This Week: Houses

If you are ever driving around Reston around 9.30 AM, or so, you'll see this person walking in a fast, fast pace on the roads around here. Mostly, though, you'll see this person on the paths. Walking fast, sweaty, like on a mission with a skinny vanilla latte in a fast grip in one hand, iPod on, mobile phone in the other hand...That person is Yours Truly. Sometimes I have the company of my dear friend, and neighbor, I.T. But, most of the time I am alone.
During these walks I am on the lookout for a potential house to buy. On my route I know exactly what houses that are up for sale, and how long they have been on the market, what realtor they are listed with. You can say that I am an expert in this particular area around South Lakes.
Peter and I are sort of ready to say good-bye to Townhouse living. We both feel like it would be nice to have a single family home with double garage and a garden for me to nurse. Sounds like true suburbia, huh? Yes, I hear myself. Anyway, now I have found that house. THE PERFECT HOUSE FOR US!!! I found it last week on one of my morning walks. All of a sudden, on this very beautiful cul-de-sac is a house for sale!!! Nothing is never, ever on sale there. THE perfect colonial on the outside, at least. Backing up to a meadow and to the path. Last Sunday Peter, Karolina and I went to the "Open House". GUYS!!! This house is as perfect on the inside as it is on the outside. I fell in love. Deeply in love! I want that house. Spic and span perfect move-in ready, we wouldn't even have to paint! The couple that live there have picked out my favorite colors all thru the place. The floors on the main level are beautiful hard woods, tiles in the hall way. The kitchen recently updated, cozy family room with a fire-place, big dining room, big formal living room, and as an extra bonus on the main level, an office! Sigh...
Upstairs: 4 bedrooms, two baths, beautiful carpet on the floors. IF you are forced to have carpets upstairs these carpets would be the carpets to get. No cheap stuff here, let me tell you that much. Bonus on the upper level: a big laundry room!!!
To top it off we have a huge finished basement, walk out. And tons of storage. Simply said: the perfect house.
Can we get it? No, we cannot. We are not ready to sell our own house. Yet. The times are not exactly prime for selling right now. It is a complete stand-still on the market. I can only look at the houses in our neighborhood, some have been on the market for months, and it seems like there is zero interest in them as well. Today, when I got back from my walk, one of the townhouses here on our street had a sign that said: new lower price!!!
So SAD!! I know it will be hard to sell our house when we decide to do so. Even though we have done a lot of up-grades to it, and the fact that our unit is in a prime spot backing to the golf course in the west+ that we have a big common area in the front.
Anyway, the day we are ready to get out of here my dream house on the cul-de-sac will be long gone. Some lucky person will live there, but it will not be us.
Until the day we are ready to put this house up for sale I will be checking and re-checking my favorite streets around here. My eyes are like radars for "For Sale" signs.
Ciao for now...Gotta go and take a shower after the walk.