• washed, primed, & painted entire upstairs including doorjams & trim
• installed a new master bath vanity cabinet & top along with plumbing
• installed shower door (via Lowe’s)
• installed new carpet (via Lowe’s)
• killed a bee’s nest living under garden shed
• cleaned out kitchen cupboards
• moved half our stuff into the house from garage
• installed 3 new windows (via California Deluxe Windows)
• Megan fashioned new curtains for all upstairs windows
• made 16 trips to Lowe’s & Home Depot
• bought hundreds of dollars in tools

Are we done yet? Will we ever be done?

After racing like rats every time a house went on the market to beat out all the other rats who scurried to the same house the day it listed, we finally got into one that worked out for us. Sorry for the animal references but my AP Bio students are dissecting tomorrow – got rats on the brain. It is truly a buyer’s market right now and the LA market is hot. We couldn’t even squeeze into some houses there were so many people looking. Thanks to our great agent who was on top of the inventory and ready to take us the day homes with our details listed.

We are really happy to provide a home for our upcoming (or is it outcoming?) baby. This was a big thing I really wanted – to have a house before the baby came. I don’t know why people are sometimes afraid to share details about the house they purchased – maybe they worry it’s boasting, perhaps in the act of describing it they might realize they got a raw deal, or maybe I shouldn’t be describing where I live for all those predators of biology teachers scouring the internet for their next prey. I’m not sure why it’s taboo in some circles, but all our friends seem to want to know the details and we’re happy to share them so here they are:

It’s a 3bdr. 2.5 bath, two-story that looks like a New England cottage. It was a short sale but pre-approved so all we had to do was put in a bid over the pre-approved price. The selling realtor has proven to be less-than-competent which has caused us some frustrations (like the owner getting pissed off when he came home find 5 people in his house for the inspection/appraisal because his realtor didn’t tell him the date & time of the inspection).

The front looks little plain but it’s got color and with Megan’s touch will be look quite cozy this summer. One drawback: our neighbors are all the commuters on the 210 freeway. Yes, our backyard is a hillside leading up to the freeway. Luckily, previous owners sound-proofed the house with double and sometimes triple pane windows. This kills me – the master bathroom has not 1, not 2, but 3 small windows you have to slide open to get air! It’s got a large side-yard with an above ground pool. Megan wasn’t keen on a pool when we were hunting but it’s above ground so we can sell it off if we decide it’s too much maintenance for us. For now, Megan is warming up to the idea of relaxing in the water in August at 8 months pregnant when it will be truly warm. Lastly there’s a great little playhouse built in the back we’re going to fix up as a sleepover place for our nieces and nephews.

Of course, there’s always work to be done and we’ve been making a list for over a month now. Most of it is work the inspector recommended. The house was built in 1988 which for La Crescenta is like brand new. Most places built in the 40′s require a bit of rennovation. We’ll post updates on work we do with pics. For now, check out our new digs: http://www.3720mayfield.com/ Note: by the time we saw it, the sellers had switched to a different realtor than this site, and we paid way less than that!

brett