House Update!

Two days til' Escrow closes and we are signing cancellation papers on the house in Simi! AHHHH!!! We had one last thing to work out with the neighbors and our attorneys before we actually signed over the deposit. An easement issue! We really didn't think it was going to be a big deal. The neighbors to the right of "our" house have been using part of the property for their boat for the past 18 years. They have even built a 3 foot wall on "our" property to encase their boat. The previous owner let them do this for over 18 years and so by law have lost part of their property to them. We of-course, want ALL of the property that is for sale including this RV parking that is actually on our property, that could be used by us. We met with the neighbors the other day along with both agents. The problem was not resolved, which forced us to back out and cancel. The neighbor lady actually said, "we have lived here for over 30 years and have tight relationships with every person on this street. If you force us to take down our wall, you will not have a lot of friends on this street!" Basically saying, "we will all hate you!" NICE!! That is a neighbor I want to live next to!! After some serious discussions and prayer, Dan and I both felt it was WRONG!!! So, we are back out there looking! Wish us luck!

Our New Home!

So, the moment you have all been waiting for...here is the house. It is now final! There were a few (or several) things we asked the owners to do (that is why it took so long to tell you all for sure) before we released our contingencies. We were/are completely shocked and overjoyed they have agreed to do most of those things. Escrow is supposed to close July 17th, (so fast), but we already know it will be a few weeks after that. Wow, this has been a very stressful ordeal, but we are sooo excited. It is a cute, small thing (compared to what we have been living in for the past 4 years), but it has a fantastic floor plan. It is not the 3000 SQ house we dream of, but it is a small 1750+ house in California just 36 miles from the beach (the warm one). It is located in a great neighborhood in Simi Valley/Santa Susana. It is on the East side, so east that if you go anymore east, you will hit the 'other valley'-SF Valley (where Dan grew up). We have already met several of our neighbors who seem very cool. No, it is not in Newbury Park, which made ME very sad at first, but we (I, mostly) are willing to sacrifice. The commute for Dan from Simi to Westwood will be much shorter and much easier, so we are excited for that! It has 4 bedrooms and two baths. We have a very fun park right in our backyard (see pictures). The kids are all excited about that! It has a big apple tree in the front yard and a nice climbing tree for Melanie in the back.

The owners just recently moved out, so I will need to get some inside shots for you all. Note: there are some shots of the inside online, but it is sort of hard to look past all the clutter the previous owners had. The house has beautiful, newer hardwood floors throughout. It will have a brand new roof this next week (we hope). We will need to scrape ceilings and paint before move in. So, those looking for a service project, please contact us soon! We will also have to re-due the kitchen eventually and the driveway. So, we have a little work ahead of us but it is move in ready, which is hard to find around here in this very competitive price bracket of ours. We really are sooo excited. Can't wait to start our new life in a new area!

Three years Later...

Dan's mom has this first picture on her desk at work. It was taken 3 years ago. Three years later she wanted it updated. Can you see a change in the kids? Look how fat Chelsea is!! The Clinger Grandchildren!!