Arena Five: You Had Me at "Pergola."

We have found our new home.

Evan and I went to Waukesha for three days this week for a whirlwind of house hunting. We toured 16 houses in the first two days. The variety of things you see when shopping for a house can really be amazing! We saw lots of houses that didn't necessarily have anything "wrong," per say....but they just weren't for us. Then there were some that had some major issues. Let's talk about some of the highlights, shall we? Just in case you weren't stalking my Instagram feed this week.

This house started out promising. Large living space, cool exposed beams in the family room, and a nice yard. But things quickly turned sour when we went downstairs.

Ugh. Next!

Oooo....this could be a cute little yellow house!

Fireplace? Yes please!

But alas, the upstairs level held nothing but goofy shaped bedrooms and a bathroom that left me befuddled. No mystery why this little gem has been on the market for almost a year. Boo.

Then we came across this house:

I was smitten. It had 4 bedrooms, a fireplace in a separate living space, built-ins in the dining room, and a basement ready to finish off just the way we wanted it.

It was lovely and I could really see our family there. We added it to our short list, but were a bit apprehensive because it was listed for well above our price range. If we couldn't get the sellers to come down significantly on price, it wouldn't work.

Next we saw a really cute house with an awesome lower level, but a main floor that left us perplexed.

Then came the house with the nasty cat smell and the curious electrical cord hanging out of the downspout.

Pass.

I'll spare you photos of all 16 houses we viewed, but I suppose you might want to hear a little about the winner.

It was House #16. No joke, it was the very last house on our list of tours. The budget busting house I talked about earlier was still on our short list, along with this beautiful home that knocked our socks off (part of that effect coming from the high price tag).

I mean, honestly. What's not to love about this:

And this:

Well, it turned out that the sellers of this house were not open to negotiation on price at all, so this one was quickly tossed out of our pile. That left us with this house at the top of our list:

This house has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. The second I set foot in the door and saw the beautiful cherry hardwood floors set on a diagonal, it had my attention.

And then there was this great room with a corner fireplace.

And a fabulous little 3rd bedroom that would be perfect for a certain baby I know. Ok, so I have to take the name down from the wall. That's about the extent of the work I intend to put into this bedroom.

After seeing another bedroom that is plenty large for my two big boys who bunk and a master bedroom complete with cathedral ceilings and a master bathroom, I stepped outside and saw this piece of loveliness.

Hello, Pergola.

It was all over, folks. Evan asked if I had been downstairs yet and I told him I was scared to go down there because I feared it would be the deal breaker that would end up being a massive letdown in an otherwise incredible house.

Luckily, the basement is exactly the kind of space we were looking for. Yes, it is unfinished, but it is configured in a way that is perfectly set up for us to finish it off the way we want. We'll create a family room, an office, a third bathroom, and storage.

Every step I took in this house felt right. I got tingles all over and the best way I could describe it is that is just felt like HOME. I knew it was the house for us.

We viewed the house a second time on Thursday and wrote our offer before we left town. We waited nervously until Friday afternoon when the sellers submitted their counter offer. Their terms weren't anything outrageous, so we signed on the dotted line.

Pending the outcome of the inspection on our current home and the inspection at the house we're purchasing, we have found our new home!!!

So, things are about to get pretty insane. In addition to all the inspections and appraisals that have to take place, we also need to get our arrangements made for the move, I have to find a new job, a school for Isaiah, a doctor, a dentist, and I have to buy a washer and dryer. Oh, and did I mention I have to report for jury duty on Monday? Awesomesauce.

Thank you for being so patient and for understanding that my blog presence is going to be somewhat scant for a while. As soon as things settle down a bit, I will be looking forward to getting back to a regular posting schedule and to getting caught up on Project Life. In the meantime, things are just going to be nuts.

Nuts, but exciting.