Pins and Needles
I’m torn between rambling on and on versus keeping it simple. I’ve tried to keep my blog light and funny and with as few words as possible. Do you like reading a lot or just looking at my projects? I’m a talker and if you know me IRL you KNOW I love to TAWLLK! Like, A LOT.
I’m kinda like Donkey.
Shrek: I like my privacy.
Donkey: Y’know, me too. That’s another thing we have in common. I hate it when you’ve got someone in your face, you try to give someone a hint and they won’t leave, and then there’s that big awkward silence…
[big awkward silence ensues]
That part gives me the giggles like you would not believe. I just LOVE it.
Ya, I hate awkward silence. Hate it. I will just keep talking on and on AND ON if you just sit there any say nothing. That is how I get myself in big trouble. If you say nothing, I start filling the void with all sorts of information that I will probably regret later. I’ll tell you anything!
BUT, that is also one of my strong-suites. My hubbs is constantly amazed at my ability to get all sorts of personal information about people in less than 5 minutes from meeting them. I don’t try to get all nosy on them. It just happens. I can pretty much get anyone to tell me anything. And most of the time I don’t even want to know! It just happens. I’m a talker.
So I’m constantly wanting to run to my blog and write all sorts of crap, but I fear that I will totally annoy or alienate my readers if I start blabbing on and on. I know this is MY BLOG and I can say whatever I want to say but at the same time I do really like having readers and I would hate for everyone to unfriend me for being annoying.
With that being said, I’m going to try something new today. I’m going to talk. A lot. And I hope you aren’t bored to tears by the end.
First on the adgenda for my blab-a-thon is my newest most exciting news! Many of you know I’m in LA for 6 months and that I’m from Dallas, Texas. Well, I’m really from Austin, but whateves. My house is in Dallas. The house that I spent the last year putting every last drop of blood, sweat, and tears into. I love that house.
My 6 month stint in LA ends at the end of June at which time I’ll be headed back home to Texas. But here’s the super exciting surprise. We are NOT moving back to Dallas and our home there (sad). BUT we ARE moving back to Austin and are buying a house there (yay)! I was born and raised in Austin. My hubbs is one of those who “wasn’t born there but got there as fast as he could”. We are both Texan AND Austinites to the core. Our blood also bleeds Burnt Orange (Hook ‘Em Horns!) but that is a post for this Fall (football season)!
Our kids were even born in the exact same hospital that I was born in. If you compare pics of when I was born vs. when they were born, the wallpaper is the same. Scary.
Anyhoo, we are moving back home to Austin. I’m totally over-the-moon excited about this, but at the same time I’m a little hesitant about the super-HOT weather. We haven’t lived in Austin for almost 5 years, so I’m also a little nervous about going back to the place where I grew up. You know, old friends and frienimies. Running into the “popular” kids from your high school (almost 15 years later) and still feeling small around them. Seeing people you know every.single.time you go to Wal-Mart. Running into old boyfriends and girlfriends…. Ya, it’s going to be kinda weird.
BUT, my family lives there and I am so excited to live near my sisters again.
So… We put an offer on this house:
Except that this picture was taken almost a year ago. Here is how it looks now.
Yikes! That yard is crazy-over-grown. One thing I learned from my house in Dallas though is that I am perfectly capable of reviving a really gross lawn. Some TLC, bug killer, weed killer, and fertilizer will have this looking great in no time flat. I’m totally excited to use the hedger again and am salivating at the thought of whacking most of those shrubs down. I just have to remember this time that the extension cord DOES NOT like to be cut through while you are hedging. In fact, it hates it so much that is sparks everywhere and then is ruined and has to be thrown away. Oops.
So anyway, this house is 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 living, 2 dining, huge backyard with big trees, on a culdesac and backs up to a green-belt. It’s less than 1/2 mile from the school and community pool and about 5 miles to my parents house and about 2 miles to 2 of my sisters’ houses. Love it!
