We bought a HOUSE!!

My husband and I just signed the papers on a house yesterday!! We are buying a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house in a great location. It was a short sale (meaning the sellers had a hardship, and then could no longer pay....a step above a foreclosure), which we knew going into, but not how very super long the process would take. The sellers accepted our offer right away, but we did not know until about 2 weeks ago where we stood in the process, and whether we would get the house.

3 months after we started the process, we have arrived at the finish line. We get the keys this morning and are going to start moving in!

I'll share a timeline of how the process has gone shortly, but here is my pro and con list....this house has a lot of really great things going for it!

The BAD:

• Solicitors and trick or treaters: At our apartment, our door is tucked to the side and most people were not aware we were there. It worked both ways though, as the UPS and Fedex delivery people had to be informed multiple times.
• I don't have a view! So sad. That was like one of my main requirements for buying a house, too! There is a tiny patch open where I can see a mountain, though.
• Funny driveway: The driveway is long and a bit steep. It is doable, otherwise there would have been a big problem. There is a sort of area to turn around at the top, though, which will be amazing.
• There is a foundation problem. It turned a lot of potential buyers off, but the issue is really not that big. It is a localized issue that we will be working on this summer.

The GOOD:

• Getting away from our neighbors, their dogs, and their weird stares when I am walking to or from my car. I know we may still have strange neighbors at this house, but they will at least not be so close to us! As in, separate buildings with property lines separate!
• A dishwasher!
• Lots of storage space. There is a pantry!
• Walking distance. This one is about as far away from our work as this apartment is, but this one is actually in town, and not out of it. We will be able to walk to church!
• Shed: I am excited to have a place to store our winter tires and bikes and such.
• The freezer in the fridge is bigger than our current one!
• Guest bedroom: So excited to have a room for visitors.
• Carport: Happy to have a covering over our vehicles, with 2 spaces! This will reduce the snow on our cars a lot, and it is also supposed to reduce the amount of frost!
• No more car moving: At our apartment, we were sharing a driveway with our neighbors, and so we had to park our cars nose to nose. When I wanted to go off for the sunset, we would have to move C's car to let me leave. Not a huge deal, but it gets annoying when I run off a couple times a week.
• Bathtub!
• Wildlife: There are still moose, and I even heard reports of a bear in the spring.
• Porch: I am so thrilled to have a front porch. It is not large, but large enough that I can sit on it in the mornings in a lawn chair to read. Ohhh, I have always wanted that. I don't like to sit in my lawn chairs in the grass due to bugs and such (stupid yes), and if I bring the lawn chair inside when I am done, it will not accumulate spider webs so much!
• Spruce trees: Green ones at that! This area was afflicted with a "spruce bark beetle" some years back, and the spruce trees turned grey and died. I am happy to report that the trees in our yard are alive and well.
• Lilacs? I do believe there is a lilac bush in the neighbor's yard! We have one at the apartment and I adore it when it is in bloom.
• Bedroom door: We have not had a bedroom door for the past 3 years. Not too bothersome except when we have company (i.e. little brothers who play games all night).

We are really happy with it. Pictures soon!