I seem to have really taken a blog hiatus. We're pretty settled in the house and love love love it. The only thing I keep putting off is hanging pictures. Ah well.
Anyways, I need some motivation, direction, advice...something. My running rut is worse than ever, and I'm at a total crossroads with my whole workout game plan in general.
My running rut started after AthHalf. That was last October. I can't even remember what started it - my knee, maybe? I got my new Saucony shoes and traded in my left knee pain for right hip pain, which I'd previously mentioned. That, along with my insomnia (which has since subsided for the most part, at least for the time being) caused me several skipped runs. Somewhere in there my enjoyment of the whole thing started to fade.
It's a funny thing, though. When I'm running, I just want it to be over so I can get back home. When I'm not running, I crave hitting the pavement.
I did the Publix half in March somewhat undertrained. I am usually able to run the entire distance, but I walked through the water stations and run-walked the entire last 3 miles. There's nothing wrong with run-walking (I'm actually finding now that allowing myself short walk breaks allows me to recoup some energy and doesn't affect my overall average pace in the end), but the amount of walking I have to do in comparison to running is my personal barometer to gauge how I am doing. If I've run a couple half marathons without feeling the need to walk, then I wasn't at my personal best for the Publix.
Anyhow, I got through that, and my weekly mileage suffered during the move. It wasn't that I didn't have time. It's just that I was still dealing with hip pain and didn't enjoy the route near my parents' house.
The slippage in mileage, in the end, hasn't turned out to be a totally bad thing. It's given my hip the rest it's probably needed, and at the same time I got new shoes. My first pair of real running shoes was my hot pink Mizuno Wave Precision 13's. I decided to go back to those considering I was least injured during my stint in those, so I scoured the inter webs and found the very last pair of size 10's anywhere (eBay) in purple. Between the decreased mileage and the new shoes, my hip's doing much better and is a non-issue right now (knock on wood). I think I've just got some bursitis in there.
The biggest thing, though, is that running has just lost its effectiveness. Last summer I was in better shape weight wise than I have been since high school. I was loving it. Over the course of the last year, I've slowly been putting the weight back on. I am afraid of the scale right now. I haven't gotten on it in months and months, and even when I'm running my little heart out, my midsection is still being my typical midsection and not the one from last summer.
I have taken up a body sculpting group class at the gym twice a week because everyone says that it helps boost your metabolism and helps you strength train for running. Anything that can help me lose weight and run faster, right?! The problem is that I'm my brother's sister, and, coming from the same genes, I am predisposed to bulk up rather than tone. That's all I want to do - tone. Lose fat, replace it with muscle. Instead, my shoulders are getting big, my butt and thighs aren't fitting into my pants any better, and if my abs are getting buffer, they're just doing so underneath what's already there.
In the end, I'm getting 4 workouts per week (2 running, 2 strength-training) instead of the 3 runs (4 on a super-good week) that I used to do, but I feel like I'm really losing out when I'm dropping one of my intense cardio workouts. I know that the science behind it says I should also be getting results from the strength training, maybe even more so, but that's just not how I'm feeling.
I'm training for the Divas half on Septemer 6, and it's going miserably. I think it's partially that my cardiovascular endurance isn't at its best, but I also think it's a great deal because of the summer humidity (better to have something external to blame it on). I have to leave my house before 6am to beat the heat, and even on a weekend long run, the humidity is killing me by 6:30. I did 7 miles last Saturday (which I have built back up to), but by mile 5 I remember hovering over the water fountain willing myself to take a drink but having to fight through the exhaustion just to do it. I got through it and picked myself back up and finished out the last couple miles (with some walk breaks, of course), but it was rough.
I just don't know how I am going to do it. I don't know how I am going to add those last 6 miles to be prepared for this race in September. I don't know how to break out of the rut and get back to actually enjoying running - I really miss enjoying it. I don't know how to get myself back into shape without getting into some kind of diet/exercise routine that's unsustainable. I don't know where to find that balance of running and cross training that will help me accomplish my two main goals of continuing to run toward half marathons and keeping my body fit in both strength and appearance.
Help?!
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
We Have Arrived
It's been awhile. My last post I was drinking coffee and doing nothing. It was fabulous.
Speaking of coffee, we got ourselves a Keurig as a Mother's Day/Father's Day/Housewarming gift to ourselves. It's way easier to casually bury a Keurig machine in the piles of expenses when you spend your life keeping Home Depot in business. What's a little Keurig machine in the grand scheme of things? I look forward to stabilizing our credit card bill (starting NOW), and I will say that the reusable K-cup is a fabulous investment.
So we are here. Here is a brief photo tour of my favorite places in the house before I delve into the joys of buying a resale.
Here is the loft/play room. Actually, that is a misnomer. It is the room that is set up to look like a play room, but you are NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY IN IT because it is purely for show!!
The kids' rooms are works in progress. I still have stuff to put away and valances to hang and beds to make up, but it's the general gist of things.
