As we started out, one of the people called to push back our appointment, so we started out driving around the area near a school that I really liked. Unfortunately it was a well established neighborhood with no available rentals. We found a few homes for sale, but we aren't quite ready to make that leap yet after being so badly burned with our last house. We'd like the chance to right ourselves financially and not buy until we're ready to choose a house that we intend to keep long term.
We eventually saw four houses.
The first one was a cute two story home, but the bedrooms were so tiny I feared the room the girls would share wouldn't hold a double bed and dresser and the room Nate would have, a fun lime green painted room (which matches nothing we own), was so small that a twin bed and dresser might be a stretch. Baby gates were questionable, as the steps hand spindle railing at the bottom and not really a place to even mount one at the top. This house was fairly far out too, not a vote in it's favor.
We go to a closer suburb and see a second home. This one reminded me of the house that my grandparents bought in Kentucky after my grandfather retired from his job in Georgia. The house was one story with the kids bedrooms and main bath to the right as you came past the entry with the Master bedroom set behind them, just off the living room. The kitchen and dining area was accessible to the left in the back of the living room or from the two car garage. It didn't have the bonus room their house had though. The owner was still completing some work on it, but we were told there would be a walk through before move in.
Then we drove back to the further out suburb to get keys to two houses in the near suburb, drove back to the closer one and let ourselves in...a bit of a crazy afternoon! We looked at two houses that were pretty close together. The first had some work that needed to be done--there was a broken light switch, outlets not set into the wall, bent and broken mini-blinds, and neither house had a deadbolt. The last house had a rotting deck. Both of these houses had larger square footage and more storage, but did not look as well kept. We debated the whole way to return the keys and finally opted to pay the application fee, not knowing if the other house we saw earlier was already taken. On the way back to my parents' house Justin asked me my opinion. I truly liked the second house more, but while the monthly rent was the same as the third and fourth houses those later two had a 1/2 off the first two months rent deal. Neither of them had a refrigerator, which would negate some of that savings. He finally asked me if that the $400 (the savings less the cost of a fridge) was not a part of the equation which would I pick...hands down the second house with the better maintained property and fenced yard. I had to say good-bye to a couple of closets and a nice garden tub, but it's not like I take baths very often with the munchkins anyway, and I think this house will be better.
In the middle of the trip Nate decided he wasn't very happy with us. He cried for a few hours, including the entire last two hours. The girls put up with a good bit of the trip without too much fuss, even though we ate dinner over an hour late. I felt bad we put them through it, especially Nate, but he would have been on our Friday trip anyway.
We called, and as of last night the house wasn't taken, so Justin drove down to take the check to the Realtor who was handling the transaction this morning. So by later today we should know if the house is ours or if someone else beat us to it with their check. Once that's done I can cancel our Friday appointments. If all goes well, we would move earlier than our original August 1st date, and get there July 16th.
I, of course, forgot to take pictures, despite the fact I had my camera with me, so no pictures to show you the house, except the one I got from the listing. I'll be sure to take plenty when we get there!
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