You Can't Lose What You Never Had

Our offer was the runner up. It stings a little bit to realize that we lost our first bid, but I just keep reminding myself that our house is out there, and we will end up where we are supposed to. Although it's so early in our house hunt and I truly believe this, today I am a little sad.

Here's what I keep wistfully thinking about: The light filled and totally open living/dining/kitchen combo.

The loft. (I didn't get a picture of it, but the second pic above is taken from it.) The views from the backyard. The pic doesn't do it justice. Really, it's 180 degree views. Swoon.

All the space: 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths, plus TONS of closets. Oh, and what about all those stuck-in-a-bygone era -1950's-1980's to be exact - elements that needed some serious modernizing? I stay awake at night just dreaming about the upgrades we could do, and surprisingly, so does Ryan. (Well, I don't know if he stays awake at night, but he definitely has opinions and ideas.)

But the house certainly wasn't perfect, and there were a few things I am not bummed to leave behind.

The (lack of) curb appeal, for instance.

The small yard and bathrooms.

The master bedroom that used to be the living room before the 1980 addition, and which is right off the front door. Yep, that's the master. (We'd prefer a master in the back of the house, especially with those views.)

The narrow and viewless entry (which I failed to get a pic of). And I know Ryan would LOVE a two car garage for all his projects and to use as a man cave.

The bottom line was we have a better idea of how to be competitive with REO's - move quickly and start with a serious offer - and we now have a clearer and shared sense of what we are looking for. Any lessons to impart? Any thoughts on this place?

We plan to continue to look in this area and see what pops up in the weeks/months ahead. I'll keep you posted.