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House!
mood: 
happy
happyOK, we have not closed on this house yet, but we are making good progress in that direction. The house is located in Natick, MA. Natick is a suburb of Boston, so yes I'm moving to the 'burbs. Natick is about 15-20 miles west of downtown Boston and about a 30-minute drive from where we live now (because Boston-area traffic and roads are nuts). The house is a single-family "antique colonial" though I think it is in the style of the Craftsman homes (aka Arts and Crafts movement). It is not a bungalow like many homes of that style, but much of the inside and even a bit of the exterior reminds me of that style. Plus, I saw a very similar house around the corner from this house which officially advertised itself as an Arts and Crafts home. To me, the house looks like a stucco cottage. with a farmer's porch in the front. It looks very cute and quaint.
The house is a bit larger than where we live now - about 1655 sq.ft - and has a few extra rooms. Perhaps most importantly, it has 1.5 bathrooms. This means we will have TWO toilets now. Besides the extra bathroom, the house has 4 bedrooms, so we have one extra room with a closet and a door. For common spaces, we will have a living room, dining room, and a small family room. Major plus to the family room - a working fireplace! The kitchen has enough room for a small table, and there is a "mudroom" in the back (really more of a mudspace). The backyard is much larger than our current yard and comes with a play set (swings and a see-saw). There is a deck attached to the house too.
Even more important than the architecture or the layout of the house is the neighborhood. We knew before we saw any houses in this neighborhood that we wanted to live in this neighborhood or at least one like it. There were kids from different houses playing together. They played in the street and made sure everyone got out of the street when they saw our car. Apparently, the families walk their kids to the elementary school together, and some of the commuting parents walk to the train together. We looked at several houses in the neighborhood, some closer to the school and downtown than others. We went inside at least two houses. As we became familiar with the streets and houses, we also met some of the neighbors. Everyone was very friendly - not just the sellers, but everyone else was nice too. It's a real neighborhood. People seem to watch out for each other and actually talk with each other. It's really refreshing.
We had the home inspection this morning, and the inspector didn't find anything too bad. Basically, nothing needs to be done before we move in even though there are a few things which should be done either by the sellers or us (if they take a bit more off the price). A few supports in the basement need to be replaced, and a fan needs to be installed in the first floor bathroom. Compared to replacing a roof, major plumbing and electrical work, that's hardly anything!
Assuming everything continues to go well, we should be able to move in by the middle to end of July.
So if you know anyone who is interested in renting a 2 bedroom apartment in Watertown, drop me an e-mail! :)