Househunters!

Over the weekend, we went on our second official tour of houses with our agent, Liz. Two weekends ago, she lined up about six houses for us to preview, but we didn’t like any of them enough to submit an offer. Plus, they were not in the preferred location that we had in mind. So, this weekend, we went out again to see what was available.

After Liz picked us up, we toured four of the houses that she had for us (the other two were tenant occupied, therefore we could only drive by them). First, we looked at a house that had just come onto the market the previous day. It was a 4 bed, 2 ½ bath, with about 1900 square feet and surprisingly, was a traditional listing (not a bank owned or short sale). When we pulled up to the house, we were pleased with the curb appeal of the house, with its well manicured lawn and nicely painted exterior. But more impressive was the beautiful green park right across the street! Once inside, I immediately noticed the high ceilings of the formal living and dining room. We also noticed the huge 3-car tandem garage (oh the storage possibilities!). Then we walked into the clean, white kitchen with its brand new stainless steel appliances. A sliding glass door welcomed us out to the lovely backyard, complete with pool, fresh grass, a small basketball court, and generous side access. We then found our way upstairs, there was a master suite and three smaller bedrooms, all of which were nicely sized and had new carpeting. Eric and I decided that we really liked the house and took a few pictures of the place (so we wouldn’t forget later on) before we left.

Next up was a small 3 bed, 2 bath single story bank owned house in my preferred neighborhood of Deer Ridge. But, the house was tiny, with very small bedrooms and an even smaller overgrown yard of concrete. It was located on a court, but the highway was located just beyond that, and the road noise was less than pleasant. I won’t bother to elaborate, since this house failed to impress us, so we quickly decided that it wasn’t the one for us and went about our way.

The third house was my top pick (prior to seeing any of the homes in person), also located in the Deer Ridge neighborhood. The house was huge- over 2200 square feet with 4 beds and 3 full baths. It was bank owned, and showed- by the looks of the worn, stained carpeting and scrapes on the walls. Aside from the cosmetic repairs it obviously needed, we noticed that the house itself had a very nice layout with a generous family room. Most of the flooring downstairs was real hardwood and there were various custom built-in units. There was a guest suite downstairs while the master suite and two additional jack-and-jill bedrooms were upstairs. After touring the inside of the home, we made our way outside, where there was some grass, a covered cement patio, and a brick retaining wall with plants that stretched across the back of the yard. Once again, we agreed that we liked the home enough to submit an offer- but I felt more strongly about it than Eric (he was still hung up on the basketball court of the first house we toured).

Lastly, we briefly walked through another bank owned home that was in a decent location- this one had 3 beds, 3 baths, and an upstairs loft. The initial impression of the home was not terribly appealing, as other homes nearby were not maintained as well as the other neighborhoods we toured. The home itself needed quite a bit of work, since the walls, fixtures, floors, and many of the windows all needed replacing. We liked the floor plan, but the yard was tiny and came complete with an old spa and play set. Eric seemed to like the house (mostly for the low price), but I just wasn’t feeling it. So we passed on this one.

Over the rest of the weekend, Eric and I discussed the homes, reviewed the pictures we took, and revisited our budget. After some consideration, I quickly realized how much I liked the first home we toured- the home with the park view, 3-car tandem garage, and the basketball court. Eric agreed. That home became our first choice and we submitted a strong offer this morning (our agent tells us that they expect multiple offers, as most Brentwood homes sell for well over their original asking price, especially the good ones like this). We also agreed that the big bank owned home in Deer Ridge was in a fantastic location, so we decided to submit an offer on that one as well.

Now we wait!! We’re a little anxious, as you might have guessed. It’s hard to walk through homes that you can see yourself living in but at the same time, know that other interested families are probably thinking the exact same thing!

We have our fingers crossed that our offer on our first choice house is accepted!

One Week Down...

We’ve been shacked up at Mom’s house for about a week now. I had high hopes that all the animals in the house would get along- Eric’s mom’s dog Abbie (a lab/boxer/pitt mix), Britty’s new kitten Dodger (a 3 month old ragdoll), and our two ragdolls, Blake and Penny. At first, Blake was more than friendly with everyone in the house (he loves everyone and everything), at least until Abbie tried to nip and bark at him. That scared him enough to steer clear of the dog for a while. Penny, who has always been more reserved and timid than Blake, preferred to hide in the guest room most of the time and hissed at the kitten whenever it came near her.

But, after about a week, it seems all the animals are starting to adjust. We initially corralled our kids in the guest suite, and then gradually introduced them to the downstairs, and now they seem to roam freely. Our kids still don’t like the dog (she’s noisy and always wants to play), but they are starting to get along great with Dodger. I even caught Penny giving him a bath the other day! And we’ve noticed that Dodger constantly follows Blake around like he’s a little shadow looking up to his big cousin. Too cute.

Aside from the animals, Eric and I are good. We commute to and from work together, which has been working our really well and saving us gas money! We really are so grateful that Eric’s mom and Patrick offered for us to stay with them until we find a house! And it’s been really nice to spend some quality time with family while we’re here. But, I’m definitely starting to miss my own space. Already. I miss my big bathroom and all of my baking supplies. I miss being able to roam the house in my pajamas without thinking twice about it. I miss lounging on my big cushy couch like a bum and watching television with Eric. I miss our big bed.

But, soon enough (we hope) we’ll have a whole new place to call our own!

Farewell Walnut Towne

I’m really sad to be leaving a place that I’ve learned to appreciate so much! We move out of our condo in less than two weeks and I’m starting to feel nostalgic already… the thought that we’re really leaving is starting to set in, now that the house is piling high in boxes. I know it’s the right decision to move and invest in a home, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that there’s so much to miss about Walnut Creek!


One of the things that I absolutely love about Walnut Creek is that it is all-inclusive. Everything that I need can be found right here- Trader Joe’s, Target, the Apple Store, Barnes & Noble, Boudin- plus a few unique places that I enjoy, like Main Street Rags and the Olde San Francisco Creamery. There are very few things that we have to venture outside of town for. I really do appreciate that, since not every location has that to offer. When we lived in San Ramon, Eric and I loved the city itself, but we found ourselves driving to and from Dublin and Walnut Creek for all of our basic needs. When we leave here, I wouldn’t be surprised if we return to visit Walnut Creek regularly!


Plus, Walnut Creek hosts a number of great community events. Once or twice a year, there are lovely art and wine shows in Downtown, perfect for walking and browsing. Plus, every year around this time, the Downtown association hosts its annual “Walnut Festival” in which many of the local marching bands, dance groups, and community organizations march together down Main Street. And then there is Heather Farms Park right around the corner from us- where we were married! The park is always busy with activities, festivals, and shows. I think we’ll miss the chances we should have taken to walk right over and reminisce.

The most obvious downfall of Walnut Creek (and really the only downfall in my opinion) is simply the cost- it’s really quite unfortunate that the most we can afford here is a small condo on a busy road, which is more than adequate for a single professional or modest couple. Sadly for us, we’re just growing out of it too quickly… I really do hope that one day we will be able to move back!