Home Sweet Home

Since I found out I was relocating, I've been looking for housing in the region. For a while I looked at various overpriced apartments, but to get all the amenities I wanted, the price was just too steep to justify not building any equity. Then I considered duplex rental and actually found a couple of places that might work. However one was owned by landlords who lived downstairs whose lifestyle (and subsequent spirit) I did not want to deal with on a daily basis. The other was in a less desirable neighborhood, even though the space itself was very nice.

There was one neighborhood I really liked with several homes for sale. However they all were sold before I knew for sure that I was staying. This particular neighborhood has many starter homes, yet it is surrounded by three parks. One of the parks has hiking trails up into the bluffs 600 feet above the city with beautiful overlooks of the Mississippi valley (and sunsets). Another park is the trailhead for a bike trail system stretching almost 100 miles in several directions. From this park I can ride my bike to downtown about 3 miles away for the free concerts at riverside park (and to the homemade ice cream store) and back without ever crossing a street. The last park is home to the zoo (with free admission) and lots of open green space with picnic facilities.

This neighborhood is also centrally located very close to my work (about 3 miles) and close to the major retail center (3 miles in the other direction). The university and athletic fields are only a few blocks away. Yet the neighborhood itself is very quiet with minimal traffic flow through it. For all these reasons, I was really hoping to find a home or rental in this neighborhood.

One day as I was feeling somewhat discouraged about my housing options, I came across a home in my preferred neighborhood that I had not noticed before with a "for sale by owner" sign out front. I called the seller and found out that the home was priced well within my price range. After a couple of visits and a home inspection, I made an offer below the asking price and the offer was accepted (no counter offer!). A photo of the home is seen below.

I plan to close on the home on July 14, and I'll be moving in shortly thereafter. I'm feeling really blessed with this house as my mortgage payments (escrow account included) will be less than all of the other rental options I had been considering. The place comes with 2 bedrooms, 1 remodeled bath, an amazingly open floor plan for its age, a full basement, a beautiful gas fireplace, a refinished kitchen, and a nice sized deck from which I can see the bluffs rise up in the near distance. Washer and dryer and all appliances were included.

Give me a couple of months and I'll be ready for visitors come autumn and the (in)famous Oktoberfest.