Thanksgiving
So far it's been quite pleasant. We left for Houston late Wednesday afternoon instead of at noon like we had hoped. The reason? We were trying to set the wheels in motion to buy a house! We're still in Katy at Steve's parents' place, and we're waiting for a fax from our real estate agent. It's the offer we're making on the house. We've got to sign it and send it back to her ASAP. She thought that if we got it into her this afternoon, she could have an answer back for us by tomorrow.
The home is by no means our dream home, but it's the first thing to really catch my eye in our price range. It feels like we've looked at a million homes in the past three months, and they're always a disappointment after looking at the real estate listing. This one is the first one that really wasn't disappointing at all. It's in a tiny, old neighborhood with no through streets in Cedar Park and backs up to a big, open field. With Cedar Park's booming growth, the pretty field and trees will inevitably be developed. But, at least nothing's slated for the near future. The house is really small, but I like that. It's basically the size of our apartment with an additional bedroom. It's on a quarter of an acre lot, so it's got a HUGE backyard with lots of potential for future home additions, workshop space, gardens, etc. There are several large, healthy oak trees on the property making it a mostly shaded lot. The only sun hits the South wall which is the garage. The oak in the back has to be at least a hundred years old. There are also a couple of large cedars on the property as well. It's got new carpet and linoleum. That doesn't excite me so much, as I want a home with wood floors or wood laminate. But, at least it's nice and ready to be moved into. With the loans we've been pre-approved for, we're looking at a total monthly cost (including taxes and insurance) that's a mere $30 more a month than what next year's rent will be, too! So, for $30 extra per month, we can get an additional bedroom, a huge yard for Isaac and Trinity, and the knowledge that we're building equity instead of throwing our money to the wind.
The downsides seem to be that the only entrances into the neighborhood are out onto a stretch of Hwy 183 that we loathe and the bedrooms and closets are a lot smaller than what we'd really like. I'm sure our master bedroom will feel quite cramped. But, our homes in Duncanville and Medford had small bedrooms and we managed just fine. So, I think we'll adjust. And, if in five years we want more space we can either 1)buy a bigger home or 2)build an addition to the back of the house.
Overall, it seems like a great starter home for us with lots of potential if we choose to stay in it for more than five years.
Well, that real estate agent of ours STILL hasn't sent the fax! What's up with that? I'm repeatedly telling myself that God's in control and it's all in his hands. We're praying for his wisdom and protection in this purchase, so I'm willing to accept whatever happens as his good intentions for us.
The home is by no means our dream home, but it's the first thing to really catch my eye in our price range. It feels like we've looked at a million homes in the past three months, and they're always a disappointment after looking at the real estate listing. This one is the first one that really wasn't disappointing at all. It's in a tiny, old neighborhood with no through streets in Cedar Park and backs up to a big, open field. With Cedar Park's booming growth, the pretty field and trees will inevitably be developed. But, at least nothing's slated for the near future. The house is really small, but I like that. It's basically the size of our apartment with an additional bedroom. It's on a quarter of an acre lot, so it's got a HUGE backyard with lots of potential for future home additions, workshop space, gardens, etc. There are several large, healthy oak trees on the property making it a mostly shaded lot. The only sun hits the South wall which is the garage. The oak in the back has to be at least a hundred years old. There are also a couple of large cedars on the property as well. It's got new carpet and linoleum. That doesn't excite me so much, as I want a home with wood floors or wood laminate. But, at least it's nice and ready to be moved into. With the loans we've been pre-approved for, we're looking at a total monthly cost (including taxes and insurance) that's a mere $30 more a month than what next year's rent will be, too! So, for $30 extra per month, we can get an additional bedroom, a huge yard for Isaac and Trinity, and the knowledge that we're building equity instead of throwing our money to the wind.
The downsides seem to be that the only entrances into the neighborhood are out onto a stretch of Hwy 183 that we loathe and the bedrooms and closets are a lot smaller than what we'd really like. I'm sure our master bedroom will feel quite cramped. But, our homes in Duncanville and Medford had small bedrooms and we managed just fine. So, I think we'll adjust. And, if in five years we want more space we can either 1)buy a bigger home or 2)build an addition to the back of the house.
Overall, it seems like a great starter home for us with lots of potential if we choose to stay in it for more than five years.
Well, that real estate agent of ours STILL hasn't sent the fax! What's up with that? I'm repeatedly telling myself that God's in control and it's all in his hands. We're praying for his wisdom and protection in this purchase, so I'm willing to accept whatever happens as his good intentions for us.