We Won't Be Homeless.

No, "we won't be homeless" isn't just the mantra I've been repeating to myself for the last month. Now it's actually a fact. We found a new place, which fits most of my oh so picky criteria. (You know, things like "safe" and "quiet" and "under $5k/month".)

Except for all the stress, it's actually awesome that we found our new spot when we did. There will be no rent overlap, Scott and I have most of next weekend off work to move, and our buddy with a massive van is out of town and lending it to us while he is gone. We're pretty stoked.

So last time we moved, I posted pictures of how basically every single room in the house was an upgrade. This time, I've just snapped a few pictures of the new house to highlight my favorite parts...

These are phone quality photos, by the way. In real life, everything ins't so... grainy.

Anyways, below is the kitchen. Which is neat. Its big enough (with gas hobs and a full size oven!), bright and cheerful with a nice view of the hills, but get serious- what is awesome this photo is that heat stove!!!! It's a pellet stove, so no bothering with starting and stoking fires. Just flick it on and its churning out magic economy priced heat in no-time.

Also, I like the open plan of the living room, which is where I'm standing. Stairs go up to the right to the bedrooms and bathroom, and stairs go down to the left to the garage and bike room.

Next up, the bathroom. Our last two places have had the oh-so-kiwi bathroom (the one with the bath) and then toilet room. The one with the... well, you get it. This is definitely handy when guests are staying, but on the other hand can be a bit of a pain. I like washing my hands immediately... etc. and basically just enjoy the American-ness of an all-inclusive bathroom.

 But even better- the shower. The water pressure. It's. Devine.

The garage is twice as large as the one we have now, as is the bike room- but I thought pictures of these things are a bit boring. The yard is small like our old one- but so much more useful. Mainly because now we have a deck! It's over the garage, providing a neat view of the neighborhood.

The thing is, I was too lazy to get a good picture of the patio because it was raining outside and I didn't want to get my feet wet. So there's a mediocre phone picture of the entertaining space from an awkward angle taken out the living room window.

Last but not least, we have a bit of the view. No, it's not the old one.

That's the old one...

Ya'll may think we're certifiable, but we traded that in for a view of the hills. Maybe only something a couple of mountain bikers would find just as beautiful.

View from the kitchen window

So there you have it. I met all the critical criteria and a few of the bonuses. We have: 

a) A good location- heck there's mountain bike trails that start out the door and its on a quiet street. 

b) An affordable price. It's $40/week more than our old house... but just the amount of money we save in petrol will cover this cost increase.

c) A garage. It's a double.

d) A heat source. Refer to picture #1! Plus there's heaters in each bedroom!!!

e) A decent kitchen. Check.

f) The extras... Nooo, there's not double pane windows or insulation. This is still NZ! But, private outdoor space, yes! Sunny, not really. Dishwasher, well it's broken but might get fixed. Internal access garage, yes! Laundry away from living space, yes! Off street parking, yes! Nice neighbors, we think so! Decent water pressure, YES! Earthquake repairs done... NO. This is yet another property that has a clause in the lease basically stating we will have to go when it's their turn for repairs. Lucky for us, they're nowhere close yet.

So we are happy with our decision. We can both commute to work via bike, and are much closer to friends and great mountain bike trails. Now, we have 8 days to make this happen (oh, and work full time) (oh, and celebrate my birthday) (and pack) before we leave for the States!