Here is the sunroom, which I love. I think I posted it on Instagram but not on Facebook. Furnishing this room was low on the list of priorities, even though it needed to be done. I have had the chair on the right for quite some time, so I stuck it in that room so that there was at least SOMETHING. I went on a run the first morning we woke up here and spotted the chair on the left at a garage sale. I rushed over and bought it for $25. It was totally meant to be because otherwise, that room would be sitting there empty for years to come.
Our bedroom is on the main level, and there is a sliding glass door out onto the deck. Andy wanted to replace it with a window, and I was like, sure, whatever. Now I'm like, NO!! That's my zen - most nights I walk out, sit down, read, and listen to the creek before bed. It's my happy place.
Here's the master bathroom. Today I replaced the yellowish brown (formerly white, mind you) blinds with these sparkly new ones.
Here's the living room. We inherited the color, but it's amazing how nicely it matches our stuff. I would have never chosen this color (would have done a neutral color in the main areas and an accent in the dining room or something, like in the old house), but it's working out!
That's all I have for now. I definitely have moments when I get sad for the old house. I miss it. Largely because we were done spending money on it, and it was so low-maintenance. I had to go back there the other day to pick up some misdirected mail, and it was so weird and sad parking in my old driveway and knowing it's not ours anymore.
I miss the old, but I am definitely in love with the new. I am thankful that this is where we ended up because of all the little hidden treasures that I didn't expect to like so much, like sitting in the sunroom or listening to the creek, like I mentioned.
We've made friends. Our next-door neighbors had us over to cook out the first weekend we were here. They have a son one month younger than Liam, and the next house there's a girl one month younger than Macy. They play to the extent that I can get my socially-awkward kids to play, but we'll get there.
Of course, the move has not been without drama. First, the carpet. I am not even going to get into the carpet, otherwise no one would ever come to visit us. Suffice it to say that replacing it was non-negotiable. I lost about an entire night's sleep fretting that replacing it wasn't going to fix the problem, but all's been well. PSA: please house-train your animals, for the sake of I-don't-know-who, humanity, maybe? And definitely future owners of your home?
We got a super-good price on some frieze. I love it. It's super soft and forgiving, but vacuuming it is a tough job. I feel like I can cancel my gym membership because vacuuming frieze is plenty sufficient.
This past weekend, what we thought was a simple little clog under the sink turned out to be the culmination of 20 years of dumping grease down the kitchen drain. The plumber couldn't get to it with the rooter from either side, so he had to put a little access point in and get in through there to jackhammer through the cemented grease. In so doing, he ended up busting the main sewage line. Luckily we got a bunch of promotional chip clips from the restoration company to commemorate the experience.
How's THAT fair, though? You dump grease down the drain for 20 years and then it backs up on US after 2 1/2 weeks of owning the house? *Sigh*
We truly feel that God had this house ready and waiting for us. With the sequence of events and how everything worked out and how 4 months ago we had no intention of moving at all, it's just crazy to be sitting here looking around at our new surroundings. But God's all like, "what, you think I'm not going to make you work a little bit for it?" I guess we'll take a few hurdles if we must, but I am hoping were done paying our dues!
Speaking of coffee, we got ourselves a Keurig as a Mother's Day/Father's Day/Housewarming gift to ourselves. It's way easier to casually bury a Keurig machine in the piles of expenses when you spend your life keeping Home Depot in business. What's a little Keurig machine in the grand scheme of things? I look forward to stabilizing our credit card bill (starting NOW), and I will say that the reusable K-cup is a fabulous investment.
So we are here. Here is a brief photo tour of my favorite places in the house before I delve into the joys of buying a resale.
Here is the loft/play room. Actually, that is a misnomer. It is the room that is set up to look like a play room, but you are NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY IN IT because it is purely for show!!
The kids' rooms are works in progress. I still have stuff to put away and valances to hang and beds to make up, but it's the general gist of things.
Here is the sunroom, which I love. I think I posted it on Instagram but not on Facebook. Furnishing this room was low on the list of priorities, even though it needed to be done. I have had the chair on the right for quite some time, so I stuck it in that room so that there was at least SOMETHING. I went on a run the first morning we woke up here and spotted the chair on the left at a garage sale. I rushed over and bought it for $25. It was totally meant to be because otherwise, that room would be sitting there empty for years to come.
Our bedroom is on the main level, and there is a sliding glass door out onto the deck. Andy wanted to replace it with a window, and I was like, sure, whatever. Now I'm like, NO!! That's my zen - most nights I walk out, sit down, read, and listen to the creek before bed. It's my happy place.
Here's the master bathroom. Today I replaced the yellowish brown (formerly white, mind you) blinds with these sparkly new ones.
Here's the living room. We inherited the color, but it's amazing how nicely it matches our stuff. I would have never chosen this color (would have done a neutral color in the main areas and an accent in the dining room or something, like in the old house), but it's working out!
That's all I have for now. I definitely have moments when I get sad for the old house. I miss it. Largely because we were done spending money on it, and it was so low-maintenance. I had to go back there the other day to pick up some misdirected mail, and it was so weird and sad parking in my old driveway and knowing it's not ours anymore.
I miss the old, but I am definitely in love with the new. I am thankful that this is where we ended up because of all the little hidden treasures that I didn't expect to like so much, like sitting in the sunroom or listening to the creek, like I mentioned.
