Meant to Be!

So... life around here has been pretty much insane for the last week or two. We have gone back and forth about a million times with whether or not we would be getting the house. We are now on the other side of it, and I am 99% sure that a month or so from now we will be bonafide home owners! Yippee-Ky-Yi-Yay! It seems as though this is the house that we are just meant to be in. We were petrified after our inspection last weekend, but after calling in an electrician and talking to some contractor friends we feel very confident about buying this house as-is.

All I have to say is WOW! When we started our hunt for a home in March we never could have imagined the journey that we have taken. I knew going into it all that it would take some effort and time, but WOW! The past few months have been so full of anticipation, excitement and disappointments that I had not planned on.

I am very happy to report that all we've been through was totally worth it, and a month from now when we are holding the keys to our new home it will be even better!

I am more than convinced that things went the way the did for a reason. A reason that's much bigger than Mike and I. This is the house we were meant to be in, had things gone differently we never would've found our home. We were originally looking for a single family home in a very specific location (a desired school district). When we found the ranch in our second highest school district we figured that was where we were supposed to be, so we waited, and waited, and waited some more. After we hit the four month mark we were both getting rather antsy, not to mention the fact that Hurricane Irene was not friendly to that poor little house. So we figured it wouldn't hurt to look and see if there was anything interesting on the market. I'm not quite sure why we decided to look into townhouses, but I am really glad that we did. I can't wait to turn this place into our home!

Ready to Close

So, we are officially in contract on a beautiful townhouse! YAY! Finally! and everyone we are working with is doing everything in their power to have us close by October 31st! I am beyond excited about all of this. We should  be moving and starting to get settled into our home in about a month!

Here's a little sneak peek of our future Living Room. Aren't the ceilings just amazing! Once we find out more I will fill you in! I am very excited!

We have our home inspection scheduled for Saturday! we will also be measuring all the rooms and windows then so we can start purchasing our blinds, curtains, furniture and everything else we need! Have I mentioned yet that I am SO excited! It's funny how we never would've found or gotten this house had we not waited on the other one. The Lord works in mysterious ways!

It's been One Month!

Ok, so today is the one month mark for when we put our offer in on the house, and I am hoping and praying that we do not need another post one month from now saying "it's been 2 months!". I guess that's what we signed up for. We were well aware of all that goes along with buying a short sale, and we still know that it could take a whole lot longer to be approved by the banks.
So, say a little prayer for us, and hope that we hear something very soon!
Thanks!
I will update you as soon as I hear something

*UPDATE!* there are two more weeks until our contract period of 45 days is up. We are planning on giving them some additional time, either 15 or 30 days, and we are hoping they will give us some kind of progress update when we do that. *

a few helpful hints for moving

here are some of the things that i've found helpful while moving, i hope they will help you get started and give you some new ideas along the way

• organize items by the room they are going to.
• label - label - label [use one of those ginormous sharpies and go nuts] i like to label more than one side of the box so I can see what it is even if it's stacked and the top is not visible

• start packing as soon as possible, the more time you have the better, every time i have moved i had more stuff than i thought i did
• pack a box or bag [even a suitcase- they have to move anyway, might as well use them] for each family member with everything they need for 3-5 days. keep these with you and include the following- 
• several changes of clothes/ underwear and jammies
• a favorite pillow, blanket or comfort item [essential for children - even older kids]
• medications- both prescription and frequently used over the counter medications
• toiletry essentials - toothbrush, soap, shampoo, razor
• pack as if you were going away for a long weekend
• securely tape small parts and screws to the bottom of your furniture. lost parts can turn beautiful furniture into useless garbage. if you have a lot of small parts put them in a snack baggie before taping them on.
• don't buy more rubbermaid totes than you can use in the new house. it's a waste of money!
• check out your local grocery store during the box hunt. fruits and veggies come in double walled super sturdy boxes. they are great for heavy items.
• never underestimate the power of social networking, let your friends know you are moving and need boxes, tissue paper, who knows they might even have some bubble wrap for ya!
• draw up a card with your new address and any other pertinent information, as you see your family and friends pass them out so they know where to find you after the move.
• bring up the move often to your children. if there will be any major changes other than a whole new house make sure they are aware of them well before hand and remind them often.

• don't be afraid to bring extremely fragile favorite items along with you in the car. if you would cry over it being broken use extreme care and loads of bubble wrap during transport.
• if you're moving to a new area-
• call your doctors and dentist to get copies of your medical records.
• always visit several times before buying. be sure to ask locals about crime rates, schools and neighborhood quality. try to make friends and get peoples honest opinions
• don't overfill your fridge, packing fridge and freezer food is a horrible task and is easily avoided.
• make lists. lists of what you have in the rooms in your current house, and what you need in the new house. inventories are very important
• weigh out the pros and cons of hiring a moving company. if you don't have a lot of stuff you can do it yourself with the help of friends and family. if you have a ton of stuff you can always rent a truck, and still do the grunt work yourself, it's a great way to save some money.
• PURGE- if you have a lot of stuff that is of no use [read: basement papers, and broken pieces] have a dumpster dropped off for a week. When we sold my Mom's house we packed a 3 ton dumpster to the edge and amazingly enough it weighed over 3 ton when they picked it up. It's tough to part with your stuff, but sometimes it's just gotta go!
• for some more great tips check out movers edge 101 Best Moving Tips

if you have any more helpful tips please share them. we still have a couple weeks to go until our big move.

Home Buying Wish List

So, we think that it is Super important to make a list of what you are looking for when looking to buy a home.
Start with the things you need, then what you would really like, and then jot down the things you dream of having, you never know, you might just get them. The house we found met almost all of our wishlist criteria.
We hope this list will also be a helpful starting point for you when you start searching for your next home!

• Three + Bedrooms
• One or One and a Half + Baths
• 1200 + SF [on the tax record, we also wanted additional garage, basement and outdoor living space]Good School District
• a Charming Neighborhood with very little through traffic
• fixer upper [we wanted something that we could really put our Barkanic stamp on, I don't think I could tear up a 4 year old kitchen just because it wasn't my style]
• Storage Space
• Basement
• Structurally Sound
• 150 +  AMP Electrical Service

We would really like

• Garage
• Hardwood Floors
• room for a
• Man Cave
• Sewing Area
• a big Kitchen
• 3 bigger than 10x10 Bedrooms
• a nice yard to play with Livi in, and for our future dog to run around, but no more than an acre to mow

we looked at a bunch of different house styles, there were a few cape cods that I just loved from the exterior, but whenever I thought about our future home I always pictured us living in a Ranch Home.