There is a catch though. A big ugly catch that’s really bumming me out. It’s a SHORT SALE. Yes, I said short sale, which from what I’ve learned over the past several weeks means it’s going to take about 500 times longer and about 150% more cash upfront than a regular sale.
The price is a great deal but even with the great price, it’s such a huge PITA to do this short sale that we would actually consider walking away except for the reasons listed above. Basically, in addition to being a great price, it’s everything we’ve wanted in a house/neighborhood. Everything. Quiet street. Big yard. Lots of trees. Lots of safe non-busy streets for our kids to ride their bikes on. Minutes to the school and pool. Huge patio out back. Etc.
It’s all those other things that are keeping us in this Short Sale hell.
We put in our offer 2 weeks ago. We still have no idea if the bank is even going to accept our offer. We might not know for another month or two or three. We even put the offer in for the amount the Realtor had it listed for, but even she doesn’t know if the bank will actually accept this offer or not. Basically it’s one giant crap-shoot.
And we have to leave LA at the end of June. As in, 6 weeks from now. And we still might not know if we are even going to get the house.
But I’m hopeful that we will.
Except that it’s through Bank of America which, rumor has it, is probably the worst most nightmare-ish bank to do a Short Sale through.
**So, on a side note, if ANY OF YOU happen to have any strings with Bank of America that you can pull for me, or you know someone who works for Bank of America that can maybe get our offer pushed to the fore-front, I’ll be eternally grateful.**
Wanna see more of the house? Ya, me too!
So the foyer has these stairs that wrap around to the 2nd floor. I’m drooling over these stairs. I can just picture the possibilities of home reno goodness that I can tackle with these! Molding! Stain! Wooden steps! No carpet! Lots of molding. Did I mention molding?! I’m just dying to get my hands (and hammer) on these.
The previous owner has upgraded almost every single light in the house to either chandeliers or really nice ceiling fans. There are only a couple of standard fixtures left in the entire house. I love the fixtures. The previous owner had great taste.
The family room is almost twice as big as the family room in my other house. And it’s got a full wall of windows that overlook the huge patio and completely shaded tree’d backyard. And again, I’m dreaming of molding around those windows. Big chunky white molding. Drool.
This is the view from the game room overlooking the foyer. I am loving this big staircase and the railing. I can already see the handle stained a really dark cherry wood. Lurve.
Here’s that back patio I was talking about. It extends the full length of the back of the house. This is only about 2/3rds of it. And it’s stained concrete. A little power washing and it’s good as new. And the railing… I can’t decide between leaving it black or painting it white. Or maybe a bright color. Thoughts?
Here’s part of the backyard before it became a jungle with cheetahs living in it. And fire ants. Loving the trees! My hubbs has already planned out the tree house he says he’s going to build in it for the mini-me’s. Oh, and all the trees, shrubs, landscaping, etc has the limestone around it. All the masonry work (aka very expensive work) has already been done! Just a little power washing and it will be sparkling!
I’ll show you more pictures as the weeks drone on and on. Hopefully we’ll find out something soon from the Bank. I’m seriously a ball of nerves about this. I WANT THIS HOUSE.
Oh, and before I forget, our other house in Dallas is a rental now. Just in case you wanted to know.
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Hey! I'm Allison Hepworth. Welcome to my blog. I love showing tutorials for cool crafts, DIY projects, renovations, and decorating. My family and I live in Austin, Texas. To find out more or to contact me click 
Okay first of all, I have no connections with that bank,sorry! However, next summer we will be in Forth Worth for my brother’s wedding–how far are you??? Texas is BIG!
Speaking of BIG, that house is HUGE!! And beeeauuuteeful!
But I understand your angst, it was only weeks ago I was awaiting a move to the East Coast and that has fallen through…until the next time!
Hang in there!!
Oh, this brings back memories from a couple of years ago when we were house-hunting. And waiting. And getting frustrated. Because we needed to move and I was due for baby and I was nesting, but had no nest in which to do so! Yikes! Ours was a foreclosure, but we did try waiting on a short sale too…frustrating! Good luck to you! Hope it works out for you (it will)! BTW, I love the house…it looks great!