We've made friends. Our next-door neighbors had us over to cook out the first weekend we were here. They have a son one month younger than Liam, and the next house there's a girl one month younger than Macy. They play to the extent that I can get my socially-awkward kids to play, but we'll get there.
Of course, the move has not been without drama. First, the carpet. I am not even going to get into the carpet, otherwise no one would ever come to visit us. Suffice it to say that replacing it was non-negotiable. I lost about an entire night's sleep fretting that replacing it wasn't going to fix the problem, but all's been well. PSA: please house-train your animals, for the sake of I-don't-know-who, humanity, maybe? And definitely future owners of your home?
We got a super-good price on some frieze. I love it. It's super soft and forgiving, but vacuuming it is a tough job. I feel like I can cancel my gym membership because vacuuming frieze is plenty sufficient.
This past weekend, what we thought was a simple little clog under the sink turned out to be the culmination of 20 years of dumping grease down the kitchen drain. The plumber couldn't get to it with the rooter from either side, so he had to put a little access point in and get in through there to jackhammer through the cemented grease. In so doing, he ended up busting the main sewage line. Luckily we got a bunch of promotional chip clips from the restoration company to commemorate the experience.
How's THAT fair, though? You dump grease down the drain for 20 years and then it backs up on US after 2 1/2 weeks of owning the house? *Sigh*
We truly feel that God had this house ready and waiting for us. With the sequence of events and how everything worked out and how 4 months ago we had no intention of moving at all, it's just crazy to be sitting here looking around at our new surroundings. But God's all like, "what, you think I'm not going to make you work a little bit for it?" I guess we'll take a few hurdles if we must, but I am hoping were done paying our dues!
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Coffee and Idleness
Greetings from the rents' house! I am recovering from several weeks of intense work and stress and more than making up for it right now with some coffee and idleness.
Andy and I relinquished homeownership yesterday morning. For the next few weeks, our assets actually exceed our liabilities, so we will enjoy that status while we can (seriously, though...isn't homeownership a little overrated when you think about it that way?).
Saturday the movers came and moved all our stuff into two 16' x 8' x 8' PODS. You know me and my sleep habits. I definitely devoted about 3 hours of lost sleep to fretting over whether or not all of the contents of our house would fit into them. They did, though, and with plenty of room to spare. Once you sign up for your PODS online, you're directed to a site with a list of movers they're associated with, so luckily you get access to people who know how to pack the things efficiently.
(not at all an eyesore)
Sunday I spent the day giving the house a final clean. If you think your house is clean, move out of it. Your house is not clean. You are, in fact, living in squalor.
I cleaned that place cleaner than it ever was for us, though. I partially did it so that the new residents would have a clean house to move into, and I partially did it as one last final tribute to my sweet home.
Seriously. I was mopping my kitchen floor and listening to something Pandora plays for me often while running the route that I am leaving behind when it just hit me. I cried and cried. That was 8 1/2 years of memories that we left behind. We bought it when we were 23 and 24 within the first year that we were married. For the most part, we haven't really experienced the "being married" thing and definitely not the "being parents" thing anywhere else.
Don't get me wrong - I am SUPER excited for the next chapter. Like bursting out of my skin excited. But still. It's hard to say goodbye to something that has been so much a part of us, whether we realized it at the time or not. You know how it goes.
It's interesting walking into closing and meeting the person you're turning your home over to. Based on the name, I had a mental picture of who was buying it. I wasn't far off. It's a nice Vietnamese couple probably in their mid-20's (not much older than we were when we bought it) who are expecting their first child in a couple months. I am glad that someone else will get to bring their baby home to it. I'd hate to have turned it over to someone who planned on renting it out immediately or something like that.
I apologize for the moving overshare. I know I've talked about it a lot on the blog, on Facebook, and on Instagram. Hopefully it hasn't been totally obnoxious or braggy. We're not moving into a Southern Living model home or your dream home or even ours, but rather a home and neighborhood that has everything that we need and want for our family, no more, no less. It's just a Big Thing Going On Right Now.
In other news, I thought I'd mention that we're registering Liam for Kindergarten at the public school next year. I don't want to share that because I want to make public all the reasons for it but rather because I am so surprised by the reaction I've received from anyone I've told. I was expecting people to look at me funny, but I've heard about 20 times either "oh, we did that, and it was the best decision we ever made" or "we didn't hold so-and-so back, and we've regretted it ever since." I have heard it SO many times. It's so reassuring, and I know we are doing the right thing.
It's not an intellect thing, just a confidence and maturity thing. He's learned SO MUCH this year. We're hoping that one more year of K, where he knows more than most kids in his class, will give him a boost of confidence and a firmer footing, and thus a love for (I'd even settle for "tolerance of") learning. I'm even more grateful that he's in the Kindergarten program he is right now because next year he may learn essentially the same things but in a different format so he doesn't pick up on the fact that he is doing K again.
Anyway - I mostly share that in case anyone else is on the fence about Kindergarten decisions for next year. It's the feedback I've received from others that helps so much in confirming that it's the right choice. I hope my passing it along can be helpful to someone.
