features and neighborhood proximity of the second.....along with the backyard, deck, master bedroom bathroom & extra vanity of the third, with the open layout and split-level features and kitchen of the fourth......

.....but I can't have that.

Which is fine.

But I need some help, pals! When YOU were looking for the house you are in (especially if this involved purchasing/renting/obtaining said house with your significant other), how did YOU decide which one was the best for you? What features did you find you valued most highly? And, following the choice you made, what things did you realize later you didn't really care about?

Tips from the Calendar- March

Part 3 in a 2011 Series of Recycling Tips from my dayplanner. Because green is the new black.

Tip of the Month: Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass that could be composted. (*That's icky, and being a florist, I know it's true. One of my biggest goals for the year is to compost more!)

Week 9: If you don't already drink soy, rice or almond milk try switching to organic milk, which contains more nutriends and Omega 3 essential fatty acids. (*I feel like this is more of a health tip and less of a recycling tip. Regardless.)

Week 10: Cultivate plants all year long. Dedicate a spot in your home or backyard to a greenhouse.

Week 11: Go digital. Avoid wasted snapshots and buy a digital camera. (*And welcome yourself to the new milennium).

Week 12: Spend one day each week where you don't make any purchases (*And compliment yourself on your witty sense of humor if you spotted "the funny" in that sentence.)

Week 13: Use a manual or electric-powered mower