a blog is born

Alright, down to business. The story so far is that... I want a house. Riiiight, who doesn't? Of course, being a single mom with an average-but-not-amazing income, I assumed that was a ways off. But seeing all those around me with great homes and fun backyards with fences and deck furniture, I got the bug. I kept imagining myself and my kiddo getting to do that, too. What would he do with an entire yard to play in? The apartment, however nice, just wasn't cutting it anymore.

To get the ball rolling I met with a mortgage loan planner and we assessed the damage. Come to find out, that single family home isn't quite as far off as I'd thought. Sure, there were the standard dings on my credit report (credit cards from my college days, way before this credit score racket began, etc.) but with the grace of the Federal Housing Administration’s loan program, I qualified for the opportunity I needed to get myself into a home. Really?

And so the search began. I did give it a fair shot. I’m still not ruling out the purchase of a move-in ready home. At least not until next week when I sign the intent-to-build agreement with Hearthstone Homes.

After combing my desired area (school district and related items being my number one deciding factor), there were some options, but nothing FANtastic. In fact, everything I was looking at buying… was something that I could build brand-new myself for the same cost (or less!). Thus my query into the logistics of building to my own specifications.

And that’s where I am now. Looking at community with an awesome lot at a 2-story house (TWO stories!). All the houses I could afford to BUY in my price range were split entries. Don’t get me wrong, they have their perks, and can be a great layout in the right time and place for a particular family. But it’s been my dream to have a 2-story. When I started my search it just seemed so out of the question that I can hardly believe it’s now an option.

Skip ahead to my currently-final decision. It could easily change, because I have awhile to lock in my choices. But here’s what we’re looking at, folks:

Now, I grant you, the fanciest exterior this is not. But just imagine it in my Sagebrook green with black shutters and pearl trim. Here, I'll help you (with a little assistance from Photoshop):

Cuter?? MUCH. Notice the adorable lantern exterior light fixtures. Love them. Here's a close-up. I could go on. There are many, many details that I obsess over daily. But I'll save those for another day.

Good night!