Andy and I relinquished homeownership yesterday morning. For the next few weeks, our assets actually exceed our liabilities, so we will enjoy that status while we can (seriously, though...isn't homeownership a little overrated when you think about it that way?).
Saturday the movers came and moved all our stuff into two 16' x 8' x 8' PODS. You know me and my sleep habits. I definitely devoted about 3 hours of lost sleep to fretting over whether or not all of the contents of our house would fit into them. They did, though, and with plenty of room to spare. Once you sign up for your PODS online, you're directed to a site with a list of movers they're associated with, so luckily you get access to people who know how to pack the things efficiently.
(not at all an eyesore)
Sunday I spent the day giving the house a final clean. If you think your house is clean, move out of it. Your house is not clean. You are, in fact, living in squalor.
I cleaned that place cleaner than it ever was for us, though. I partially did it so that the new residents would have a clean house to move into, and I partially did it as one last final tribute to my sweet home.
Seriously. I was mopping my kitchen floor and listening to something Pandora plays for me often while running the route that I am leaving behind when it just hit me. I cried and cried. That was 8 1/2 years of memories that we left behind. We bought it when we were 23 and 24 within the first year that we were married. For the most part, we haven't really experienced the "being married" thing and definitely not the "being parents" thing anywhere else.
Don't get me wrong - I am SUPER excited for the next chapter. Like bursting out of my skin excited. But still. It's hard to say goodbye to something that has been so much a part of us, whether we realized it at the time or not. You know how it goes.
It's interesting walking into closing and meeting the person you're turning your home over to. Based on the name, I had a mental picture of who was buying it. I wasn't far off. It's a nice Vietnamese couple probably in their mid-20's (not much older than we were when we bought it) who are expecting their first child in a couple months. I am glad that someone else will get to bring their baby home to it. I'd hate to have turned it over to someone who planned on renting it out immediately or something like that.
I apologize for the moving overshare. I know I've talked about it a lot on the blog, on Facebook, and on Instagram. Hopefully it hasn't been totally obnoxious or braggy. We're not moving into a Southern Living model home or your dream home or even ours, but rather a home and neighborhood that has everything that we need and want for our family, no more, no less. It's just a Big Thing Going On Right Now.
In other news, I thought I'd mention that we're registering Liam for Kindergarten at the public school next year. I don't want to share that because I want to make public all the reasons for it but rather because I am so surprised by the reaction I've received from anyone I've told. I was expecting people to look at me funny, but I've heard about 20 times either "oh, we did that, and it was the best decision we ever made" or "we didn't hold so-and-so back, and we've regretted it ever since." I have heard it SO many times. It's so reassuring, and I know we are doing the right thing.
It's not an intellect thing, just a confidence and maturity thing. He's learned SO MUCH this year. We're hoping that one more year of K, where he knows more than most kids in his class, will give him a boost of confidence and a firmer footing, and thus a love for (I'd even settle for "tolerance of") learning. I'm even more grateful that he's in the Kindergarten program he is right now because next year he may learn essentially the same things but in a different format so he doesn't pick up on the fact that he is doing K again.
Anyway - I mostly share that in case anyone else is on the fence about Kindergarten decisions for next year. It's the feedback I've received from others that helps so much in confirming that it's the right choice. I hope my passing it along can be helpful to someone.
Monday, March 31, 2014
New Digs
I spent the morning at the new house today for the inspection, so I had a chance to take a few pics. I have to do this oh-so-fast because I have a house here to pack up, but here are some pics.
For quick reference, Andy and I nicknamed all the houses that we looked at. This one we called "turquoise," as you will see. Some day we will probably take it down to a neutral color, but for now I actually rather like it.
My pics of the kitchen came out pretty dark, but here it is. It is all open to the living room, separated by a counter, so I am excited about getting to do meal prep without being banished from the family:
Here's the loft. The 3 bedrooms are behind me as I am taking the picture. I have grand plans for turning the loft into the kids' play/reading area!
Here are a couple of the back yard and the little creek that runs behind it:
And finally here is a view looking up the street. I hung out awhile on the front lawn and found it to be nice and peaceful!
So that's some of it! So excited. I'm still knocking on wood, though, so that the process and that life in general goes smoothly and gets us to the closing table on 4/25!
For quick reference, Andy and I nicknamed all the houses that we looked at. This one we called "turquoise," as you will see. Some day we will probably take it down to a neutral color, but for now I actually rather like it.
My pics of the kitchen came out pretty dark, but here it is. It is all open to the living room, separated by a counter, so I am excited about getting to do meal prep without being banished from the family:
Here's the loft. The 3 bedrooms are behind me as I am taking the picture. I have grand plans for turning the loft into the kids' play/reading area!
Here are a couple of the back yard and the little creek that runs behind it:
And finally here is a view looking up the street. I hung out awhile on the front lawn and found it to be nice and peaceful!
So that's some of it! So excited. I'm still knocking on wood, though, so that the process and that life in general goes smoothly and gets us to the closing table on 4/25!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Wrap-Up
DID WE CHOOSE....
#1?
