Almost home?

I said we were not going to fall in love with a new house every weekend, that we were going to dedicate ourselves to a longer-term process, that we were just dating, but we couldn't help it: we found a house, fell in love, put in an offer, and it's been accepted! Now we're waiting on the inspection (scheduled for Thursday). We are very hopeful that this one's going to be clean, and we think we're looking at our new home!

It's a great place. It's got a floor plan like the Ugly House, but the work is all done. It's PRETTY. It's farther north than we had envisioned, on a street with no sidewalks; but it completely won us over. Sensible floor plan, decent size rooms, updated kitchen, windows, really nice fixtures, vinyl siding, good roof, poured concrete foundation (whew!). Awesome yard -- big enough for kid soccer, with a deck and raised beds too. Carport. Big unfinished basement. Walking distance to the boys' preschool; one block from a good elementary school; six blocks to Thornton Creek, the alternative K-8 that my colleagues' kids go to. Completely quiet flat street, wide open feeling, not loomed over by giant dark pacific northwest trees. Walk around the corner for a glorious view of the Olympics. Two blocks from a big grocery store and a Rite Aid; three different bus lines that shoot down to the U. There happened to be an open house while we were there, and wow, the realtor could not have hired more appealing neighbors if she had spent a thousand bucks on movie extras. We clicked immediately with a family with two young boys; they live up the block, said they wake up every day filled with gratitude for having found such a hidden gem of a neighborhood. Lots of kids around, great schools and playgrounds, convenient, and just a great neighborhood feeling. How cool is that?

You can see photos if you go to the Windermere site and search on the address: 3045 NE 86th St, Seattle, 98115. Cross your fingers for us!