Never a Bad Time to Wear Your Costume

Needless to say from the photos, the twins have gotten their Halloween costumes. Of course, there really is no bad time or place to wear them if you are three years old. A couple of days ago, it was in the yard (for one of them). Yesterday, they both wore them -- the one not seen here is a panda outfit -- to story hour at the library. Apparently, the twins were a big hit with the other kids in attendance who failed to seize the opportunity to show their Halloween spirit on a random Wednesday morning.

More Pics of the House

Here are some shots that actually show the inside of the house. The interesting part for me is that the previous owners actually *raised* the whole house to make the basement an actual useful and comfortable space.

A lot of the houses we looked at had nice main floors, but then a "finished" basement that they counted as living space. The problem was the ceilings were often low, or there were sections with cement floors, or there were only a few small windows -- or all three. In other words, it's not the kind of place you would actually want to spend time unless you had nocturnal tendencies. Plus, having children run free around exposed wires or heating ducts might be a little dicey.

So, while the square footage of this house is relatively low, it feels big to us because every inch of the house is useable and has a purpose after the renovation that the previous owners did around 2006. (Plus, after living in dorms, apartments, and condos for much of the past 20 years, anything might seem spacious to me.)

Brief layout description:

Main floor: open area that includes kitchen, two bedrooms, full bathroom. The kids will start out sharing one bedroom (which they do now here), and the other bedroom will be a playroom. When they are ready to separate, we'll split the kids and toys up into the two bedrooms.

Ground floor (my term to act like it is not basement living): master bedroom with bathroom, family room, office, another 1/2 bath, and then laundry area.

The House-Buying Process

So far, so good with the whole house business. The inspection happened and there were just a few minor issues that were found. The sellers agreed to address (that is, pay for) the small things we did want taken care of. The closing is set for October 20th, barring any surprises between now and then.

Just a few words for those of you who haven't bought property since the Great Housing Slide of the past couple of years. Basically, be prepared to fork over lots and lots of documentation. This house is the third piece of property I've bought (actually, this is the first one that includes dirt and ground as opposed to a room or two in a condo building). Anyhow, when I bought my first condo in 2001 or so, I think I had to provide a social security number and a pulse and I was approved for a mortgage payment I could never afford. OK, the first part of that sentence isn't true, but the last part absolutely is. (And, no I did not take the mortgage company on its generous offer to bankrupt myself or else I wouldn't be buying something right now.) Essentially the same story in 2005 when I bought the second condo.

This time around? Well, let's just say I've had to justify "unusual" deposits in my account -- that is, a couple of relatively modest amounts that didn't come from my employer. Not only did I have to write a letter, I had to provide back-up documentation when I explained the source. Of course, it has taken the banking industry millions of foreclosures and short sales to realize that giving out mortgages like candy might not actually work in the long run.