We are in good old Central Mass right now, combining a business trip (for Gus) with yet another househunting adventure. New England, much like the rest of the country, has been slammed with a heat wave lately, but it really hasn't been too awful! It's definitely more humid than we're used to, but it's not totally miserable. Actually, the most miserable thing about the heat is how all the commercial establishments are BLASTING their A/C. For example, we went out to dinner last night, both wearing shorts, t-shirts, and sandals (like everyone else). I thought I was going to die of hypothermia in the restaurant! I changed into pants before we went out to see the new Harry Potter movie, but it was still FREEZING! I guess these people don't like to be warm at all, huh? haha! At least the movie was great. I really, really enjoyed it!
Anyway... we spent all weekend looking for our "backup plan." As it turns out, our contract on the short sale house had a clause in it allowing for an automatic 30-day-extension. This is actually not a bad thing. During the extension, we can back out at any time without penalty-- up until the bank approves the short sale. At that point, our hands are tied. But if that happens before we buy another place, then that's a good thing! We still do like that house a lot, after visiting it again yesterday. We would be totally fine with it.
However... we found another house that we like even better, and we were poised to make an offer today. We *thought* it was bank-owned, which would have been a quick sale but, alas, we were wrong. Yet another short sale! Mentally, I mourned the loss of that house, because I was not willing to consider buying another short sale at this point.
Then, Gus got a call from our realtor. Yes, it's a short sale, but it only involved one bank (yay!), and this bank typically approves short sales in 30-45 days. Not six months, like the Bank who Shall Not Be Named (*cough* B of A *cough*). So... we're making an offer! We could technically get two houses at the same time! ha! Not, but seriously, we won't withdraw our offer on the original house. By having offers on both houses at the same time, the worst case scenario is that we lose the money we put down on the first one (which wasn't much). By withdrawing, we could end up with neither house. So, we will stick with Plan A and take our chances.
Anyway, wanna hear all about this new house? Of course you do! Well, here's one picture of the outside...
It actually goes far back, and there is even more that comes off to the right. There's also an attached two-car garage. The driveway is wide and flat, and would be easy to keep clear in the winter. And even though this house is literally on Main Street, it's far enough back from the road that it feels very private. And, being on Main Street, it also means that the heart of the small town is just a short walk away. How fun to be able to walk to the library, the pool, etc.? Plus, that road will DEFINITELY be well-maintained in the winter, since it's the only way into or out of town.
As far as the inside of the house goes... I don't even know where to begin! The basement is a typical one-- concrete, unfinished, slightly spooky. It's clean, though, and the boiler/water heater appear to be in good shape. The laundry hookups are currently down there, but we would move them upstairs. Which brings us to the first floor!
The first floor is huge. It has a big, open kitchen with new maple cabinets and brand-new (white) appliances. We'd probably sell the appliances and get stainless, and then replace the counters with granite (instead of laminate), but the layout is great. Right off the kitchen is a HUGE bathroom which was converted to be wheelchair accessible. Considering there is another bathroom downstairs AND two more upstairs, we would get rid of this one and make it a laundry room. There is a massive formal dining room, a living room, another room that could be a sitting room/library/breakfast room, and then two more rooms. One of them is huge, and I don't know what I would put in there! The other is small (office-sized), and has an exit door leading to the enclosed porch. It would be a perfect, safe place for the kids to run around or ride their tricycles. I love it!
There are two flights of stairs leading to the second floor. This house was built in 1830, which means that there are stairs leading from the kitchen that were probably once used by servants. Upstairs, there is a huge master bedroom with two closets (one walk-in), a decent-sized bathroom, and a built-in bookshelf. Across the hall, there are two identical bedrooms that we would put the kids in, separated by a tiny little room that we could do something fun with, I am sure. A little reading nook, maybe? There is also a huge bathroom, and another large bedroom that would be our formal guest room. At the back of the house, there is yet another enormous room, with doors leading out onto the deck. I'm thinking this would be a nice playroom for the kids. Or perhaps an indoor roller rink? I forgot to mention that this house is 3,700 square feet. It is MASSIVE! And then there is another flight of stairs leading to the gigantic walk-up attic, which has more storage than I would know what to do with. My house would never be cluttered again, haha!
Anyway... The backyard is grassy, surrounded by tall trees, and it has so much potential. We might add another deck on the first floor. Gus would want to build a workshop out at the back of the property (almost three-quarters of an acre). I want a raised veggie garden, and maybe a nice gazebo out there with a picnic table. Really, the possibilities are endless. We are SO excited. Here's a pic of about half the yard... It looks even bigger than this in person!
And if the other house DOES finally get approved? That's a great house, too. I would be happy either way. It needs a lot more work, and is smaller, but is cheaper. So many tradeoffs! Here are a few pics I took of the flowers in the yard at that house. It's really overgrown right now, but I just love the sheer variety of flowers that grow here. It's amazing what grows in places that actually get rainfall, haha!
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