Finding the Prince

So the old saying about kissing frogs before you find the prince is true.  After many months of intrepid searching, countless drive-bys and peeking in windows - not to mention the hours spent on Realtor.com - we've found a house!

Our (Hopefully!) Soon-to-be New House

This is the realtor's photo from the website, so it's not the greatest quality, but it gives you an idea.  Of course, the current owners haven't been keeping up with the yard, and this photo was taken at the end of February, so it looks totally different now.

We offered them considerably less than their asking price for a couple of reasons:

1.  They haven't mowed all summer long and the yard is going to have to be mowed by professionals with a tractor.
2.  There are door jambs and mouldings that are either missing chunks because their dog ate them, or from severe weather damage, both of which could have been prevented.
3.  There is a large hole in the drywall in the basement.  The couple is getting a divorce (which is why they're selling the house), so maybe the hole is a result of a late-night domestic dispute???
4.  They took the shower heads with them in both bathrooms.  Apparently this happens frequently, because our realtor wasn't suprised by this.
5.  There is a large piece of metal flashing that is missing from the roofline above the garage that will need to be replaced.

They countered with the asking price.  Jerks.

After some debating, more looking, and hoping they'd change their mind, we decided to just accept their counter offer and pay the full asking price.  Why?  Because we're convinced that we won't find anything we love more that is in this price range with this location and lot.

Some of my favorite features:

1.  Open floorplan with entry, living, dining and kitchen all together.

The Kitchen

2.  Gas fireplace in the living room.
3.  Vaulted ceiling in the living room / dining room area.

The Kitchen, Open to the Dining Room

Vaulted Ceiling in the Living Room

4.  It has a full finished (dry!) basement.  A super bonus considering it's out in the country and I hate storms.  No more sitting in a dark wet basement riding the storm out!

Finished Basement (Looks Scary Now, but Just Wait!)

5.  It's on a 1.3 acre lot out in the country on a very quiet gravel road.  Ahh, tranquility!  And chickens!
6.  But the thing I like most about the house is that I can see the potential of how amazing it could be with some lovin' and sweat.  It has great lighting and space, and those are rare attributes amongst any of the houses we've seen.

So naturally, I've already started planning.  We've got to get some of the basics out of the way first - like some major landscaping and patching and repairing - before I get to have a whole lotta fun.