Good News!!

Sorry for the lack of posting lately! Ever since we got back from our trip out west we've been spending all our spare time looking for our first house! As some of you may know, we had plans for building but came to decide (while on vacation) that we didn't feel it was right (for various reasons).
So the search was on! We looked at tons of houses on the internet. Lucky for us, here in South Carolina, house prices are very good. We found many we were interested in and decided it was time to see some in person! So, a week from yesterday we went and saw 4 houses.
The first one was the cheapest and also the farthest from Joel's work. It was very "lived in" and needed a bit of work. And the lot was large but the yard area (that was flat and fenced in) was not.
So on to #2. The house was on the smaller side, but was pretty nice. And the yard was huge! It had a deck, large trees, a playground, and was fenced in. Part of the property extended past the fence at the back and went down to the river! We were liking it!
The next house's residents decided not to leave while we looked at it. Which was sort of awkward! Especially since they were bathing their little boys who then ran around naked and wet. Hmm. Anyways, it had nice floors but the backyard was treeless and so small compared to #2.
The last house was on the same street at some of our friends, which was cool! It was a very nice house, with no one living in it currently. The back yard was a little on the small side but was very well taken care of with green grass, flowers, some trees, and even a little garden spot.
So.....which did we choose? I bet you can guess :)
We chose #2!
Just to be sure I went and looked at 1 more house last Monday, but again, the yard was tiny.
Joel had to go to Virgina for a business trip on Tuesday and Wednesday (bad timing huh! oh well) but when he got back on Thursday we put in our offer on the second house. We were hoping for some good negotiations (like on HGTV he he) but they came back saying that they couldn't come down on the price because that was how much they owed on it. But, actually the day we put in our offer they had brought down the price of the house 5,000 so it was at that price they were sticking to. We were bummed that they wouldn't budge, but really that price wasn't bad. If they hadn't brought down the price that day, and we had bantered back and forth and ended up at that price we would have been happy.
So today we are under contract! Now on to the inspection and appraisal. If all goes well we should close September 11th! Yippe! You'll just have to wait until then to see the house :)