This "New" House?! *UPDATED--AGAIN!!!*

* Updated Update* (1/26) ...Seller has agreed to fix all items requested. Barring any appraisal/paperwork issues, we will be closing on Feb. 16th. WHOA!

A couple more yard pictures have been added below.

And...if that wasn't exciting enough, we have an offer on our house. Now, who knows where that will go with dealing with our mortgage company, but still exciting nonetheless.

*Update* Had the inspection today (1/18) ....some things found, but nothing too extraordinary. Will be asking the seller to fix a few things tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. We took advantage of the time in the house to get areas measured & take some more pictures. So, I've updated those at the bottom. *

Wow! So far, 2010 is FULL of big changes. We've been struggling for some time to figure out what to do about our housing situation and the fact that we bought our "starter house" at a REALLY bad time--just before the bust of the housing market. Sadly, Phoenix is one of the markets that has been worst hit in this mess, with home values depreciating about 150% since 2006/2007 (ours has just been calculated at a 180% depreciation since purchase price!). UGH! Without going into all the nitty-gritty, sad, frustrating, and financial details here, I will just say that we have found a less than conventional solution. One that has been wrought with some heartache, some tears, some consequences for us, some REALLY difficult decisions, and some really great help from family. And, one that we are REALLY hopeful is the right decision and will suit our family well for years to come.

With a plan discussed, paperwork filled out, and ideas in mind, we set out last weekend to look at available options. This housing market is SO different (at least here anyway) than what would be traditional--tons of foreclosures, short-sales, strange dealings with banks, and the best deals moving onto & off the market in less than a week!

Armed with a list of 20 possibilities in 5 different zip codes, we set out to look at options. Of course, many could be ruled out based on location, but we did go see about 11 houses. One seemed a "dream" house & were ready to move-in that night, but sadly (after 2 wasted hours spent discussing our offer), we found out that they had actually accepted & signed an offer earlier that day! ARG! There was another one we liked though and after weighing options and going round, and round, and round having many discussions, we decided that we might as well make an offer just to see what might happen. Due to the work that needed to be done (like all new carpeting), we sent in an offer at $20,000 below asking price. Two days later, she accepted the offer AS IS!!! What?! Definitely were not expecting that! So, ummmm......we might be moving in a month! Obviously, everything is contingent on the inspection and appraisal coming up, but if all that goes smoothly, we'd be closed, have new carpeting put in & be moved in by March 1st--just in time to get a little prepped for having a new baby!!!! AGHHH!

Needless to say, our heads have been spinning & we can't believe what's been happening and all that potentially will be happening in the next 60+ days!!

Anyway, the main point in doing this post was really for the pictures, so here they finally are:

Our two biggest "cons" are visible in this picture--two story & only a two car garage. But, the house does have a true RV gate, that makes for extra parking (that's where the van is parked) in the front and has a HUGE sideyard! And, given our situation & the way this crazy market is, the rest of the pros outweigh those two cons.

When you enter the house, you come in to a large open formal living room/dining room space. As you walk through that room, you walk along side the stairs and can either continue straight into the kitchen & family room or turn to go up the stairs or down the first floor hallway. The first floor has one bedroom and full bathroom back behind the stairs which will make the perfect office/guest area for awhile. You can see the bathroom and door to the laundry room in this picture.
If you continue straight past the stairs, you find yourself in the kitchen and family room. The kitchen is rather large (or seems so to us anyway compared to what we're used to) & has a full pantry! YAY! But, is missing a range--yet another reason for our low offer. One really nice thing about this area is the the backyard is almost fully visible from the windows here, so I can be inside while the boys play outside & see everything!

These are views of the family room area (both without & with stuff).

Upstairs: The room straight ahead in the picture below will be Andrew's and at 17 x 11 sq.ft is PLENTY big enough for the boys to share if we wanted/needed to do that. The other doorframe visible in the picture is to this newbaby's room.

And, a really neat feature is that the rooms are connected by a Jack 'n Jill bathroom (like the Brady Bunch). This is the view from Andrew's room through the bathroom.

*Updated* Here are a few master bedroom photos, starting with the view of the upstairs from the stair landing (you can see into the newbaby's room & then into the master bedroom).

*View from the master bedroom entry into the bath/closet area (it's huge).

The master closet--it's ridiculously huge--like the size of a small bedroom (not an exaggeration * we measured it today and it's 8'7" X 13'5"). In fact, the space shown in the picture is just over half of the total closet space! Lots of storage space there! The second picture shows the other part of the closet with a peek out toward the bathroom.

* Random garage photo:

So, that's the inside--but here are some big perks about the areas outside the house: The backyard is large, has a bunch of citrus trees (along with some random others that might have to come out), a patio that runs the entire length of the house, and the afore mentioned large concrete area in the side yard. A big "pro" for us is no pool--we didn't want the extra expense or the extra worry with little ones right now. So, the yard is perfect for growing little boys to be outside playing!

Even more exciting though, is what is essentially in our front yard:

That's right, the house is on a quiet street that faces a CITY PARK! No HOAs in this neighborhood and a wonderful park. That view of the playground is taken from the driveway of the house. It is literally right across the street! The park has two ramadas with picnic tables, an open field, basketball court, sand volleyball court, and horseshoes! :) In addition, there is a wash that runs for miles running alongside the park that has walking/biking paths. AWESOME!!!

Needless to say, Andrew thought it was pretty fun & wanted to go play at the park! I'm sure he would/will love to have his "own" big playground right outside his front door.

Of course, none of this is quite a done-deal yet. But, barring any problems in the next couple of weeks, it is certainly shaping up to be. Given the huge & costly mistake that we feel buying our first house was (given the ridiculous problems with lenders & the housing market), we REALLY don't want to make another BIG mistake again! So, we are admittedly a bit stressed, anxious, and worried right now. Yet, are excited at the prospect of potentially moving to a bigger house soon.

Oh...and speaking of that first house, if anyone wants to move to Phoenix or knows someone who wants a house in the North Valley for a REALLY cheap price, I know this really cute, little house for sale! :)