This house has an unfinished basement to grow into, a good-sized, private back yard, and a nice upstairs loft area. The kitchen is nice and open to the family room, the bedrooms are big enough, it has a sun room, and it is located right near swim and tennis. It's nice and homey with nicely upgraded bathrooms. There are some things that need to be changed, but it's not an overwhelming amount of work and can be done over time. However, it's a master-on-the-main, and I get nervous about being on a different floor than the kids. It doesn't have quite the curb appeal that we would like. As far as currently-usable square footage, it's not that much bigger than our current house, though it's laid out more efficiently.
#2?
This one is pristine on the inside and extremely well-maintained. The kitchen is granite/stainless with the sink in an island overlooking the lovely living room. It has a sun room and a formal living room, which would provide for extra play space for the kids. The floors are mostly hardwood throughout. There is a lovely view of the lake across the street, and it's by far the best-priced of all our options. However, it has no curb appeal to us, it sits on a hill on one of the busier streets in the neighborhood, the bedrooms and garage are small, and it doesn't have much of a back yard or a basement.
or #3?
This house is the biggest of the three and the one with the most curb appeal. It sits on a quiet, short side street that dead-ends into a cul-de-sac, though the house itself is not in the cul-de-sac. The houses are biggest in this section of the neighborhood. It has the best basement (unfinished) that would allow for the most possibilities. It's meticulously-maintained on the outside. It has hardwood floors throughout. However, it is otherwise a disaster on the inside. It would require a ton of work before it would even be livable, including a new coat of paint throughout and on the grease-stained cabinets, replacement of the banged-up appliances, about 5 good professional scrubs, an overhaul of the master bathroom, back yard landscaping, a back door that opens, and lots more little projects here and there.
*****SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC*******
Aaaaand the winner is....
#1 !!!
Actually, it wasn't a straight road getting here. We originally put in an offer on #3 figuring that, though there was so much work to be done, it had a lot of potential. All the things that you couldn't change about it were awesome, like the location in the neighborhood, the structure of the house and the size of the basement. All the things that suck about it can be changed with, like I said, tons of work.
The house had been on the market for 5 months. When we put in our offer, ALL OF A SUDDEN, we were one of 3 in the running. Shady as that was, we put our best offer forward (we were only willing to go so high with all the work that needed to be done), but they did not accept it. We're fairly certain our offer was just used as a pawn to get another one to come higher, but that's a long story.
By that point, #1 was already under contract and out of the running. We decided to go look at #2, even though we didn't think it'd have what we needed in a house. We ended up going inside and loved it. It would be a really happy place for us. As it's in the neighborhood we want to be in and we're completely uncertain as to whether or not anything else suitable will come available, we decided we'd proceed with putting in an offer. We weren't in a hurry on it because it's a By-Owner sale, and there wasn't any competition. We planned to do it the next day.
I woke up in the middle of the night with the weight of the world on me feeling like we were about to make the wrong decision for all the reasons that I listed above. All the negatives about it were things that we couldn't change, and long-term, I felt like we'd regret it (in my middle-of-the-night haze, I was plotting out how someone could come in and carve the hill out from under it). Andy, our realtor, and I all talked the next morning, and after sleeping on it, we had all pretty much come to the same conclusion. We decided it wasn't right for us, and though there were no other choices available, we were willing to risk it and wait for something else to pop up.
Our realtor called the realtors for #1 and #3 to see if the status on either had changed, and both indicated that they didn't think the current contracts were going to make it through Due Diligence. We had to make a choice again in which basket to put our eggs. We didn't want to risk losing one of them in pursuit of the other.
In the end, the decision was made for us because the contract on #1 DID end up falling through (the buyers thought they'd be able to sell their house but couldn't), while it does not seem that the contract ended up falling through on #3. We made a competitive offer on #1, and they accepted it yesterday evening! I MIGHT have written a heartfelt letter to the owners of 20 years explaining what the house would mean to our family. I am pretty sure it had an effect. :P
We are thrilled. I know it's the right decision because, for once, though I lie in bed awake EVERY night for one reason or another, last night it was out of excitement. I was thinking about all the things I want to do and how it will serve our family so well. Back when we were offering on #3, I would lie awake thinking of all the work that needed to be done, how we would go about funding it, and trying unsuccessfully to envision the end product, even though I knew that it would get there. I was a wreck. It feels so good not only that SOMETHING worked out, but that something worked out that feels right and has all the things our family needs long-term.
As stressful as it was, and how seemingly endless the journey felt, we can't really complain. Our house hunt lasted about 3 weeks. It's just that it was 3 weeks of ups and downs where we'd be feeling REALLY positive about something in the morning, and then by the evening we'd be back to square one, or vice versa. Above all it was the uncertainty that comes along with the scarcity in this market that weighed heavily on us.
But at any rate, here we are! Assuming everything goes smoothly and the inspection doesn't turn up anything catastrophically wrong with the house, we'll have it in about a month! Yay! Thanks for coming along on the journey. :)
#1?