I like looking at projects, but I get bored easily with ENDLESS crafts. That’s just me, even though I’m a crafty person myself. I love hearing about other people’s lives though, so blab on!
I think you mean SHORT sale. Not quick sale.
Oh what a great house!
And as for the rambling. Can I be honest here? Yes I can right? I tend to skim through and scroll over most of it. But I do that with everyone. Couldn’t be cause I hate reading could it?!
But ramble on if you like I’m fine skimming.
Bummer that you can’t go back to your other home
Good luck with this home!
@Allison – you are right, it is SHORT sale. I have no idea why I kept saying QUICK sale. Thanks for letting me know. I corrected the post.
First: Congrats!
Second: I live in Austin! Cool!
congrats! hope it goes well for you, and quickly too.
i’m going to be throwing my first linky party this saturday. would you mind adding it to your list?! thanks!!
alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com
Going on and on is fine with me. I don’t mind reading
Good luck on your, hopefully, new house. I hope the bank moves quicker than you fear. Great house by the way! It has a lot of potential!!
Hugs
SueAnn
Let’s see how to best answer your question… Well, the fact that I spent 2 hours reading post after post last night (I’m a new reader!) pretty much says it all, right?
Keep on talkin’, lady!
The home is beautiful! I hope you get it. We were on a search for a home last year, and loved the prices on the short sale home for the amount of home that you get. We came against the same thing you are dealing with however. We ended up going with a foreclosure. It was a great location, home and it had plenty to keep me busy. I have a feeling you are way excited about that part of the home buying!! Oh the projects to blog about!
OMG – i hear you about the short sale! I’m just now *fingers crossed knock on wood* getting out of shortsale hell. We put the offer in in MARCH. we didn’t find out until a month later that we were dealing with 2 liens, and we didn’t get final approval until the beginning of May. Now we are trying to deal with getting all of our financing done because the bank is impatient, as if they weren’t the ones who kept us waiting. *sigh*.
But congrats on the new house! It looks totally awesome!
You can talk all you want!!! Not only do I LOVE your crafty side but I feel kinship to your talking side!!! I am all about talking and for some reason can talk to ANYONE, ANYWHERE much to my hubby’s dismay… People seem to track me down at the store just to talk about randomness… I guess it says ‘please talk to me’ on my face..
So keep up the good work lady!!! Want to hear all about the new house and the progress you make with it… Hoping hoping hoping you get it!!!
Keep us posted!!! LOVING your blog, even more now!!!
Brooke
I love to read about others lives! I also LOVE looking at homes.
Why do they even bother calling it a short sale anyway??? Oh! I am from the DFW area, raised in Garland a LONG time ago. Moved from East Texas 18 months ago to Indiana. I miss the sun and warmth of the South. I hope everything works out for you to get your house!
I enjoyed this talkative post. Beautiful home; I hope it works out for you.
Love your blog! And I pray if it be the Lord’s Will, the house will be yours! Be blessed. cindy
I am SO excited to see your personal touch on this space!!
I grew up in Austin also…but I ended up at A&M…I know…boo hiss! I won’t hold it against you!
My mom still lives there and I am wondering if you aren’t moving into her neighborhood because she backs up to the greenbelt also! I wish you the best of luck with the house and congrats on moving back to Austin…the weather is HOT but it’s beautiful! Sure beats Houston where we ended up…ugh!
I love it! It’s so big. I love the green walls, you have to keep those for sure! So exciting I hope you get it!
This is a pretty house. I will cross my fingers that you are able to get it.
I remember the days turned into months before we got our home. But…as the saying goes…”good things come to those that wait”.
Glad you are getting to come back to Texas. The house looks awesome and I am sure you will love. Good luck with the bank;)
Holy cow that’s huge! And seriously gorgeous.
