Monday, November 3, 2008

Homeless, forever?

So HP and I have been house shopping for, oh, 3 years. Of course we took a break here and there, during the winter months, when I was in the last few months of pregnancy. He is actively on all the MLS sites, and if I had to count, we've seen no fewer than 300 different homes in this time. No joke. Yet we're still homeless.

I blame all those people out there that drove up home prices. So don't get me started on whether I feel sorry for any one that has foreclosed on.

Prices have come down, but they didn't tell that to the sellers in our desired neighborhoods. Peninsula home prices are still so overinflated, you can't get two bathrooms for under a million. And if there is one thing I must have in a home, it's that second bathroom. I'd prefer 2.5, but will settle for 2 if need be. I just like the idea of keeping the guest bath clean and doing whatever I want to my own. I'll admit it. Since becoming a mom, I have let my bathroom get near gross before cleaning it. (I am THIS close to hiring a cleaning person but I think that would gross me out more.)

But you know what I would REALLY love? What gets me more excited than square footage and even a well-manicured back yard? A walk-in pantry. Oh, to have an insane amount of kitchen space. To have the crockpot, the hand-mixer, the food processor, the waffle maker, the flour sifter, the potato ricer, and my "good" skillet, all within hand's reach, clean and ready to use. I am so sick of clearing out the 15 pots and pans from the oven when I feel like baking, piling them onto the counter just so I can preheat the darn thing. If only . . .

Yup, that's what I want in life. So today we took a huge step - we put an offer in on a house! Our first offer on a home together (and my first ever). We actually both really like the house, not love. But if you knew how much trouble we've had finding a house we both liked, you would know this is such a rarity. The neighborhood is gorgeous, San Mateo Park. We are definitely one of the ten cheapest homes in the entire neighborhood, I would say. Tylo is going to be dirt poor compared to our neighbors, and I'll be the only one without a bugaboo at the park. I happily report that the neighborhood's Obama supporters outnumbered the McCain supporters, so I shouldn't become Republican any time soon.




It's a real charming house, very modest. Doesn't have much of a backyard, not an inch more square footage than the minimum that we need. It's been remodeled and is move-in ready, which is so wonderful, and I can imagine HP, Tylo, and Baby #2 there for a very long time, enjoying cozy family moments. So, keep your fingers crossed that we get the home, even though we did low-ball the offer.


The kitchen is not my taste (I dream of a white airy kitchen with cornflower blue walls), but newish and well kept, and very functional.

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2 comments:

Unknown said...

aw congrats lisa!!!! you'll have to have a house warming and invite us all over!

lisa said...

I love it - it's so pretty. Good luck!!!