This house has an unfinished basement to grow into, a good-sized, private back yard, and a nice upstairs loft area. The kitchen is nice and open to the family room, the bedrooms are big enough, it has a sun room, and it is located right near swim and tennis. It's nice and homey with nicely upgraded bathrooms. There are some things that need to be changed, but it's not an overwhelming amount of work and can be done over time. However, it's a master-on-the-main, and I get nervous about being on a different floor than the kids. It doesn't have quite the curb appeal that we would like. As far as currently-usable square footage, it's not that much bigger than our current house, though it's laid out more efficiently.
#2?
This one is pristine on the inside and extremely well-maintained. The kitchen is granite/stainless with the sink in an island overlooking the lovely living room. It has a sun room and a formal living room, which would provide for extra play space for the kids. The floors are mostly hardwood throughout. There is a lovely view of the lake across the street, and it's by far the best-priced of all our options. However, it has no curb appeal to us, it sits on a hill on one of the busier streets in the neighborhood, the bedrooms and garage are small, and it doesn't have much of a back yard or a basement.
or #3?
This house is the biggest of the three and the one with the most curb appeal. It sits on a quiet, short side street that dead-ends into a cul-de-sac, though the house itself is not in the cul-de-sac. The houses are biggest in this section of the neighborhood. It has the best basement (unfinished) that would allow for the most possibilities. It's meticulously-maintained on the outside. It has hardwood floors throughout. However, it is otherwise a disaster on the inside. It would require a ton of work before it would even be livable, including a new coat of paint throughout and on the grease-stained cabinets, replacement of the banged-up appliances, about 5 good professional scrubs, an overhaul of the master bathroom, back yard landscaping, a back door that opens, and lots more little projects here and there.
*****SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC*******
Aaaaand the winner is....
#1 !!!
Actually, it wasn't a straight road getting here. We originally put in an offer on #3 figuring that, though there was so much work to be done, it had a lot of potential. All the things that you couldn't change about it were awesome, like the location in the neighborhood, the structure of the house and the size of the basement. All the things that suck about it can be changed with, like I said, tons of work.
The house had been on the market for 5 months. When we put in our offer, ALL OF A SUDDEN, we were one of 3 in the running. Shady as that was, we put our best offer forward (we were only willing to go so high with all the work that needed to be done), but they did not accept it. We're fairly certain our offer was just used as a pawn to get another one to come higher, but that's a long story.
By that point, #1 was already under contract and out of the running. We decided to go look at #2, even though we didn't think it'd have what we needed in a house. We ended up going inside and loved it. It would be a really happy place for us. As it's in the neighborhood we want to be in and we're completely uncertain as to whether or not anything else suitable will come available, we decided we'd proceed with putting in an offer. We weren't in a hurry on it because it's a By-Owner sale, and there wasn't any competition. We planned to do it the next day.
I woke up in the middle of the night with the weight of the world on me feeling like we were about to make the wrong decision for all the reasons that I listed above. All the negatives about it were things that we couldn't change, and long-term, I felt like we'd regret it (in my middle-of-the-night haze, I was plotting out how someone could come in and carve the hill out from under it). Andy, our realtor, and I all talked the next morning, and after sleeping on it, we had all pretty much come to the same conclusion. We decided it wasn't right for us, and though there were no other choices available, we were willing to risk it and wait for something else to pop up.
Our realtor called the realtors for #1 and #3 to see if the status on either had changed, and both indicated that they didn't think the current contracts were going to make it through Due Diligence. We had to make a choice again in which basket to put our eggs. We didn't want to risk losing one of them in pursuit of the other.
In the end, the decision was made for us because the contract on #1 DID end up falling through (the buyers thought they'd be able to sell their house but couldn't), while it does not seem that the contract ended up falling through on #3. We made a competitive offer on #1, and they accepted it yesterday evening! I MIGHT have written a heartfelt letter to the owners of 20 years explaining what the house would mean to our family. I am pretty sure it had an effect. :P
We are thrilled. I know it's the right decision because, for once, though I lie in bed awake EVERY night for one reason or another, last night it was out of excitement. I was thinking about all the things I want to do and how it will serve our family so well. Back when we were offering on #3, I would lie awake thinking of all the work that needed to be done, how we would go about funding it, and trying unsuccessfully to envision the end product, even though I knew that it would get there. I was a wreck. It feels so good not only that SOMETHING worked out, but that something worked out that feels right and has all the things our family needs long-term.
As stressful as it was, and how seemingly endless the journey felt, we can't really complain. Our house hunt lasted about 3 weeks. It's just that it was 3 weeks of ups and downs where we'd be feeling REALLY positive about something in the morning, and then by the evening we'd be back to square one, or vice versa. Above all it was the uncertainty that comes along with the scarcity in this market that weighed heavily on us.
But at any rate, here we are! Assuming everything goes smoothly and the inspection doesn't turn up anything catastrophically wrong with the house, we'll have it in about a month! Yay! Thanks for coming along on the journey. :)
Thursday, March 06, 2014
It's Not Happening
Oh, how sad it makes me, but this will not be our new front porch.
*Sigh* We've been told that it is not looking like the house will be ours. It appraised, and they are headed toward closing. It's all good - I mean, it's disappointing, but we did what we could when we could do it. I feel good about that.
