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Thursday, Dec. 05, 2002 Where do I start? LOTS of stuff going on in this girl's life, I tell you. Peter and I started looking at houses this week - just to get a feel for what's out there, in our price range. Up until now, there really hasn't been anything in our price range worth looking at - but in the last few months prices have toned down a tad, and now there are some properties worth taking a look at. We've looked at four houses so far. One that we saw yesterday evening was our favorite. We both really love it. It's got that rustic, wood, cabin-y feel to it that I've always been attracted to. It's a four bedroom, two of which are decent sized (a big plus, in our book). Plus, it's got a den off the family-room. A wood-burning fireplace. Very nice carpet upstairs and down, and a GORGEOUS deck and back yard to die for. I even like the layout of the kitchen, because it's not closed off. And there is no dining room, just an extra large area next to the kitchen where a table would go. I prefer that with a child coming because I can clean up a mess on a tile floor much easier than I can on nice carpet. Pete thinks someone that lives there now is a carpenter, because there are wood accents everywhere, and added wood touches. Like a big octagon-shaped table out on the deck that's nailed down, so it stays all year 'round. Some extra drawers in the kitchen underneath the cabinets - and a big sandbox in the backyard for our little one, that couldn't possibly be taken with them it's so big and heavy looking. Plus, the idea of having a carpenter as the former owner is appealing because they probably wouldn't allow anything to be done cheaply. And if it was, it would've been re-done. All the woodwork throughout matches - like a medium stained maple or oak... so nice. I just looked at what I've written, and I've used the word 'wood' an abundant number of times. I guess I like wood. I always have - not painted, just natural, gorgeous, fresh-looking wood. Even the outside is a wood-looking siding on the front, with light colored bricks. The yard is beautifully manicured, with rocks and borders around every tree and group of shrubs. There is a nice flat driveway with a permanent basketball hoop (Pete appreciates that). I could go on and on - I am in love. The only two negative things about the place that I can even come up with are: 1. They seem to have an over-abundance of ducks and geese on their walls - there are wallpaper borders all over with those types of things on them. I don't love wallpaper in general (much less with ducks and geese on it) - I'd much rather just paint. And 2. The roof is as old as the house - 16 years. A lot of the other houses we looked at had a newer roof, so that's something that we will have to replace in the future. But, really - only two things that I don't like? That's pretty good. So, we're having someone come assess our condo on Saturday, to see if we can sell it for enough to get a downpayment for the new house. And I have a mortgage officer calling me back to get us pre-qualified. All very exciting. I guess looking casually at houses is easier said than done. Although we have done that a couple of times in the past and nothing came of it. I guess this time is different because we were actually able to stay in a reasonable price bracket and still find something we love. Stay tuned... Ciao-Pazzobello
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