After analyzing our monthly "goes in" and "goes outs," we realized that we just wouldn't be saving enough to make this house purchasing dream feasible in a year if we stayed in our current apartment. And by feasible, I mean, being able to purchase a house in the area we want to purchase. We will either need a bigger down payment or buy a fixer upper, either way, extra savings will be needed. So about two weeks ago, I began stalking Craigs List for a new temporary home. We were really trying to find a small townhouse or house that had a yard, so we wouldn't have to elevator down multiple stories (or worse, walk down multiple flights of steps!) to take the K-Man out. Oh, and the place had to be cheaper than our current monthly rent of course, which let's be honest, wasn't too difficult since we were paying a pretty penny. But in order to find what we were looking for, we came to the conclusion that it was very unlikely that we'd find a livable (read: clean, safe, non-dilapidated) place near a metro that met the criteria: yard + cheap.
As horrible as "not being metro accessible" may sound at first, after putting some more thought into it, it really shouldn't be that bad. First off, I drive to work the majority of days. I get to expense the cost of the parking garage and it cuts my commute by 20 minutes, so it's kind of a no brainer at this point. However, my current job location will be changing in June as my client's office space is moved to the Mark Center as part of BRAC. The Mark Center is off 395 in a non-metro accessible location, so I'd already have to metro to a different metro station to catch a shuttle bus to the office since parking will not be available to contractors. So we focused our search in the Shirlington and King Street areas of Arlington/Alexandria.
The first place we went to was this really huge, 3BR + basement duplex, but it was very outdated. It had a yard, but it was mainly dirt. The current tenant is a jack of all trades and dabbled in a lot of activities, including raising fish, a vegetable garden, and brewing beer - all of which was set up in the backyard. Hmmm. We didn't love it and it was a few hundred more than we were hoping to spend a month, so we kept on looking.
Then a few days later, I found a post on Craigs List and almost immediately fell in love. It was a 2BR townhouse that had been completely renovated. And the owner had created a separate blogspot web page with even more pictures (since CL only allows four pics to be posted). I loooved the fact that she put it all out there since it meant she had nothing to hide. I fell in love with the place from the pictures before even going to see it and I was so nervous that it would be scooped up by someone else.
We saw the place, and it really looked just like the pictures. We saw one other place later that evening, but emailed the lady before bed to let her know we wanted to proceed and she let us know that G$ and I were her first choice and were hoping we wanted it as well. Good thing we come off as a stable, financially sound, normal married couple! :)
A little bit about our new place:
It is a historic community, called Parkfairfax, which began as rental units constructed to meet World War II civilian housing needs. In 1978, Parkfairfax was converted to condominiums. Check out the detailed history! Funny, G$ and I had actually driven through this little community on the way to softball fields, but never had any idea just how large it was (132 acres!) or how old the townhouses were (built in the 40s!).
A few pictures...
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| Yes, that is a chalkboard wall AND a wine fridge! |
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| Dining room with door to patio. |
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| Patio! |
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| Family Room |
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| Family Room with view of stairs |
There are a few things that will be different:
- Living on two stories. I have never lived in a non-one-level apartment since I moved out of my parents' place!
- Only one bathroom, which is on the second floor. I think I'd rather it this way than the opposite and having to run downstairs to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night!
- Window A/C units, but our heat is boiler/radiator, which is included in the rent along with the gas and water! We just have to pay electricity and cable/internet!
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| Master Bedroom - looove her rug! |
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| 2nd Bedroom - which will be our office |
But, it has...
- A completely renovated kitchen
- Ample storage space in the attic for G$'s school papers that he refuses to get rid of! Admittedly, also for some of my stuff as well.
- Patio with space for an outdoor grill! I cannot even begin to explain how ecstatic I am about this!
- No elevators or stairs or long walks to get to the designated dog area multiple times a day with Kairo
- Saving $700 a month!
As some of you may have seen, I recently starting pinning area rugs on Pinterest. Since we will be coming from a carpeted place, we are going to have to buy a few area rugs (which aren't cheap!), so I'm doing my research early in hopes of finding a good deal on a super cute rug.
At first, I was nervous to make the commitment (who isn't a little apprehensive about change!), but the more I think about it, and the more I see those pictures, the more excited I get about the new place. Now, we just need to schedule the move, find movers, and pack...ugh!
Hope everyone has a great week!
K$
Super cute!!! I cannot wait to visit :)
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