Still waiting on the approval. Amazing I have been waiting for 2.5 months, 74 days!! I am hoping to get an answer the week after thanksgiving (since I dont expect it to come before the holidays). Cannot wait to move though! I started packing a few days ago so hopefully the bank gives me the go ahead.

Stay tuned.

The long short-sale wait

I'm buying a house!!

Thanks to the horrific housing market and Obama's wonderful stimulus package, that is set to be extended until April 2010, I am going to become a first time home buyer!

I signed my contract 50 days ago on September 9th, it was accepted September 10th by the seller, and was just moved to the escalation department in the last seven days. I am waiting for the acceptance from the bank which I hope to get within the next week.

Luckily, the pressure of the timeline is somewhat off due to the recent announcement of the extension of the tax credit package. So although I am so excited and ready to move as of last week/month, I am ready to wait it out.

The deal that I am getting is great! The offer on the house is a 40% reduction in price from what is was purchased for in 2005. And I have fallen in love with the house. It is so charming and perfect. It is just the style of house that I have always loved.

The house was built in 1905 and is a brick bungalow. It has hardwood floors in the majority of the living spaces (except for the kitchen and bathroom and basement). The basement has a 'bedroom' that is finished but the rest of the basement is unfinished.

There is a cute built in front porch and a fireplace in the living room. The bathroom needs some updating but nothing my mom and my ingenuity cannot fix. AND I am going to ask my old ceramics/jewelry teacher from high school to make me a vessel sink out of clay for the bathroom. I will built a new vanity to go with it, but won't that be a nice touch. Hopefully my mom will make me something fantastic as well- either a painting or a sculpture or something nice.

I'm going to update the kitchen by adding glass to some of the cabinet fronts and a pretty book shelf for cookbooks and a wine rack. Also, will be adding crowning to the tops of the cabinets to make all of the cabinets look like furniture. Also will be adding new door pulls (because there aren't any) and changing the back splash.

Anyways, cannot wait to move and am looking forward to keeping a record of my houses transformation as the days/weeks/months/and years go by.

Yay!! Keep your fingers crossed for me.