Our House is a Very Very Very Fine House...

...but we don't have two cats in the yard :)

I missed a few posts over the past couple weeks. Contract #1 fell through, as you all know. Contract #2 was submitted but also went belly-up. Turns out the owner (single chick) had a 2nd lien on the house that she failed to mention until after we got started on negotiations. Also turns out that the transaction we had going, wasn't going to cover both liens so her 2nd lender was going to have to "agree" to our offer and the contract that was in the works. We're not really sure why that doesn't get considered as a "short sale" but it was not listed as one. Needless to say, we didn't feel like getting our hands dirtied in that mess so we backed out of the contract.

Contract #3 was a success. We offered $10k less than the asking price. The buyers countered with $1k over our initial offer. Really? $1k? Why not try to meet in the middle or something? Hey, we didn't complain. We took the offer. The inspection went swimmingly. I guess that's how it works when you buy a newer home (build in late 90s). After having 2 old houses, we are very ready for a newer construction.

This one is move-in ready, has a beautifully upgraded new kitchen, and a two-car garage. These are things I only dreamed of having one day! We can also walk to shops and restaurants. There is a great park and playground right in our neighborhood that has a "secret tunnel" (as Izzi likes to call it) which takes you under the major road outside of the neighborhood and delivers you right to the front gate of one of our community pools (we'll have 2). We can also walk to the elementary school when it's time for her to start that.

The house doesn't have a pool. The screened porch is decent but on the small side. Our plan, once Ed's job situation stabilizes, is to expand the screened/caged area and build an outdoor kitchen. Then we'll also install either a small plunge pool or a hot tub that we can keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

It's a "typical" Florida home but we're excited to get settled in. Our settlement is scheduled for late July so just a few more weeks!