House

Over the last few weeks, almost every non-working, but waking minute was occupied by thinking about a) the wedding, b) the house, and c) how to finance both.

Aside from c), I've had a lot of fun. Guy is getting somewhat tired about talking almost exclusively about those two issues, and granted, even I got quite tired of them yesterday. But it's all so exciting!!

We went back to Schererville and Dyer yesterday. After seeing several homes in a variety of shapes, sizes, price ranges, and locations, we had basically narrowed down the search to two candidates: a townhome (nice, and cheaper) or a freestanding house (very nice, but more expensive). The townhome won't be built until next Spring, so the timing is perfect for us. We are almost, almost settled on the townhome. We agonized over this decision for a long time. Yard versus money? That was basically what it came down to. In the end we decided that while the house was very nice, it was essentially overkill for us right now with 4 bedrooms and two living rooms (plus a two-car garage, a fenced yard, a big kitchen). We thought long and hard what we would do with all this space, but really couldn't figure it out. Plus, the house, while in very good shape, is 15 years old, so it can be expected that the roof & furnace will have to be replaced or at least repaired within just a few years. The townhome we will probably settle on will be brandnew!! And it really is very nice. We looked at the lots and decided on one specific one (I hope we can get it!!) that faces in a way that your neighbors can't look into your "yard" (read: towel-sized space outside your living room) or into your living room, and where we will get a decent amount of sunlight. Surprise, surprise: the building company also figured out that this was a good spot and slapped a premium on it! But it'll still be woth it, and since it sets this townhome apart from the many others, so it may bring the resale value up. Plus, we will enjoy it more.

In any case. We haven't quite decided yet, but in the meantime I'm excited! Here's the rundown.

The townhome is in Dyer (isn't this a silly name for a town...?). There are two bedrooms in the house, one nice-sized, one quite small. They and the bathroom are upstairs. The downstairs is all open: kitchen, eating corner, and living room. There is a one-car garage and a driveway, and the famous towel-sized "yard". It's quite small, but it will definitely be big enough for us for the next few years. And we will not be drowning in the mortgage. Like I said, everything is brandnew, and we'll be able to select the carpet, floor, etc. We will have an extra bedroom for guests and/or as an office. We will have a corner unit, meaning that we'll have windows facing three sides. I'm excited!! I want you guys to come visit if we move there!