contingent upon

it has been a very busy week around here, but not for the normal reasons.  we were given a unique opportunity last weekend when we met with our builder.  we met with them to discuss some of the areas we liked and some of the lots they had found that might fit our needs.  since we are in a lease until the end of the year we were discussing the possibility of them renting our built house back to use as a model until we were ready to move in (something we would be interested in doing).  and then they mentioned the parade of homes.  the family that was going to build the home for the "parade of homes" backed out (it was their second time to build with this builder, but with two kids in college and the recent market behavior they got a little nervous about a new house right now).  if we would be interested in being the parade house we could be, but we need to decide by the end of the month!  the urgency is so that the house can be complete in time

for the parade in july or august.

so matt and i got online.  we had driven the neighborhood for the parade a few weeks earlier by chance and liked it.  it is the only neighborhood we have found with sidewalks.  and it has a community pool, kiddie pool, playground, and county (i think) walking/biking trail access.  the only reason we had written it off was because the lots were smaller than what we were thinking.  we have been looking at 1-2+ acre lots and the ones in this neighborhood were about 1/3 an acre.  we also hadn't done a lot of research on that particular part of town so we had to look into the school system, commute time, etc.  we also needed to decide on floor plan customizations, finishes, and features as soon as possible.  and they sent us the list of incentives from vendors because it was going to be a parade of homes house (which is one of the reasons this is an appealing opportunity).

friday night we met the builder at the lot to discuss it and our 'wish list' for the house.  they also gave us a quick driving tour of the area.  they aren't trying to rush us but they needed to know if we might be in by monday when the builders association meets to discuss the parade. 

matt and i went back today to try and get another look at the neighborhood and drive around a little bit.  and after much discussion and planning, we called to let them know that we are "in".  everything is contingent upon accepting a quote on the house and, of course, our financing.  so we have an out if everything comes back too expensive in the next week or so.  i am trying not to get too excited because we don't know exactly what it will cost yet, but we think that this could be pretty great for our family.

here is matt and the builder standing in the lot.  it is on a corner and around .44 of an acre.  the walking/biking trail passes behind and up the one side of the lot.  there is a retention pond behind the lot on the other side of the trail.  these pictures sort of show the whole lot if you put them together.

i had to feed maddux, so matt took madelyn and mason to check out the playground.  i took pictures of them and the closed up pool and clubhouse.

it was crazy windy and cold yesterday and today though!  the kids waited in the car last night, but we thought that we would walk around today since it was nice and sunny.  um, no.  it was so, so cold!  we walked around a little but had to pack it in earlier than we planned because the wind was just brutal.

daddy and mason checking out the lot.

here are some more views of the lot from behind it and behind the retention pond.

while this isn't the type of lot we had in mind, we are really excited about the opportunity this is for our family.  the nice thing is that if this falls through, it isn't a huge deal because we aren't committed to this part of town more than any other.  although it is really nice.

we are trying to make the process a family affair and everybody was sitting at the table tonight talking through the floor plan.  madelyn wanted to know where her room was and where everybody else would be in the house and how to get there.  it was cute and fun to dream a little together.

we are going back tomorrow to start trying churches in the area and then going back to the lot to see it with the plans we picked up this afternoon of our floor plan in the space.  we are going to have to make some decisions about how to place it on the lot soon.  we just have a lot to do in the next few weeks to make this happen.  and lots of meetings.  say a prayer for our family as we work to make this important decision.  love.