I like when decisions are made for me, for better or for worse. What I don't like is when I have to make decisions at the risk of making the wrong one.
I could make a long story out of it, but while on the treadmill this morning, Pandora made me realize more than ever that I really just want to end up in the neighborhood that we've been trying to get into (where the house we're not getting is located). The neighborhood has sidewalks that eventually connect to my current running route, which is a super major plus.
We may find something there that's really, really super nice, or we may have to sacrifice on the house so that we can be in the neighborhood. The neighborhood part is really, really important to me. The fact that we met our realtor a couple Sundays ago at the tennis courts and saw Alta (USTA perhaps? T2?) matches going on, with many onlookers, is EXACTLY what I want out of a neighborhood. Their HOA Facebook page has 185 likes, and you can look at profile pics and tell that it's full of young families like us. THAT'S what I want more than just the house (I'm telling you all ahead of time so that, if we end up in an ugly house, you're not all like "what are they THINKING?").
Of course, we went to see a house today in a neighborhood fairly close by, just one school cluster north, and I feel that whole thing is being tested. The house - PERFECT. It must have been a distressed property, bought and flipped by an LLC of some kind, and it's GORGEOUS. The lot is perfect and wooded, it's in a cul-de-sac, and it's more house than we ever need. I want it badly, but in a vacuum. It's not in the neighborhood we want to be in, and it's not in a neighborhood that I sense even has a similar community feel. Now the question is what would be more regretful - turning our backs on this amazing house or turning our backs on the neighborhood we like?
We've (unofficially) gotten the whole selling our house thing out of the way, so this is the part where we buy whatever house we want as soon as we possibly can (like, yesterday), and it's supposed to be so much fun!!! Why isn't it?!?!
*Sigh* We've been told that it is not looking like the house will be ours. It appraised, and they are headed toward closing. It's all good - I mean, it's disappointing, but we did what we could when we could do it. I feel good about that.
I like when decisions are made for me, for better or for worse. What I don't like is when I have to make decisions at the risk of making the wrong one.
I could make a long story out of it, but while on the treadmill this morning, Pandora made me realize more than ever that I really just want to end up in the neighborhood that we've been trying to get into (where the house we're not getting is located). The neighborhood has sidewalks that eventually connect to my current running route, which is a super major plus.
We may find something there that's really, really super nice, or we may have to sacrifice on the house so that we can be in the neighborhood. The neighborhood part is really, really important to me. The fact that we met our realtor a couple Sundays ago at the tennis courts and saw Alta (USTA perhaps? T2?) matches going on, with many onlookers, is EXACTLY what I want out of a neighborhood. Their HOA Facebook page has 185 likes, and you can look at profile pics and tell that it's full of young families like us. THAT'S what I want more than just the house (I'm telling you all ahead of time so that, if we end up in an ugly house, you're not all like "what are they THINKING?").
Of course, we went to see a house today in a neighborhood fairly close by, just one school cluster north, and I feel that whole thing is being tested. The house - PERFECT. It must have been a distressed property, bought and flipped by an LLC of some kind, and it's GORGEOUS. The lot is perfect and wooded, it's in a cul-de-sac, and it's more house than we ever need. I want it badly, but in a vacuum. It's not in the neighborhood we want to be in, and it's not in a neighborhood that I sense even has a similar community feel. Now the question is what would be more regretful - turning our backs on this amazing house or turning our backs on the neighborhood we like?
We've (unofficially) gotten the whole selling our house thing out of the way, so this is the part where we buy whatever house we want as soon as we possibly can (like, yesterday), and it's supposed to be so much fun!!! Why isn't it?!?!
Saturday, March 01, 2014
It's Happening
I thought I'd update on our house-hunting ventures. This one's not going to be a literary masterpiece because I am typing it out on my phone. I got 10 slightly-interrupted hours of sleep last night, and it's still too early to get up.
Anyway, a lot's happened since my last blog. I am glad I wrote it. Getting all my jumbled feelings out was cathartic. It helped me to part with the idea of staying in our current house so that we could make the decision to proceed with sticking the sign in our yard. It really just all boiled down to that "it's now or never" thing.
A recent sermon that struck me was about in Christian culture how at some point we quit asking what we can do for God and started asking what God can do for us. Faith has become a selfish thing about how good it can make us feel and not about what we can do to serve God. I've been trying to change the way I pray with that in mind. The last few nights, though, I've been like "God, I'm sorry, but I'm going to be completely selfish here and pray that we get this house we want. Please please please!" I might have also selfishly asked for sleep. Well, maybe that one's not selfish - if I could get some sleep, perhaps my kids would quit being like "what is UP with our mom??
Anyway, we were planning on listing our house Sunday or Monday. On Sunday we went to see a new listing. We almost didn't go because it was ever so slightly over budget, but we went anyway. And we fell in love. We sat in the house strategizing with our realtor as to how we could make it happen. In the end, we decided to let it go because it was pushing our comfort zone on price, and we couldn't qualify for the loan without being under contract on our house anyway.
