Location, Location, Location

When we were looking for a house in the summer of 2004, we had requirements of four bedrooms and a good school district. We were looking while the bubble was still fully inflated, so it was some slim pickings. The houses we saw required massive updating or were 'quaint' (meaning no storage) in close to downtown areas. We like the IDEA of quaint.

And then we saw our house on the FIRST day it was on the market. And we jumped. And we got it, with two other people waiting behind us JUST IN CASE something fell through on our deal. We liked our house, but the location wasn't as perfect as we were looking for. We're on the major thouroughfare of the subdivision.

We've also found out that our house might not have the best construction ever. Or more accurately, has little to no updating over its forty years. This, of course, costs us money all over the place.

But the location, well, that's just gotten better. Parks and schools of course. Now that summers here we can walk to get ice cream. And I can walk to the store - two grocery stores, actually, as well as Kohl's. There are a few restaurants to choose from, though we rarely eat out. And now, I'm figuring out the bus schedule so that we can ride to the Metra train and meet Daddy one night. That might not sound all that exciting to an adult - but trust me, to a three year old, that is FANTASTIC.

This location was dumb luck!