Next step. . .

Mike and I are looking into possibly buying a house now.  We NEED a bigger place, we are in a tiny (emphasis on tiny) two bedroom basement apartment and we are cramped.  Mike's office is now in the living room, making it much smaller, and with Mason's toys all over the place, things aren't fun.  Our bathroom is so small, I can't imagine how we'll fit a little potty in it when we try to potty train Mason, and his bedroom is basically a large closet.  The only nice thing is the kitchen is pretty large, and the rent is dirt cheap.  Oh, and I LOVE having my washer and dryer so easily accessible, having it downstairs is no fun, especially when I am pregnant.

Anyway, we've been talking about buying a house after Aiden is born for months, and now that he is born, we are looking into it more seriously.  And what appears to be the perfect house has fallen right in our laps.

My in-laws had a neighbor die in April, and his daughter is trying to get the house ready to sell.  It is about 50 years old with newer A/C, furnace, etc, and is in decent shape, but the interior desperately needs some paint and the hardwood floors need refinished.  Because of that, she is willing to sell it pretty cheaply- $35,000.  All the work that we can see that needs done is work that we can do by ourselves or with the help of family and friends.  We just need to get the house inspected to make sure that it is FHA worthy, since we have been pre-approved for a FHA loan.  And figure out how much insurance and utilities will amount too. But unless those cost A LOT more than I think they will, we will be paying less per month than we are now, and will have much more space.  It's three bedrooms, one and a half baths, with an unfinished basement.  Which means plenty of storage space AND room for growth.  And it has a fenced in back yard (oh for a place for Mason to run around!) a one-car garage, and a covered carport with a gate.  We are really excited about the possibilities here, and are hoping it works out.  I want to be in it by the end of the year if possible, although it needs a lot of painting and we would want to do all that first.  But it's possible!