Thursday, August 21, 2008

Better homes and gardens

After being guardedly optimistic I am now pretty excited because it looks like we've got ourselves a new Monkey Central on our hands.

We saw a house on Sunday and we both liked it very much. So we went back and looked at it again yesterday for about an hour and a half. Then we decided that the price, the house, and the neighborhood was right so we decided to make the owners an offer.

We had been holding off making offers until we found out if the people buying our place had a buyer for their place and we found out this Monday that they did, so we decided to jump in and start negotiating on houses we liked. And we liked the house we saw on Sunday and saw again yesterday. Sure, it's not perfect and we'll have to do some remodeling to get it the way we want it but the potential on this place is huge. It's in a solid neighborhood and it's a sturdy house that was built in the late '60's and it has a modern retro feel to it.
The dining room.

We knew the owners were motivated to sell so we offered a bit less than they were asking, but we didn't low ball them. They made a counter offer that was slightly higher than our offer and yet still below their original asking price and we accepted their counter offer. We have not officially closed yet and we still have to get a home inspection done but if it passes inspection and there are no termites, then it looks like we'll be moving soon.
A view of the sun porch that's off the dining room.

Sparky is super excited about the new to us place. She's been dreaming of getting a real house almost since the day we moved into this condo. I'm excited as well because I can put in a garden in the backyard and the lawn upkeep doesn't look like it's going to be too much of a problem.

There's a ton of stuff to do to, packing, hiring a moving company, filling out paper work, switching the cable, the electricity, etc, so we'll be pretty busy for the next few weeks. If everything goes smoothly maybe we can be in the new to us house by the end of September. Keep those finger, toes, and prehensile tails crossed for us as we navigate this process.

31 comments:

Bradda said...

Good luck on the inspection. That room with all the windows looks like an amazing blogging area!

Sparkleneely said...

Congratulations! I love the built in shelves!

Can't wait to see the progress...

Fran said...

Whoooooo hoooo, goood luck, hope all goes well. This place looks just lovely Monkey.

Dr. Zaius said...

Good luck in your new home!

(Don't worry about the termites. They don't eat much.)

Dr Zibbs said...

Those two doors that are touching would make the perfect re-enactment of the opening scene on Laverne and Shirley where they bump the closet and the front doors then look at one another. You know, before the scene where they're waving to the bottle.

Sherry Pasquarello said...

i love the doors!!!!!

Mnmom said...

That is beautiful!!! I'm loving the porch room. Dr Zibbs is right, and he seems to have a mind for minutae like me. I recommend having a real home construction guy do an inspection before the closing - you don't want any big surprises!! Hire my hubby and we can write off the visit! But seriously, you should consider it. After watching my guy in action, you'd be surprised at what he sees that others don't.

Angry Ballerina said...

Holy Christ, that sun room is fucking stunning. Congrats you lucky monkey you!

dguzman said...

It's beautiful! When do we move in?

Splotchy said...

Looks great. I hope everything goes well.

Missy said...

Exciting! I will be sending good karma your way! Oh that porch!

Ubermilf said...

I love those French doors.

And all the light.

Good luck, and may your move-in be smooth and uneventful. Ditto your mortgage/signing process.

Wandering Coyote said...

Oh, how excellent! I love the floors and the sun porch!

Anonymous said...

Will there be room for the Spawn?

Seriously - it looks gorgeous.

Jess Wundrun said...

Where's the outhouse?

(Did Tennessee get indoor plummin' yet?)

Anonymous said...

I love the sun porch. Can I move in there? I don't make much noise and I'm very clean. Congratulations on what looks like an amazing find.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

Jess- Yes we did get indoor plumbing. We had to get it because people from Wisconson kept coming down here and shitting in our living rooms. It seems they were too dumb to go outside to the privy.

Ubermilf said...

Wait wait wait...

back up to DCup.

There's SPAWN? Dr. Monkey/Sparky spawn??!!

When?

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

No Ubie, you misunderstand, she meant is there room for her qnd Mathman's spawn at our new to us house. Sparky and I took an oath not to reproduce and we've kept it.

mwb said...

Keeping my fingers crossed. And it does look like such a nice place!

Spirula said...

Fancy, shmancy hardwood floors and artsy, fartsy French doors! Only a Lieberal would buy such a thing!

(Oops, at one time I owned one in Tennessee too.)

Really, that's a great find. That sun room would be my "only room".

Reminds me of a job (I did remodeling at the time) where one couple on Lookout Mountain asked me for a painting estimate. The room: CHERRY paneling! They didn't like the color. I offered to remove the paneling, repair and paint the walls in exchange for payment. Offer refused, so I declined the job. That's just indecent. Lesson: if you own an older home which may have hardwood paneling, check it out. You could have a treasure you didn't dream of.

Anyway, heading out to put the pontoons on the car.

This storm is so Fay.

Tengrain said...

two words: House Warming.

Regards,

Tengrain

(expecting his invite any moment now)

Dale said...

That sun porch looks awesome, is that where the monkey bars are going? I hope it all works out!!

Bridget Jones said...

French doors, wood floors and a sun room!? Congrats Dr. M, when can I move in?

Elizabeth said...

Crossing everything in hopes that this new Monkey house will soon be yours. :D

Claire said...

I love the house from what I can see in the pictures. Congratulations and fingers are crossed!

Suzy said...

What they all said, and more. (Except for Jess. I apologize on behalf of all of the fine upstanding citizens of Wisconsin.)

That porch is enough to make me want to buy the place.

Good luck, my friend.

Ed said...

Looks awesome! I hope everything goes smoothly.

Anonymous said...

I am so fucking jealous.

GETkristiLOVE said...

PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR-TAY!

Let's monkey down!

K.Line said...

What a gorgeous place. Congrats! K