The Only Way Forward...

To get over our loss, we have to keep looking. Tonight after work we looked at three homes in two neighboring neighborhoods with our agent. We aren't very familiar with either of those neighborhoods so before we decide to bid we're going to have to hang out in that area a bit more. But I think one, if not two, of the homes have possibility.

We quickly eliminated the third home. It was cheaper than the other two, but it was quickly apparent why. The street wasn't quite as nice and although the kitchen had been updated, the rest of the house was kind of a mess. There was a big carpeted area under the eaves off the master suite....that we have absolutely no idea what you would do with. I'm 5'5", and I could only stand at the steepest part of the eaves. Mr. EBB is 6' and he just stood at the doorway and laughed. The backyard....our agent estimated it would take about $40k to make it workable. The most overgrown lemon tree I've ever seen, an abandoned garage with broken out windows and a falling-off roof, and a broken-up concrete yard. No thanks. Oh, and it's a short sale. We ran.

I loved the first home. It really was the fairytale house it was advertised as. There was a trellised walkway leading to the front door--you almost expected fairies and elves to greet you. It had a little balcony off the masterbedroom that was adorable. And the neighborhood was outstanding--the elementary school was decent enough that we even would have considered sending an eventual EB-Baby to public school--almost unheard of in Oakland. But. It was tiny. Only one bathroom, the master bedroom was small, there wasn't much closet space, and the family room was odd. Just--small. Plus, we later found out it was also going to be a short sale. The people who bought it paid waaaaaaaaaaay too much for it in 2006 (the listing price is almost $100k less than they paid for it) so it's no wonder they're having trouble with the loan/interest rate.

The second home may be Mr. EBB's favorite so far. It was also the biggest house we've seen in our price range--more than 1900 square feet. I liked all the space, and it had great built-ins in the dining room and living room. The main bathroom needs updating, and the kitchen is semi-updated but still could use some work (seriously, sellers--slapping on a granite countertop does not mean you suddenly have a "gourmet kitchen"). The family room was awesome--it was huge and in great shape (the back half of the home is a 1990s addition, giving the home a "newer" feeling than what we're used to in the 1900-1930s homes we've been seeing). It's been on the market for awhile and our agent thinks we can get it for $20-25k below the asking price, which would be about as high as we're willing to go.

We're going to get some info on the house tomorrow....cross your fingers for a low pest report!