We went home and put in our pre-qualification application and put our focus on selling our house. We finalized the paperwork on our house Monday morning. I got home and was sitting down for a few minutes before picking up the kids, and in that 15 minutes, two things happened. We got an email back saying we were pre-qualified without the sale of our current home, and our realtor had spoken with the selling realtor for our perfect house (this is a different perfect house from my last entry - I guess more than one perfect house exists).
The selling realtor told our realtor that an offer was accepted on the home, but it was suggested that if we really want it we should put in a back-up offer. You basically negotiate a contract as you would under normal circumstances but with an addendum form that puts it in a holding pattern, ready and waiting when and if the current contract falls through.
So we made some snap (but no worries, not irresponsible) decisions. We put in our offer and have since negotiated the contract.
Of course, I woke up in the middle of the night after that in a panic because we have, of course, done all this without even having listed our house yet. The contract on the other house is not one bit binding while we're in a back-up position, but my brain doesn't listen to reason at 2 in the morning.
Our house hit the market Wednesday at about 8:45 AM. Thursday evening we were sitting at my parents' house with our realtor going over the 4 offers we'd received (3 of which were actually viable). I think we've finalized one, and it's waiting in our inbox for our e-signatures of acceptance.
Boy! That's the kind of market we're in. It's a breeze to be a seller. To be a buyer - not so much. Four years ago we sat on the market for four months without a single offer (I concede we were a bit overpriced, but we were also undermotivated).
So I guess (pending due diligence) it's really happening. The funny thing is, this wasn't even an inkling of a thought a month ago. I NEVER looked at the real estate sites because I never liked dreaming of what couldn't be. It was the morning of Liam's birthday, on 2/4, when something in me spontaneously went to the site. And then everything from financials to market concerns just started tumbling and all fell into place to get us to where we are currently. It's by no means over and done with. I shouldn't say all this until we've been through 2 closings and the movers deposit our stuff into our new home.
For now we hope and pray that the current contract on our perfect house falls through or that we find another perfect house quickly. I'm feeling a little homeless, and it's not good for the ol' insomnia. :)
Anyway, a lot's happened since my last blog. I am glad I wrote it. Getting all my jumbled feelings out was cathartic. It helped me to part with the idea of staying in our current house so that we could make the decision to proceed with sticking the sign in our yard. It really just all boiled down to that "it's now or never" thing.
A recent sermon that struck me was about in Christian culture how at some point we quit asking what we can do for God and started asking what God can do for us. Faith has become a selfish thing about how good it can make us feel and not about what we can do to serve God. I've been trying to change the way I pray with that in mind. The last few nights, though, I've been like "God, I'm sorry, but I'm going to be completely selfish here and pray that we get this house we want. Please please please!" I might have also selfishly asked for sleep. Well, maybe that one's not selfish - if I could get some sleep, perhaps my kids would quit being like "what is UP with our mom??
Anyway, we were planning on listing our house Sunday or Monday. On Sunday we went to see a new listing. We almost didn't go because it was ever so slightly over budget, but we went anyway. And we fell in love. We sat in the house strategizing with our realtor as to how we could make it happen. In the end, we decided to let it go because it was pushing our comfort zone on price, and we couldn't qualify for the loan without being under contract on our house anyway.
We went home and put in our pre-qualification application and put our focus on selling our house. We finalized the paperwork on our house Monday morning. I got home and was sitting down for a few minutes before picking up the kids, and in that 15 minutes, two things happened. We got an email back saying we were pre-qualified without the sale of our current home, and our realtor had spoken with the selling realtor for our perfect house (this is a different perfect house from my last entry - I guess more than one perfect house exists).
The selling realtor told our realtor that an offer was accepted on the home, but it was suggested that if we really want it we should put in a back-up offer. You basically negotiate a contract as you would under normal circumstances but with an addendum form that puts it in a holding pattern, ready and waiting when and if the current contract falls through.
So we made some snap (but no worries, not irresponsible) decisions. We put in our offer and have since negotiated the contract.
Of course, I woke up in the middle of the night after that in a panic because we have, of course, done all this without even having listed our house yet. The contract on the other house is not one bit binding while we're in a back-up position, but my brain doesn't listen to reason at 2 in the morning.
Our house hit the market Wednesday at about 8:45 AM. Thursday evening we were sitting at my parents' house with our realtor going over the 4 offers we'd received (3 of which were actually viable). I think we've finalized one, and it's waiting in our inbox for our e-signatures of acceptance.
Boy! That's the kind of market we're in. It's a breeze to be a seller. To be a buyer - not so much. Four years ago we sat on the market for four months without a single offer (I concede we were a bit overpriced, but we were also undermotivated).
So I guess (pending due diligence) it's really happening. The funny thing is, this wasn't even an inkling of a thought a month ago. I NEVER looked at the real estate sites because I never liked dreaming of what couldn't be. It was the morning of Liam's birthday, on 2/4, when something in me spontaneously went to the site. And then everything from financials to market concerns just started tumbling and all fell into place to get us to where we are currently. It's by no means over and done with. I shouldn't say all this until we've been through 2 closings and the movers deposit our stuff into our new home.
For now we hope and pray that the current contract on our perfect house falls through or that we find another perfect house quickly. I'm feeling a little homeless, and it's not good for the ol' insomnia. :)
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