Be Still My Beating Heart....

....Houston, we have a contract.

I can't believe it, but we have found our near-dream house. I'll just get this out of the way, I'd love it if this home was a bit closer to the freeway because that would cut down Josh's commute to and from work. But, if it was, this home would be at least $50,000 more. Like they say, "Location, location, location."

Now that I got the con out of the way, let me tell you all about the pros.

Our house is wonderful. It's a foreclosure, which means that our dealings with the owning bank are more difficult and strict. It also means we're getting a screaming deal. There are some cosmetic things that we get to do ourselves. We will repaint, buy new lighting fixtures for the living room, family room, and bedrooms. Because we are buying a home in the middle of the desert, we get to use a rural housing loan that does not require a down payment. That means we'll have plenty of our savings to use for these "touch ups" and if we're lucky enough, there will be enough left over to replace the flooring throughout instead of waiting until next year's tax return to do it.

The layout is great. You walk into the living room and at the other end of it are the kitchen, family room, and stairs leading to the upstairs and five good-sized bedrooms, including the wonderful master bedroom. Also, the main level has the laundry room, a small bathroom, and access to the two car garage.

Our yard has potential. Lots of potential. We're on a pie-shaped lot, but it's bigger than most in our area. If we had an extra $20,000, we'd have the ideal backyard: pool, kids' play area, built-in BBQ area, fire pit, garden area. And then another $10,000 to $15,000 would give Josh plenty of toys to park in the RV parking area beside the house. Unfortunately, that bill alone equals 1/3 of our future mortgage.

Probably my favorite thing is the fact that our home is two vacant lots and two houses down the street from my sister, Tara. Just the thought of walking over to her house or the kids riding their bikes to go play with their cousins is such an incredible thought. The Williams family has always been so disjointed from the rest of the family. Even when the kids all began settling down in Colorado and getting married, Mom and Dad moved away to Texas. The possibility of having even one sibling so close by is a miracle. (Lori, there are still plenty of homes available in the neighborhood.)

So now it's the pain of waiting for closing. I hate this waiting period. Everything could be fine, or it could all fall apart. Our inspection is scheduled for Thursday morning--we waste no time. Our scheduled closing date is April 28. I'm sure I'll be keeping you informed.