Alrighty then. Monday we got the confirmation from our realtor, the house is ours provided nothing goes wrong before settlement.

So. The house. First thing, friends who come to visit won't need to learn any new directions - they'll actually park in the same spots as before! Really. We're moving across the street, the end unit on the opposite row of townhomes. We're still in the cooperative, with all of the costs and protections associated with that.

The new house is about 40% bigger than our current unit, and has a full attic for storage. It's made of brick instead of wood. It's three bedrooms, with one tiny room perfect for Artemis' crib and maybe a small chest. The second bedroom can then be a computer/baby time/guest room. Downstairs we'll have a larger living room, a separate dining room, and more closet space.

There is also a 1/4 bath downstairs - that's not a typo - there is no sink in the bathroom!!! Obviously that will need to be remodeled (I've already scouted some European micro-sinks), as using the kitchen sink is simply not acceptable. The kitchen, while functional, is also in need of reorganization. New flooring throughout would be a good improvement - pink carpet doesn't really do it for me.

One of the great features of the house is the huge yard. Considering that I live about 12 miles from the US Capitol and the house price is about $155,000, a lot size of approximately 20,000 square feet (about .5 acres) is pretty incredible. Of course there is a down side - I'll need to fence the entire property! Oh well, I can use some honest work. At least I don't have to undo much.

So, we're very excited. We probably won't close until a few days before Christmas, so we'll probably do most of our moving in 2004 (I need a week for so to do the renovations). We'll actually own two homes for a while, as we'll wait until we move to prepare our current house and sell it in the Spring, when it will show well. With increasing home values, I don't mind being exposed to the real estate market for a while - we'll probably end up even on the additional costs versus the increasing sale price. Until we close the finances will be quite tight (it is not easy to own two houses at once) - we'll be doing a lot of our holiday shopping over those few days between closing and Christmas!