Homeowners!

This past weekend we officially became homeowners!

We had made an offer on a short-sale property back in February, and after a marathon of waiting and a frantic scramble to the finish line, we closed escrow and moved in this past weekend! Many thanks must go to our Realtor, Tre Foor, who basically got our offer accepted above a slew of competing offers (she was the listing agent as well, and she and the sellers felt really good about Jess and I), and who never gave up throughout an often discouraging bank-approval process. Just as many thanks must go to our Loan Officer, Tyler Kostjuk at Bank of America (and fellow Crossroader) who used his contacts within B of A to put pressure on a short-sale approval department that seemed to lack an understanding of how to do their job in a timely fashion!

So we bought a little "duplex" (shares one wall with a neighbor) of 1,018 sq. ft. in the absolute heart of Valencia. The location of this place is top notch, and close to everything. The neighborhood is quiet, well kept, and just plain nice.  We pay a small HOA fee each month for a pool/jacuzzi, and these awesome "paseos" (designated bike/walking paths that run throughout the community all the way to the mall!).

The previous owners of our house absolutely loved it and put lots of time and money into renovating it. It was basically move-in ready for us, and everything we've done at this point has been personalization as opposed to a "fixer-upper" that we'd have to get stuff working at all to even live there. We have two bed/bath and a den, along with a huge,  fantastically renovated kitchen. The landscaping and irrigation are amazing, and the little yard and side patio make this place really feel like home.

I'll post some pictures of the place later, but wanted to give you the big news!