I’m teasing, of course! You know that’s what brought us together…Yours and Billy’s annoying sides. SO TRUE! Don’t deny it!
Love the house! Sending good karma and joo joo your way!
I hope you make it through – I already have house envy except I would die if I lived in the south so it is yours!!
Love the finds but also enjoy the chit-chat so go for it!
Beautiful house with tons of potential! I’m hoping for the best and I hope you hear about your offer soon!
LOVE the house! Can’t wait to see what you can transform it into. Praying the offer goes through ASAP!
Blessings!
@Heather – lol, too funny. We miss y’all! Don’t worry, we’ll totally be up to visit frequently. Y’all are gonna have to come down and go to a UT football game with us this fall!
You are toooo funny! I am a talker
especially when I am nervous, I can’t seem to shut up, so I can relate. Love the house hope everything works out!
c’est immense!!!!, en Belgique, ce genre de maison est très rare, c’est le vieux continent, lol.
et je ne peux pas vous aider pour la banque, je ne connais aucunes ficelle, désolée………, désolée………
I suppose both talking and looking is healthy. I am trying to limit my computer time these days…which is near imposible cause of all these great ideas!
I LOVE pictures…. once pictures pique my interest then you may get me to read some too. Call me lazy brain. That is kinda how I see it.
But the way, that house is b-b-b-beautiful! I hope you have a house keeper cause it would take me too long to clean it all! You are blessed!
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I know what you mean about the silence.
“I don’t wanna be the girl that has to fill the silence. The quiet scares me ’cause it screams the truth.”
Sober by Pink song lyrics
It became my favorite Pink song because of it. And trust me I’m much too old to have a favorite Pink song.
Allison, I enjoyed the blab-a-thon! I’m excited for you that you’ll be returning to TX. We’re in FTW but my husband would move to Austin in a heartbeat if we could! Keep use posted on the short-sale-hell!
I feel the same way as you about rambling. That is why I want a wider format on my blog to write across so it doesn’t seem so long
.
Seriously!?! I love your soon to be house!! So much wonderful potential! I really hope it all goes through for you! BofA is the bank from Hell!! We have had the worst time with them. We have yet to use it, but our realator has the phone number to the president of BofA, so if you want I could get it from her.
Allison what a great house! I do hope you guys get it and quickly. We are looking to move in about a year or so and I hope to find something this great. Good luck!
Nothin’ wrong with telling your peeps how you feel! We are here for ya. Good luck with the house….you are going to have an exercise in patience.
I will keep my fingers crossed for you!! Hope you get the house.. I go and visit my family in Northern Idaho (where I went to junior high and hig school) all the time and have never ran into anyone from school… Even at Walmart… And most everyone still lives there… Funny!! I do see some friends that are memebers though. Of course at church!! I hope your old house is a good rental for you.. We had our house as a rental in Utah when we moved to Michigan 1 1/2 ago and have not had the best of renters in it.. So I wish you lots of luck.. :O) Keeping my fingers crossed for you!!! :O)
Oh! You had me at Austin! We just moved here in January.
So I don’t want to get all stalkerish on you, but I would love to know about where in Austin you are moving.
Lorie
I looove this house! It has such potential! I am a very big fan of the jungle of a tree in the backyard. Thoughts are with you, can’t wait to hear the good news when you get it!
Shut. Up. I have lived in Austin for the past 5 years (by way of Dallas) and I love it! And you could have bought my house, cause we just put it on the market 3 weeks ago… how small world could that have been? I’ve been stalking your blog for the past month and I’m a fan on facebook. This made me come out of stalker mode and actually comment. Good luck with everything!
Funny, I just stumbled onto your blog and saw this post! We used to own this exact house!! Well not THIS house, but the same model
It was up in North West Austin. We now live in SW Austin, though. The entry way is what made me fall in love with it. Our new house doesn’t have as grand of a entry, but it suits our needs elsewhere. Congrats on moving back to Austin. I was born and raised here too.