The Hunt

As it turns out, house hunting isn't nearly as fun or easy as I thought it would be - especially on a tight timeline in a sellers' market.  In the scheme of things, our saga hasn't been too bad, but it has been emotionally trying, full of highs and lows.  We just went into this really believing we'd have plenty of time to look around before our house sold, so the quick sale, although wonderful, threw us for a loop!

A few weeks back, we made an offer on a house we really loved.  We were super excited until we had a very disappointing inspection.  We had expected that the house, which was built in '87, would need some work and updates, but the list of "deficient" items in this particular house was overwhelming.  We weren't ready to give it up, though, so we chose a few key items and asked the sellers to fix them.  We were pretty upset when, a few days later, the sellers said they wouldn't fix anything.  Not a single item.  Frankly, we were shocked, and so was our realtor.  I expected them to at least try to meet us halfway, given that we'd still need to put money into the house once it was ours.  Anyway, we had to walk away.  (And now we are so glad we did.)

We were back on the hunt feeling frustrated and in a pinch.  But we kept perusing the listings, expanded our search outside of our initial boundaries, and took an afternoon off of work to see a bunch of places.  After narrowing it down to two houses, we came home to make pro and con lists, knowing we'd have to make a decision about an offer quickly, given the market.  After some good discussion and reminding ourselves about what we were really looking for in the first place, we decided to move forward on a home in the heart of Plano.  Our offer was accepted, but I was hesitant to get attached until after the inspection.  The wait felt like it took forever, but we were thrilled to find out that the current owners have taken great care of the house, even recently replacing the roof, AC, water heater, attic insulation, and other key items - such a contrast to the inspection on the first house.

So the house is ours!  It was built in '89, and is situated in a nice neighborhood with old trees.  It has a big, flat driveway for the basketball hoop Steve has wanted for years, and is just a block from a large park and the elementary school the girls will attend.  We made a compromise on number of bathrooms, and the interior needs a handful of easy cosmetic updates (lots of brass fixtures that will have to go as well as some carpeted areas that we'd like to replace with wood eventually).  But we felt like the layout and space would be perfect for our family, and we just couldn't say no to this little gem in the backyard:

And behind that fence?  Not houses!  A biking/running path that spans the length of the city.

It's time for all of you who tell me it's too hot to visit in the summer to give up the excuses; I'm offering poolside accommodations, and I'll even provide the refreshing beverages.  So book your flights ... who is coming to Plano, Texas?!?