Brain Fry

We spent the entire day in Hendersonville yesterday and now my brain is completely fried--which is why I'm blogging at 4:00 in the morning. We started at The Mortgage Dude's office (his other nickname is "The Money Guy") who told us that we'll actually be able to afford the houses we've been looking at. Good to know.

Then we went to my new school to get some paperwork, see my classroom, and give the boys a tour. My classroom is RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from one of the houses we looked at. How cool would that be? We could walk to school! Think what I'd save on gas! But, alas, the house is tiny. Adorable, but tiny. Tiny rooms, tiny closets, no dining room, no basement, no family room (just the living room), no foyer, BUT it's all updated and has hardwood floors throughout. We'd have to add a master suite and family room right away. But the good news is, it sits on a huge lot so we'd have the space to add on.

We looked at so many houses that Dan was losing track of what we'd seen. One house was absolutely perfect...except for the SWAMP in the backyard! They're getting the drain-off from the new subdivision built behind them, resulting in the Okefenokee going on behind their house. Not cool.

There's another house close to school which I like, but Dan and our realtor don't love. Every single room would have to be redecorated, but that's just cosmetic. It's a big house in a quiet neighborhood near school. But, boy, is it ugly right now. A diamond in the rough, you might say. At least that's how I see it. Dan? Not so much.

Our favorite house is in a newer subdivison with a pool and clubhouse. The house is completely perfect--in our price range, very large, only two years old, four bedrooms, all the colors match our decor, extras like upgraded light fixtures and crown molding and granite countertops, walk-in closets in every bedroom, everything beautiful, master bedroom downstairs (with Dan's favorite--the garden tub), amazing kids' rooms with a HUGE family room upstairs, a hardwood-floored office/music room, and it has outlets for phone/cable/computer (with Smart Connection--whatever that is) all over the place.

The catch (because you KNEW there would be one): the yard is very small. The houses are built very close together with short driveways on the front of the house. No parking. No trees. No shade. You better hope you get along with the neighbors because they will be CLOSE. The itty bitty back yard has a vinyl picket fence (one that Dan won't have to paint--YAY!!) BUT, there's a gate at the back which leads to a HUMONGOUS common area in the center of the community. All the houses on the circle back up to it and there's a big playground in the middle. We could walk to the pool--we can see it from our yard. And the area is zoned for my school so even if the unthinkable happens and my contract is not renewed after this upcoming school year, the boys wouldn't have to change schools again. But, ugh, the yard is small.

We really appreciated our yard when we got back home. I love the house we're in now. I wish we could pick it up and move it with us. And we'd scoop up Grace's family and make them come too.

I hate making decisions.

My house has officially been on the market (and on the computer) for two days and we haven't had any calls yet. What's wrong with these people? Don't they know how rare it is to have some actual LAND in a nice neighborhood. Somebody needs to snatch this place up fast. Sigh. I love this house. But I want it to sell and I want it to sell NOW.

Because that drive to H'Vegas? Killer.