As Promised

I have been even more brain dead than normal today but I did promise you the details about our new house. Wil and I really wanted a house, instead of an apartment, a duplex, or a townhouse, but quickly realized that finding a rental in the area that we wanted would prove to be rather difficult. First of all, demand completely outstripped any kind of supply because a huge number of American Forces were being relocated to our area due to the base/post realignment and closure. Secondly, far too many German landlords had been badly burned by irresponsible dog owners, so quite a few practically hung up on us when we told them we had two big mutts. My heart got a little heavier every time we pulled up to yet another disappointing looking place, which we HAD to see only because they allowed dogs. Toward the end of a completely exhausting second house hunting day when desperation was beginning to thicken, we took a chance and ambushed a landlord of a house that we deemed most promising thus far. We had already set up an appointment for the following day but found out that we were second in line. I wasn't entirely proud of our behavior, but the screaming baby in the backseat made us do it. We had spoken to the landlord a couple of times and he really sounded like he liked us a lot. So we drove by the house, saw it, immediately loved it, and called the landlord to beg him to let us see it early. The house is located in a very small and completely charming farming village. I could probably walk from one edge of the town to another within 15 minutes. Wil will have a 15-minute commute to work and 98% of it is highway driving with very little traffic, if any. The best part is that we have a great big fenced-in backyard for the boys. The main level of the house is wall-to-wall carpeted, a rarity in a German house, which is exactly what I want for the baby. Granted, it hasn't been updated in probably 10 years or so, but I think it only fuels the spirit of DIYers in us. We got a free reign from the landlord to do pretty much whatever we saw fit to the house and yard, and we are super excited about that. It already has a great structure and just needs our touches to make it home.

*This is what Wil wants to add to my bit:
It is a 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, with the master and nursery on the main entrance floor and the other two on the lower level. The landlord is retired US military and completely charming. He offered to give us much of the furniture that was already in the house (most of it as outdated as the house itself). The house and sqm is not as big as some but it is perfect for us. We go on Monday to finalize the contract and we couldn't be happier.