We think we found our dream home

So, Jon and I have looked in two new areas of town since last weekend. When Jon and I went looking for homes last Sunday, we found a neighborhood in Duluth that we loved. So, Tuesday evening, Jon and I went with our realtor and checked a few homes out. We nixed a few as soon as we walked in the front door - pictures really can be deceiving! But, we did find one that we really liked. While we liked it, neither Jon or I were raving about it. And, the commute for me to work would definitely be one that I would have to get used to. So, we put that one on the back burner and decided to look in Alpharetta and Roswell. We found a lot of homes that were in our price range and looked really cute. So, we decided that we would devote Saturday afternoon to looking in that area.

Friday night, Jon and I went through some of the neighborhoods and nixed five homes right off the bat. Really, power lines in my back yard!! I don't think so. Jon is weird enough as it is - let's add power lines and what happens. And, we don't want our children to develop some sort of weird reaction. I don't know - growing a third eye, etc. While I think it's a theory it's definitely not one that I would put to the test. Anyway, we found three neighborhoods that had multiple houses in them. So, we were excited and feeling good about Saturday. So, our Saturday started off with a baby shower for me and then we were off at 2 p.m. Our poor real estate agent - her car broke down as we were meeting her. No problem - her and her little sister hopped in our car and we were off. First house - uhh, I think Jon was immediately turned off with the multitude of naked Barbie dolls with their heads ripped off at the foot of the stairs. We were in and out in record time without even bothering to step over the Barabie dolls and check out the upstairs.

The next few neighborhoods were really nice and we were getting excited. The next house we saw I really liked but Jon was a no-go. While this should be a joint decision, I was about to kill him. He was even pickier than I was and I was getting annoyed, to say the least. We saw another house that we both really liked AND it had a finished basement. However, I was still a little hesitatent. The backyard was not exactly what I envisioned and it backed up to the swim and tennis. Just what I was hoping - the sound of screaming kids at the pool OR John McEnroe wanna-bes slamming a tennis back and forth. Of course, Jon was all over it. We were really not agreeing on anything at this point. Shocker!!!

Then, Amanda took us to some houses she found. We drove into Ashland (neighborhood) and there it was. The house of our dreams!!!! Okay, before we go crazy over it, it would be a good idea to actually go in and check it out. I was a little nervous since Jon and I had not been agreeing on much when it came to taste in homes so I was hesitant. We walk in and I immediately fell in love. Then, it happened. I walked into the kitchen and screamed....out of joy!!!! The kitchen is beautiful and has a big long island in the middle which I always wanted. The window over the sink is bayed and looks out into the great backyard. Hardwood floors throughout the ENTIRE house - I am talking upstairs and downstairs. Jon and kept walking through and with each room, we were even more in love. The laster bedroom has a fireplace with a beautiful sitting room off of it that has french doors separating them. The master bathroom has this crazy new shower that Jon equated to Augustus being sucked through the tube in Willy Wonka. Beautiful plantation shutters throughout the entire house in EVERY room - upstairs, downstairs, front of house and back of house. The bonus room upstairs is huge and has large bookshelves built-in and a floor-to-ceiling window. WOW! The great room off the kitchen has TONS of windows and nice fireplace. The formal living room and dining room are huge and have these gorgeous white columns as a 'separation' between them. The house sits on a hill and overlooks a nice cul-de-sac with other beautiful homes. The backyard has a nice brick patio and even a fountain!!! Its private with a nice fence around it! WOW - we couldn't even believe that we could afford this house - but we can unless the list price is wrong!!

We had more houses to look at but Jon and I went into the next house in another neighborhood and as soon as we pulled up, we said forget it - nothing seemed to compare to our dream home. We even went back and went in again and I whipped out the camera. I wanted to move in right then and there. It's got a top-rated school system and the neighborhood is immaculate. So, we are thinking this house is 'the one.' So, we're waiting to hear from our realtor today to get the disclosure on the house, find out how long it's been on the market, etc. Barring nothing is wrong with the house, we feel confident that we will put an offer on the house. I just keep wondering - 'what's wrong with the house?' I am praying that the answer to that is nothing.

So, stay tuned to hear how things turn out. I'll be sure post later today after I talk to our realtor and get more information. Fingers crossed......

Be sure to check out the slideshow of pics I took last night!

What a stressfull first weekend!!!!

