This year, we were finally able to buy a house. We'd been living in a very tiny apartment, taking advantage of the cheap rent so we could save money. Buying the place was quite an ordeal. We put in our original offer on February 1st, but because it was a short sale (whoever called them short sales lied!!) it took almost four months before we got an answer. Then, the day before we were set to close escrow, the seller declared bankruptcy so that delayed the sale even more. We didn't get our keys until the end of July. Then we had to get the place cleaned and painted before moving in at the end of August - all right before the kids started school and Nikol returned to work after maternity leave!
The house underwent quite a transformation. It's amazing what a little paint can do. As you can see from the following photos, the original owner liked some very bright colors. She also had this fun wallpaper border in the dining room with pictures of cockatiels on it. In the photo of the kitchen, you can see some open cabinets. When we bought the place, that space was originally covered with plexiglass stereo doors. We've since had a cabinet maker install some normal cabinet doors that match the rest of the kitchen, though we didn't have them when the photo was taken, obviously. Here's a little before-and-after for you:
