A few minutes late to the party

Those of you who encouraged and stuck by me during my recent construction project will probably think my daughter, SIL and I have taken leave of our senses when I tell you that we've been out househunting.

Yes, that's right. Househunting. You're probably wondering why we'd do such a thing, less than six months after completing my little modernist nest, and there is a logical explanation. While my compact apartment is perfect for me, the main house is simply too small for the rest of the family. We knew going in that this might pose a problem, since 1200 square feet and only one bathroom is a fairly tight squeeze, even for a couple with two small children, so were prepared for this eventuality. They have given it their best effort, but they need more space. As a result, when we find a home that's perfect for all of us, we'll be moving.

A few days ago, we thought we had found just the place...and a steal at $400K. It's a 3200 square foot 4 bedroom/3 bath main house with lots of glass, a gorgeous rock fireplace and beautiful built-ins...with a 1000 square foot 1 bedroom/1 bath guest house, which is attached by an enclosed walkway. The guest house has a full kitchen, lots of great built-ins of its own, a view of the pool and a private entrance. Buying this house would put me back into a space almost as large as our current main house and would give the rest of the family almost three times as much space.

We drove to a neighboring suburb to look at it and were so impressed that we were ready to make an offer on the spot. We called the listing agent to see if she could meet us for a tour of the home, only to find out that she had received an offer from a prospective buyer only moments before.

Whooooooooooooooooooooosssssssssssssshhhhhh. That's the sound of the wind being taken out of our sails.

Here are just a few photos of what we very likely missed out on, unless the seller and buyer can't come to an agreement. (I have noticed that the listing still doesn't mention anything about the property being under contract, so maybe all hope isn't lost.) I didn't include many interior shots, since the current owner has filled this amazing contemporary home with Queen Anne furniture, put Victorian stained glass in some of the windows and installed an ornate leaded glass front door...but you'll get the idea.

Front of main house

Back of main house

Pool view of guest house (with main house on the left)

Guest house living room

The only real downside to the house is that it is on a street called Buttermilk Drive. My daughter and I have a thing about living on a street with a goofy name, but we both agreed we'd have to bite the bullet if we could buy this house.

Still, it's a big city with lots of houses for sale and new listings popping up every day. (You'd be surprised how many have guest houses!), so barring news that the prospective buyer didn't qualify, the search continues!