So, Jon and I went out on Saturday afternoon with our realtor to look at houses. But, let me preface that with this - my mom and I went on Friday night to scope out some of the nieghborhoods we were going to be seeing the next day. Am I glad we did that!! We had chosen 5 - 6 houses in one neighborhood alone - we drove in on Friday night and immediately turned around. The houses were on top of each other and while the neighorhood was okay, it was not blowing me away. So, I call our realtor and told her to not even bother making appointments for those homes. Okay - well that knocked out a significant number of homes we were supposed to look at.

Then, I am thinking - maybe we need to look at houses in a little high price range - the houses we had nixed earlier in the week! So, Saturday morning comes and Jon and I are very excited. We meet our realtor at noon and get started on our house hunt! The first neighborhood we looked at had 4 houses for us to loo at. First house - heinous and smaller than we what we wanted. Next, please! The second house was nice - loved the open kitched and great room. The backyard was awesome - private and huge!! We weren't blown away but we liked it. The next few houses Jon and I didn't agree on. The kitchen in one of them was gross. Jon's response, "We'll just tear it out and re-do it." I don't think so. I praise anyone who takes on renovations for their home but that is definitely not me. Moving on....

The next neighborhood was quite eventful. First, the house I loved and thought we were going to look at ended up being about $50K more than what we thought. Moving on, again! But, low and behold, almost the same-looking house (not on two lots with a finished basement) was for sale by owner on the same street. So, we didn't have an appointment but our realtor called the number on the sign - no answer! No worries - she ran up to the front door and rang the doorbell/knocked on the door. No answer. Okay - we can just go in. So, we walk in - yell out for anyone - not a sound. We're good to go - so we think! Downstairs is really nice and I immediately ran upstairs to check out the bedrooms, etc. Jon and our realtor are still downstairs talking about who knows what. All of the bedroom doors are open so I also called out again, just to be safe. Not a sound! I see Jon and our realtor at the bottom of the stairs. I asked if the master was on the main level - the answer was no. I tell them I didn't see it upstairs and then I notice a door is closed. Bingo - master suite. I knock on the door, completely kidding, and begin to walk in. Who do I see? Some old man thrashing around in the bed hooked up to some breathing machine or something. I immediately make a face to Jon and Amanda (who thought I was kidding) and ran downstairs in record time. I didn't even close the door behind me I was so freaked out! Meanwhile, Jon is trying to continue looking in the unfinished basement. Hello??!! I just walked in on the owner and we need to get the hell out of there - pronto! We quickly grab fliers and get the hell out of there. As we got back in the car, we all kind of sat there - shocked! It was quite timely since Jon had JUST asked our realtor before we went in what her funniest/weird house hunting story was. After that, she then informs us that we've just topped the list. Of course - leave it to the Mittelbronns. As we all looked at the flier, we noticed the main headline was, 'Seller must sell quickly." Jon's reaction, "Oh, so I guess he's about to bite the dust." We all laugh and comment that we're all going to hell.

After that fiasco, we stumble upon this beautiful house. WOW - gorgeous foyer, HUGE great room with two-story windows. My dream itchen and a keeping room off of it with a beautiful stone fireplace. Upstairs, the greatness continues. The master bedroom has a freakin sitting room and the bathroom had nice new tile, garden rub, huge walk-in closet, etc. The other bedrooms were a great size as well. Then...I look at the backyard. It's nice and level but lord, it literally backs up to the neighbors and I am not even kidding. Not only that, but there was no fence. And, even if it was, it was still not private at all. And when I say that, the neighbors could probably see me making a bundt cake in the kitchen - and they would know it was a bundt cake! Catching my drift? It's still a maybe but we'll see.....

After going to a friend's last night and unwinding from a long day, Jon and I decided to look at different areas today. So, we did and looked at Duluth and Alpharetta. Yes I know - two differeny parts of town. We had tried to stay out of Fulton county due to their supposed ridiculous taxes but we said, "screw it!" Well, we found a neighborhood in Duluth that is perfect and HUGE! We found three houses for sale that we loved - however, looks can be deceiving as we found out on Saturday. However, the houses seemed bigger, had more land and were a little cheaper. Of course, that's what happens when you move a little farther out. However, the areas is very nice and there's even a lake in the neighborhood! So, we sent them to our realtor and hope to see them ASAP. There is one that we especially loved which is beautiful!! So, stay tuned and I'll post pics very soon. We think this one house could be our dream house and is priced lower than we expected - always a good thing. So, stay tuned for more posts........

