Alright friends, I know you’ve been waiting for the story.  Why did we go through so much to move across the street?!  We absolutely loved the duplex we bought as our first home in 2009.  We walked in and just knew it was for us.  Three bedrooms, one bathroom, and an elevator because it was built in 1919 and used during World War II by a woman in a wheelchair.  How cool?!  It was the perfect little place for us to escape from the world, as well as to practice hospitality.  We were lucky to receive an $8,000 tax credit since we were first time buyers, the only stipulation being that we had to stay for three years.  Staying became easier than we thought as we got to know the neighborhood.  Charming is the only word for it.  It could just as easily be called “Mayberry” instead of “Hilton Village”.  People really know each other and stop to say hi when they’re walking their dogs.  They really bring you dinner when you move in or have had a crazy few weeks.  They really genuinely love being a part of this neighborhood and we could not be more thankful for such a great community!

The only little creeping thought in our minds was, what happens after three years?  Do we stay?  Add on an extra bathroom?  Install a dishwasher?  Or do we look for another place when the time comes.  For three years we mulled this question over in our minds while we sat on our front porch staring at the house across the street.  63 Main Street.  We talked about how the colors were perfect, the front porch was perfect, that it was a corner lot and how lucky they were to have such a big backyard.  We used all of these components as we dreamt about what our next house would look like.

Fast forward to this April when the interest rates were starting to get to an all time low and we considered refinancing to save some money.  But why refinance when you have to pay closing costs anyway?  Might as well just find a bigger place.  We mentioned to our neighbors at 63 one day that we were looking at houses and they just as causally announced that they were doing the same thing.  WHAT?  After 18 years, they just decided to move?  We were so excited at the possibility that we might actually get to own that house but also really nervous that someone else would get it.  We told them to keep us updated because we were REALLY interested.

To deal with the uncertainty I convinced myself that the house was only pretty on the outside and must be terrible on the inside and I wouldn’t like it anyway.  But then when the owners invited us over to checkout the house, I was amazed.  For 18 years they have done nothing but improve and refinish and reinstall.  Y’all, the house is literally perfect.  Four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and HUGE first floor which is great for hosting!  Oh yeah, and it has a dishwasher 🙂   We realized quickly that we weren’t just talking about owning another home, but owning our dream home!

And I mean, you know the end of the story (we get to live there!!!!!).  The very same week that our three year time commitment was up in our duplex, our neighbors found another house and accepted our offer on their house.  About two weeks later a couple walked into our house, fell in love with it (the way we did three years ago), and we accepted their offer.  They needed to move in earlier than 63 would be ready, hence the homelessness for a month, but a month of couch surfing to gain great neighbors and a dream home is a small price to pay.

We feel beyond blessed to be able to own this gorgeous home.  We close tomorrow evening and can’t wait to finally call it ours!!  More pictures to come as we move in and get settled!  This picture is from an article published about Hilton Village in the February/March 2011 edition of Old House Journal.

Eeeek!!!