Condo

Well, we made a trip out to CA to find our housing, and we are excited to say that we accomplished what we set out to do! It was a bit overwhelming to say the least, and if it wasn't for our friends we probably would not have found this place or have been as pleased as we are. Micah and I easily saw between 20-30 properties in the three days we looked. On our first day of hunting we went to see this 3 bedroom condo. Although already looking at the price (the max of what I had originally budgeted for) we went in knowing it was probably a 'no go' and that we would have to LOVE it to even consider it. Well, of course what happened...we loved it. The condos were only 4 years old, so it was still fairly new construction, and we probably wouldn't run into too many issues. It was 3 bedrooms, which was great because we really figured we would only be able to afford a 2 bedroom, it was in the best school district, it was centrally located for Micah, it had underground parking, a park ON SITE, a pool and hot tub, a workout facility in the club house, cute community, and STORAGE! That was one thing we were having the hardest time finding, was places with storage. And it was great to know that the previous tenants also had small children and loved living there. So what's the catch besides being at our price limit? Well, it had laundry hookups but we would have to get the unit if we wanted it. Or we could use the on-sight laundry for $3 a load. Then the guy said we would have to help pay his HOA which would add another $150 a month to the already high rent rate. Ugh.
We left feeling a little hopeful though because he said he could work with us a bit. But in the mean time we needed to continue our search. Well what happens when you are looking but now have a place in mind that you really love? You begin comparing everything else to it. And that is what we did. We found some ok places but not it great locations. We found some good locations but the building and rooms were filthy. We found places that really would fit our family but didn't have an inch of storage for our bikes. It was getting disheartening. Especially the second day. By the end Micah and I were feeling pretty deflated.
Lucky for us our hotel was right next door to another resident and his family who we have been talking with a lot during our relocation process and have grown to consider them dear friends. They invited us over to relax and we took the opportunity to run some prospects by them. In the end we described the condo we really liked, but came to the conclusion that it just wasn't feasible with our budget. The next morning we were holding high hopes for a few new properties we were going to look at and praying that something would just jump out and scream that it was our new home. I was checking my email quite frequently because that was the main means of communication between us and Realtors/landlords. And I got an email from Marissa, our friend, who stated that she felt bad because she didn't think they really helped us much the night before, and so she looked online for us and came across an ad for a condo that sounded just like the one we described...and it was $200 cheaper. She was thinking it was the same one and that the guy was giving us the run around and trying to get more money out of us than he was listing online. Well, we discovered that it was the same condo, but in a different building and listed by a different person. So we jumped at it and made an appointment to see it that afternoon.
We didn't say anything that we had already looked at another condo in the complex, and looked around falling in love all over again. We were able to ask about an HOA in an off handed way and the Realtor assured us that the owner pays for that. And it had a washer/dryer unit already installed! Bonus!! In the end there was no way to pass this up. The next morning we submitted our application and played the waiting game. All our eggs were in this basket. We were leaving the following morning, and the banks closed at 6pm to get the cashiers check ready. Our only concern was that we could not move until the middle of June, and there were people wanting it who could move in right away. In the end our prayers were answered and the Realtor loved us and really had a good feeling about us, and wanted to push our application to her client. It worked. He did try and ask for rent to start on June 1st, but with the Realtor pushing a little for us, we agreed on the 15th instead. She gave us a key right then and there, and when we come back into town we will get all the other keys and gate openers. We officially now have a place to live! Woohoo! What a relief, I tell you! I could not imagine getting on a plane knowing the next time we could come out was when we move, and not know where we were moving to. Or never seen in in person. Now I know what kind of space we have and can start organizing and figuring out what we will take and won't. It's hard to believe in 6 weeks this condo will be our new home...crazy! Time has flown, and I just hope we can enjoy what little time we have left with our family and friends here.

Here is a video tour I took quick of the first condo we looked at. It was more for our use to remind ourselves of the different spaces we looked at since we were looking at so many. It's not the best video, but it helps give you a good idea of the layout. All the pictures are of the second condo-our new home. As you can tell all the units are basically the same. Both condos we got to see were second story corner condos which is also an added bonus. It lucked out for us that the one we saw first was the same side corner we ended up getting. Each unit is individually owned.

I never got a good pic of the living room area that goes out onto another balcony with more storage. But this picture is with my back to the sliding glass doors looking in on the dining area and opening to the kitchen.

This is the kitchen with the stackable laundry behind that white door. Stainless steel appliances, electric smooth cook-top, granite countertops.

Master Bedroom, I did not do a great job at taking photos, but I was also trying to be quick. It is a decent size especially compared to some other ones we saw.

We have closets on either side and you can see the edge of the sink on the left and then the tub and toilet behind the door.

Again, not a great picture, but this is the office. It is actually a bit small in size, but it's a separate space for Micah and we were happy to have found him one!

Second bathroom

The boys' room taken with my back to the sliding glass doors that go onto another balcony and storage. See how deep their closet is and it spans the width of the room as well...which is awesome since they will be sharing and all their clothes and hopefully a lot of their toys can fit in there.

Trying to get some pictures of one of the storage closets. It's nice because you can also do a lot of stacking of boxes or put a shelving unit in to utilize all the space.

Here is the on site play ground and to the left of it is the pool and hot tub. The club house is also to the left with the workout facility and mail boxes. It's great to have these amenities so close at hand!