Make offer?!

was the text I received today from Pete.  I had just urgently sent him a text as my iPhone was about to die (note to self: write that letter to Apple about ridiculously low iPhone battery life) that I loved the second house we saw.  We had finished our tour of homes for the day, and had reached a time for decision-making of sorts. 

After my late-night trolling of sites, my back and forth between renting and buying (still looking at rentals, I know this isn't a done deal, and the rentals are in a gorgeous area), waking up too late, and frantically hitting the road, I made it to the Realtor's office in the nick of time.  We had a list of 7 possibilities, an email with Peter's thoughts, and my gut feeling that I knew which one I would like the best.

Now, the Realtor, to her credit, offered that we might get a better deal and more selection in June.  However, given the very short amount of time we have between our arrival here and Peter's departure for his unaccompanied tour, we want to have as much time as possible to get properly settled in.  So, we gathered the listings, and off we went.

We stopped at house #1, just outside the beltway, and explored the three level townhouse.  It was originally the top contender on my list, but changed when #2 popped up on Realtor.com.   It was primarily a case of the photos being a bit better online than in reality.  The kitchen looked spacious and updated on the screen of my laptop, but in reality was a bit worn and not quite as roomy.  The master bedroom was not tiny, but not what I hoped for and other areas needed more updating than I originally imagined.  We still had quite a list to work with, and viewing a storage room that took up over half the basement (not much room for anything else), we departed for a neighborhood that was a bit more familiar.

Yes, the second house is in our old neighborhood.  I admit it, I really like it, and since this could be our third house there, apparently, we just can't get away.  I didn't necessarily like the floor plan in our old house, but I the construction was solid, and  I loved that it backed up to a nature center and woods.  The playground and pool were both a bonus, and we made so many great friends living there.  When house #2 popped up on Realtor.com Monday night, I was stunned.  Not only was it the model with the garage (yes, it trumps a 4th bedroom for us), but the layout allowed for a generously-sized kitchen and roomy bedrooms.  These models are rarely available, and generally tend to go quickly.  I pointed it out to my Realtor, she agreed it looked quite promising, and it was added to the list.

We parked in the driveway, she fiddled with the lock box, we walked in, and I knew this was it.  It was confirmed when I found the kitchen, and realized the photos didn't do it justice.  From the Corian counter tops (with matching cutting board) to the pull-out shelves in the pantry and cabinets, I was in heaven. 

Did I mention the breakfast bar?  I could already envision the kids having a pre-school nosh or enjoying a snack (the scent of chocolate chip cookies wafting in the air..) after school.   The extra counter space would make dinner prep so much easier for all of us.  It would be especially useful when the girls cook, as they tend to need a bit more room.  The kitchen also allows for a generous amount of table space,  and perhaps even room for a small desk  and the kitchen play set for Nicholas.  Oh, and a gas stove…

The rest of the house did not disappoint, from the spacious master to the cozy, low-maintenance patio (though still room for a small garden and compost bin…), and the garage which as already been outfitted with pegboards, a work bench and the old kitchen cabinets (excellent storage that little hands can't quite reach).  We left after discussing the pros (many) and the cons (few), and hit the 5 other houses on the list.  While not bad, each seemed to lack that certain something, or had issues that townhouse didn't have.  Whether it was road noise, too much lawn for my taste, or stairs to the basement in the kitchen (no door, just stairs), they were items that either could not be fixed or not without much work (and $$$).

Tomorrow I head back to McLean with the  checkbook, and will hopefully (fingers crossed) have a signed contract by early afternoon.  Now, I know things go wonky with real estate issues all of the time, so by no means is this a done deal.  I also have other options if it doesn't work out, and when this finally smacked me in the head today, I felt much of the stress melt away.  It has also helped immensely to have so much support from friends and family. 

Oh, and I know we haven't signed the dotted line, and don't yet hear the jingle of the keys, but did I remember to mention the window seats that come with what would be the girls' rooms?  I can already see them curled up on cushions, reading for hours…