Can't Wait to go house hunting....

So, Jon and I met with our new real estate agent last night. Again, thanks, Stace! She really seemed to get what we're looking for and we are going to be out and about on Saturday, checking out homes we have already tagged as "good ones." And, I made a binder that has a print out of all of the homes we like, are so-so on and those we've already said "hell no" to. Even though Jon and I have been looking on our own for awhile, I am SO excited to look at the houses we've narrowed down on Saturday. As busy as I am at work, looking for our new home seems as though it's almost consumed my life. But, who can help it?! I keep looking at photos of the interior of homes and I keep saying, "Jon - can you imagine us sitting in our new great room with our nice fenced in backyard? And, hopefully, it will be just in time for football season!"

Our agent did have to put a few things in perspective for me. A few houses that I loved and saw the inside I was thinking, "What in the hell were they thinking when they had carpet installed?" Or, "Seriously - what were they smoking with that heinous wallpaper?" Oh wait - did I say that out loud? Uh, hell yeah I did. But, I was quickly told these were all things that could be negotiated so I am going in with an open mind. Well, more to come on Saturday after we see some more houses. Stay tuned for more insight... I am sure I will have a lot to say come Saturday evening!!!

WOW....We've Learned A Lot in 24 Hours....

So, we thought we had it all figured out (well, maybe not ALL) but we were quite humbled as we talked to our mortgage broker last night. So, you know Jon and I thought we had a good price range in mind and figured out what we thought our monthly payment would be. We were feeling pretty good and we're already pulling houses in that range. No problem, right? WRONG! Gee, we didn't think to factor in not only our mortgage loan, but also interest, taxes, homeowners insurance and PMI. And, what is PMI, you ask? If you don't know, we were right there with you up until last night. Private Mortgage Insurance. Meaning, if you can't put at least 20 percent down on the cost of your home, you'll need either need to pay an additional monthly cost for PMI OR take out a piggyback loan. Seriously??? So, let's say you're looking to purchase a $300K home and if you don't have $60K to put down as a down payment, you'll be incurring this fun, new cost! So, we had to reevaluate our price range and take it down a notch, just like our mortgage broker did to us - take us down a notch! However, we're still finding very nice homes in the same area in a price range we realize we can now afford.

It's amazing the things we've learned in this process...and we just started three days ago! For instance, escrow account or no? Uh, for Jon and I, an escrow account is THE way to go but I guess it can be different for everyone. And, we decided to look at multiple mortgage lenders - why not let them battle it out for us to get us the best rate??? So, please take a look at the UPDATED houses we've included that are more up our alley. And, when I say up our alley, I mean, houses that we can afford:) Check them out and let us know what you think. We're meeting with our real estate agent tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. and we can't wait! I am sure I will have more to report tomorrow night so stay tunned!

The Search Has Officially Begun...

So, we went from casually looking for a home to actually deciding that we're ready to move forward with the purchase of our first home. So, we've contacted a mortgage broker and a real estate agent (Thanks, Stacy:) so we're ready to get it going. While we know this process can take months because no one wants to settle when making an investment like this, we're also very excited about the possibilities. Jon and I found some great homes over the weekend but it became painfully clear that I would be the one running the show. Jon and I looked at a really nice foreclosure home in Dunwoody last night and we noticed the back deck would probably need to be replaced. Jon's idea - let's replace it with a BRICK deck. Say what? Sure hon - -we'll just replace the WOODEN deck that currently exists and build a brick deck. Brick patio, maybe. This might be a longer road than I thought.


We've already got some houses that we're hoping to look at this Saturday. Stay tuned to see some pics of the homes we're hoping to check out or rule out!

About to begin the search....

So, Jon and I decided that we are ready to purchase our first home. So, as we are about to begin this journey I call 'House Hunting Hilarity,' I thought I'd share our progress with everyone. First thing is first - CREDIT SCORES! My parents always told me that your credit score could help you or break you in life. And, they were right! However, after getting updated scores for both Jon and I, I feel very confident that we will have no problem securing a mortgage loan. The big question now is - what can we ultimately afford without being 'house poor'? So, our next step is to determine how much can feasibly afford. Then, the other big question - where in the hell are these houses that we CAN afford? Uhhh, moving to South Carolina and commuting in is not an option! We'll begin the hunt this weekend. Stay tuned......