We found a HOUSE!

I don't want to jinx the deal yet, because nothings final yet, but yes, it's true, we've found a house we want to buy!

Right now, we're under contract with the sellers, and we've already gotten our loan, the title from the title company, we've had the home inspected and the bank just did their appraisal, so we're moving along in the right direction and maybe soon, hopefully soon, we'll close and the house will be ours! (The settlement deadline is in 2 weeks).

We're excited about our decision, we're also just a bit nervous too (we're first time home buyers).

We found the house just over 2 weeks ago. We found it just after we started 2ND guessing our decision to buy this brand new house we found out in Lehi. It was pretty awesome- big, all the upgrades (travertine, knotty alder cabinets, brushed nickel fixtures, wood flooring, jetted tub, master walk in closet, and 4 big bedrooms) but since it was new, it still needed landscaping done, such as sprinklers, top soil, grass and a fence. It wasn't in a bad location of Lehi; it was actually pretty close to the freeway and the Hidden Meadows Shopping Center, but still, it was in Lehi, and well, the schools out there aren't that fab.- they're way overcrowded, and it will take YEARS before the city builds enough schools to solve the problem. I know it sounds ridiculous that we were worried about the schools, but seriously, it's a big deal- good schools add a lot of value to your home, and although none of my boys are in school yet, I hope that once they are, they receive a good education and get the attention they need.

Anyhow, we decided to start house hunting again, before anything was finalized on the house out in Lehi, so we looked at houses out in Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain. We heard that there were some AMAZING deals and steals out in those areas, and while it's true- there really are some great homes in those towns, we quickly agreed that the commute is just too far! We didn't even drive through Eagle Mountain; we got to The Ranches, looked at a few homes and immediately decided we were too far from EVERYTHING!

So with that, we started looking again at homes for sale in Orem. A lot of the homes in Orem are older, so I was certain I wasn't going to find a house I liked, but I was wrong. We found ONE! It's not my dream home- (I may have to wait 10 or 20 years before finding and being able to afford my dream home... I don't think my dream home's in Utah), but the house has 5 bedrooms, 2800 sq. ft., between 1/4 and 1/3 of an acre (HINT: this means if Spencer ever wants to surprise me and build me a pool in the backyard he totally could), a lawn, trees (fruit trees actually: apple, apricot, and walnut), it's in a FANTASTIC location, and the elementary school, junior high and high school my children would attend are FABULOUS schools (Scera Elementary, Lakeridge Junior, & Orem High... not too mention there's also a great private school just around the corner from the house, Noah Webster; it teaches French and Spanish in it's curriculum to grade school students). The house is only a couple blocks from State Street, about 8 blocks east from Spencer's parents house, just down the street from the Scera Park, Scera Elementary and the Scera Outdoor Pools and theater. Costco and University Mall and the new movie theaters are only a couple of blocks away- the location really couldn't be better!

It's an older brick home- it was built in 1967- but it's pretty solid. There's a few things on the house we'll need to fix, (our first project will be knocking down the patio cover and wood shed out in the back yard), but for the most part the place is in really good condition. It's been remodeled- it even actually has AC which is a real perk considering most of the homes in Orem, until recently, only have swamp coolers. It doesn't have a garage (bummer) it just has a car port, but Spencer and I have decided that we can live without a garage for at least the first year before building one.

We're pretty excited about the place- it will be nice to FINALLY have a place of our own. We understand the ward and our neighbors are super friendly and extremely helpful (the house is on a cul-de-sac so it's pretty kid safe too).

What's actually funny, is the house is only two streets away from where my friend/mission companion Lacy and her husband own a house! We could had been neighbors, if she didn't move just recently to TEXAS!

We'll be sure to let everyone know if and when the "deals sealed" and when our big move is...