So….there’s still plenty of time for things to go wrong. 45 days worth of time, to be exact. So I’m not going to jinx things by writing too much about our possible house. Negotiations have been going on for over a week, and I intentionally haven’t mentioned it, simply because I don’t want to speak too soon. We’ve never done this “house offer” thing, and it’s all a bit terrifying.
But here are a few of the upsides and downsides, if we get this house:
1. Downside #1: The payment is a bit more than I wanted in my “perfect” budget– the one in which I don’t work at all. I will have to continue teaching next year, at least working a total of 15-20 hours. I have a feeling (hardy-haha) that working this much will be much tougher once we have two kiddos. Then again…in some ways it will be easier, because I won’t be incredibly nauseous (like I was for the first 3 months of teaching this year) or incredibly large and uncomfortable, with tons of contractions that make it difficult to talk…or move…tough stuff when you’re lecturing in front of teenagers! Let me tell you, trying not to say a 4-letter word when you’re having a sudden sharp and painful contraction and they’re all watching?…awkward much??
2. Downside #2: The house is a bit smaller than we originally wanted. It has 3 bedrooms, but the 3rd one is small. Then again, utilities will be a dream, and I was already adamant that I wanted the boys to share a room (after Anthony is done co-sleeping with us for 6-8 months). So the 3rd bedroom is actually a perfect size and location for a much needed office! And I’ve definitely realized that square footage is completely misleading– it all depends on efficiency of layout. For example, the living/dining area in this house is bigger and more usable than in our larger apartment back in TX! In fact, even though this house is 300 square feet smaller than our last apartment, it feels the same or bigger, overall. Plus….can’t beat the whole “1 story” and “2 car garage” convenience! Hurray for no more stairs!!! And Gregory loves playing in the yard, so I love how both the kitchen and dining room look out over the backyard. Multi-tasking, here we come!
3. Downside #3: No room for a chicken coop. Haha, this could seem like a small or big deal, depending on how you look at it. I’m over-ambitious as to what I can do/accomplish, working, finishing my masters degree, all with two kids, so this actually reigns me in a little bit 🙂 We’ve estimated, from measurements and such, that the backyard is big enough for 2 large garden beds, a nice patio area, and a sandbox/playground area. We don’t want any lawn to maintain in the backyard, so it’s perfect in that regard. The front yard, however, has a nice lawn– we just need to fence it in, since the road going by it is a bit busier than I’d like, especially during school drop off and pick up hours.
4. UPSIDE #1: This one is HUGE. Like mega-huge. This house is SO CLOSE to our work, that we could literally throw a rock and hit the Kindergarten playground! Not that we’d want to…but you get the point. Jesse will be able to walk out the front door and be sitting at his desk within 5 minutes! In “Biola terms”, the distance is something like Hart Hall to the baseball field– THAT close! Since I am back and forth so much, given my part time status, this will be perfect for me when I’m coming home to nurse for a moment (instead of having to pump!). On my days off, Gregory, Anthony and I can just grab the stroller, walk around the corner, and meet Jesse for lunch! The other thing very nearby is the library– about a 6 minute walk in the other direction! My parents are a little further away– a 3 minute drive, 15 minute walk. Not bad, eh?
I love the thought of yet another year where Jesse is home by 3:15, every day. On Mondays and Fridays, this means we have several hours together as a family before G goes to bed. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, this means I can get all of my piano lessons taught by dinner time. Awesome!!
4. Upside #2: The house is only 8 years old, built the year I graduated from high school (funny, I can actually remember them beginning construction on it around that time!). So we won’t need to worry about replacing a roof or high utilities, since the windows, water heater and ac unit are super new. The seller just replaced the carpet in the entire house as well– a bit of a downside, since I wanted an excuse to put in wood floors right away. But it’s better for our budget, to be sure 😉 You will need this website if you’re planning to upgrade, modernize, or change the use of your existing space.
So there you have it. We picked this house not because it’s our dream/forever home, but because it is perfect for us in our “5 Year Plan”. Our goals for this plan include having our student loans and car loan completely paid off, so not getting our big dream house will enable us to have the $ to meet these goals. And we’re tired of throwing money away every month in rent, especially when renting a house big enough for 4 people is more expensive than a mortgage!
And, to be honest, when I think about the fact that in 45 days I might have my own house, with my own yard and my own kitchen….I’m soooo deliriously giddy that it’s hard to even imagine what my dream house ever could look like! It’s so much nicer and so much more than we’ve ever had before…I can’t wait to raise my two little boys in it!!!
I can even bear the thought of Gregory and Anthony going to Preschool/Kindergarten, since I would nearly be able to watch them on the playground from my front porch (not to mention the free tuition)! And you can shove off with your helicopter-mamma comments, I will just ignore them 🙂
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Beth says
It’s ADORABLE!!!! Fingers crossed 🙂 Justin and I would kill to live there, haha
Christina says
Congrats! It sounds perfect. And I can totally relate on the chicken part. 🙂
Hope says
This. Sounds. Amazing. I hope it all comes through smoothly!