Start of Summer

Summer time is officially here in the Rollins household. We've started our crazy summer adventures, including looking for a house, a vacation, and a staycation. It's been a whirlwind of a month, but I'll try to recap.

We told ourselves we wouldn't get a realtor until June--but then we met Emily. We were spending that Saturday looking at open houses, a common hobby of ours, when we drove by a house I had seen listed online the day before. I didn't think there was an open house for it, but then I saw the signs and balloons. We went in and were greeted by Emily, who instantly impressed us. When choosing a realtor, one of the biggest factors is how well your personalities mesh. She clicked with us really well, and I felt she understood us in the few minutes of talking with her. She's the kind of person you want as a friend. After we left, she sent us a personalized video, going above and beyond, and that's all it took for me to know she would be a great person to help us. 

We met with her the next week to talk over our wants and needs, and then started looking at houses. It's very different to go through a casual open house compared to a private appointment. Open houses are low pressure for us, and it has been mostly daydreaming. Now, however, with our realtor, things just got real. I have to thoughtfully evaluate each house and question if I want to live there or not. Daydreaming is one thing, but trying to actually make decisions is very stressful. I want to make the right choice, but it's hard when my options change daily. 

We saw seven houses the first outing, and got a good feel for things but nothing grabbed our attention. Then on Thursday night, a listing was posted for a house in a neighborhood we really like. We scheduled to see it the next day at lunch, and while there, got excited. There were some downsides, but overall, we were happy enough to make our first offer. We went in a little below asking, but had a strong offer otherwise. However, our realtor found out there were already multiple offers on it and the sellers planned to accept the highest price on Monday regardless of other factors like order of offers submitted or quality of financing and such. We decided not to fight for that house, but were glad to get our first offer out of the way.

That night, Stephen and I left Paige with a babysitter and went to Park City with some of his coworkers for a "team activity" for Stephen's work. We toured a chocolate factory. This place prided themselves on the purity of their chocolate and only had the cocoa beans and a bit of sugar as ingredients, making the bars taste nothing like Hershey's. They were not my favorite flavors, but it was a fun experience and a good date night all the same. After the tour, we all ate at an Italian restaurant where Stephen and I actually ate during our Honeymoon. It was yummy and a fun night. 

The next day, we saw five or six more houses. We were immediately impressed with the first one we saw.  The flooring was really pretty, it had a family room and a living room, the kitchen was nicely done, but best of all, it had a double oven! Oh my goodness, enticing! There were some negatives, the like the laundry being out in the open next to the nursery, and the basement was only 50% completed (I like the idea of an unfinished basement to put my personal touch on, but it also equals work and more money). I also was really disappointed in the master bath. Overall, it was a good house--Stephen probably liked it more than I did, but I knew it had a lot going for it. 

We left that house and saw a few more, but none of them compared the the first one. Then, on the final house, we finally had some competition against the first one. It had a huge kitchen and a nice floor plan, with carpet in the living area. The basement was completely unfinished, but that means we can choose where to put walls and really design the full space. The master bathroom was impressive except for the carpet. Whoever decided to put carpets in bathrooms is gross. However, it would be an easy fix. The other down side is it's only a 2-bedroom house, and we were really looking for 3. 

We spent the next few hours going back and forth on those two houses, wondering which we should put an offer on, if either. We finally decided on the first house and submitted our offer that night. I was very unsure and had my reservations, but it was probably due to the process as a whole--I assume I'll be anxious over buying any house. We went to their ward that Sunday to get a feel for the demographics of the neighborhood and drove around the area more. 

The next day, Monday, we heard back from the sellers. They had countered our offer. We had gone in $10,000 below asking, but felt it was fair due to comps and such. They asked for an additional $6,000, which wasn't bad. I still felt uneasy about it, and after talking it over a lot more with Stephen and getting the advice from others, we decided to decline. We had only been in the market formally for a week and felt like there would be better options to come. However, before our realtor was able to formally decline the offer, the sellers revoked their counter offer--a move that rarely happens. It was weird and unprofessional, but since we didn't want it anyway, things were ok. 

That same Monday, Stephen and I went on vacation--but not together. Stephen's work has an annual company retreat. This year, they went to Zions. He hiked Angel's Landing, rode horses, and played lots of fun games with his coworkers. I decided to spend the few days he was gone with my family in St. George. There were wedding plans we wanted to get done that were easiest if I was there too. It was also good to have help taking care of Paige. I don't know how single moms do it. We had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Hutchins, as well as aunts and uncles. We made a lot of progress on the wedding plans and had a nice break. 

We both came home Wednesday and had some downtime before Memorial weekend. Heidi, Stephen's sister, Scott, her husband, and their daughter Elise came to stay with us for a few days during the long weekend. Elise is only a few months older than Paige, and while it makes a bit of a difference now, as time goes on, the age gap will matter less and less. I'm glad they have each other as cousins, and can grow up to be friends. 

It was fun to have their family visit. We went to Wheeler Farm Saturday morning and the girls loved seeing the animals. Paige was just old enough to appreciate her surroundings, and Elise had fun making the animal noises. Afterwards, we came home and had lunch and let the girls nap while Heidi and I went to Ikea. I want to shop there more--they have a lot of good deals on more than just furniture. 

That afternoon, we gathered everyone up and went to Temple Square in Salt Lake. The girls liked watching the water fountains in City Creek, and had a lot of fun in the children's play area in the Church History Museum. The weather cooperated for us too, even though the report made us worry. We put the girls to bed that night and stayed up playing games. Sunday we went to church and then had dinner with Stephen's Grandma and Grandpa Barth who live nearby.

On Memorial day (which is today as I'm writing this), we took the girls to a splash pad nearby. Today was the first day of the season for the splash pad to be open. I expected a crowd, but when we got there, it was just us. People trickled in though, and there was a good turnout by the time we left. Paige was very hesitant and unsure about the water. She wanted to be held rather than play in it. We helped convince her that it was suppose to be fun, and she slowly got into it more and more. I'm hoping more exposure will help her be more comfortable. Elise had a lot of fun splashing and playing. 

After we had our fun there, we went and ate In-n-Out burgers. We said our goodbyes after lunch since they drove back up to Idaho right afterwards. It was a good staycation for us, and glad to have family to share it with. It's different being the parent when planning vacations and activities than as a child. but a lot of fun still. I hope to do more holidays like this in the future.

Right now, I'm enjoying a bit of down time while Paige is napping before doing some shopping and cleaning. The rest of the summer is going to be as eventful as the past two weeks have been, so stay tuned for more blog posts to come, and cross your fingers we find the perfect house!