baby steps

So not a lot to report on the house front; well, nothing major at least!  We got the signed purchase contract for Orchid from the sellers on 12/8, and then yesterday we heard that Bank of America ordered a BPO (broker's pricing opinion) on the property to determine its current market value and that they will be moving forward with the process!

Fingers crossed we get a counter before Christmas!

this just blows my mind...

As you may know, on Thursday of this past week Jim, the garmin, and myself set out on our fourth bonding experience of this past 9 months.  Basically, I could have had a child in the time it has taken Jim and I to find me a house...which I find oddly creepy and sad.  Either way, we sped through the East Valley, and Jim got very acquainted with Gilbert and the 202.  We saw 8 houses in a matter of 2.5 hours, and the day was quite a blur!

With Wanda being so unpredictable, it was time to find a true front runner that would make me feel awesome about cheating on her and not make my bank account wince.  We found that exact thing in a house on Orchid Lane (nice ring to it, right?).  Orchid was an identical floor plan to Kent, except flipped and it was on the cheaper side of the subdivision in terms of HOA fees since there was not access to a community pool.  This was all fine and dandy for me, since Orchid Lane had a pool, and Pebbletec at that!  

The main advantage of Orchid was the price (only $2,000 more than Wanda!) and the fact that it needed zero repairs or updates.  Orchid had beautiful, over-sized tile and upgraded shag carpeting that was in great shape; a kitchen island with wrap-around counters; a separate shower and tub in the master bathroom with double sinks; and an actual laundry room.  I had more storage and more kitchen, but I gave up a walk-in closet in the master and some living room space; but I did gain a pool and a newer house (built in 2002!).  The even better part about this house was we could close in about 50 days!  They had a contact fall through on 11/10, so basically someone had already done the leg-work for me, and I reaped the benefits.

Here are some pictures of Orchid from the listing:

view from the front door

view from the edge of the kitchen

kitchen

dining room view

this color is even more hideous in person, and it will be changed

back patio, you can semi-see the pool

Now, I know that every time I write something on this blog, the next day it changes, but that is part of the fun I guess =).  Our paperwork is still in on Wanda, and we are in a first come, first serve situation with 2 houses now...which is kind of exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.  However, we do have a tentative closing date of January 25 and we are AWC-I with our contract right now, which means the seller has accepted it, and now the bank has to as well; Jim says we will know by Friday where we stand...

Fingers crossed...