Home Sweet Home

After 6 1/2 months of diligent searching, we have finally purchased a new home.

Why in the world would we want to do that? Don't we already have a house?

Yes.. we already own a house. However, with the housing crisis, the Antelope Valley has seen a HUGE decrease in home prices (most over 50%), and so we decided that if we ever wanted to afford a home on some land that we could actually grow into, now was the time to jump IF we found the right property.

We have looked at the craziest houses.. and we've seen it all. Houses with zero appliances/light fixtures/etc. left in them. Houses with dead rodents. Houses with the MOST random floorplans you've ever seen.. after 6 1/2 months we've probably seen 30-40 homes of varying sizes, shapes and locations. I figured it out the other day and I think we've submitted at least 20 offers on 10 properties in that time.. every time crossing our fingers only to be disappointed -- bank didn't like our financing, beat out by $1000, etc.

The day I got back from Girl's Camp we went to see this one. It was amazingly clean, the previous owner still lived in it (which was a first!), and the price was incredible. So.. on it's first day on the market we wrote an offer.. and the very next day we got a counteroffer and we thought the deal was done. Nope.. the listing agent 'conveniently' didn't make it back to her client's place to get the final paperwork signed and several other 'more lucrative' offers came in in the meantime. She gave us the opportunity to up ours, but we said 'heck no.. you crazy evil agent'.

Then, two weeks later she called groveling asking if we still wanted it since everyone else had defaulted. We thought and prayed and felt like this was the place, so we resubmitted our offer, we opened escrow last week and I think it may actually happen this time. Our closing date is sometime in the 1st 10 days of August and we're hoping to be in by the 15th. Crazy..

It's a custom home on a 2.2 acre lot.. swimming pool.. nice big bedrooms.. it's in need of updating (built in the 80's and it shows), but we can do that in pieces through the next few years. It does have a wall or two that could do with being removed and a lovely wetbar in the family that needs to go... again.. one step at a time. However, all in all, it's a beautiful well-built home on some good land so Chad can one day live his dream of having a 40 x 60 shop in the backyard.

Anywho.. here are the pics from the listing.. I haven't had a chance to take any of my own yet:



So.. if anyone is need of a good house to rent in the Lancaster area.. I know of one.. and if anyone is dying to participate in an exciting move.. we'll be happy to accommodate ;-)