The Search

Friday was spent previewing properties that The Son might be interested in buying. We started at 9:00AM and finished up at 1:15PM. So much for my day off. We saw a total of nine properties. Out of the nine properties, we determined four were worth a second look. A few of the nine were within his price range, a few were not and a few were just out and out dumps. One had a half finished inside wall, graffiti sprayed all over the walls and a rug that was so nasty that I felt like I should be wearing a biohazard suit. Lovely. The one good aspect about this hunt for a home for The Son is that he has qualified for a high enough mortgage that we don't don't have to co-sign for him. Tomorrow we continue the hunt and we'll look at two townhouses and two condos that Ann and I have already looked out and taken pictures of (I took 91 pictures on Friday - how great are digital cameras?) and that he has expressed interest in seeing. There was one townhouse I really liked, but upon reflection, it has no backyard or deck/patio as the unit behind it shares a common back wall. Where do you go to enjoy a drink after work and watch the sun set? In fact it only has one exit - the front door. That would seem to be a fire code violation, but what do I know. Also it has a really nice living room area, but no real place to place a dining table that wouldn't look out of place and just strange. He's hoping to make a final decision on a place tomorrow so he can start making offers. He really is anxious to be out of the house and on his own. We'll see how this plans out. In his favor, its quite a buyers market right now.

Today, Saturday, has been devoted to watching college football. We watched the Hokies revenge their earlier loss to Boston College in Blacksburg and win the ACC Championship. Navy also beat Army for the 6th straight year. Since we consider ourselves a Navy family, that's always a big plus. On the downside, we probably watched a few young men play today that will die in the senselessness that is Iraq. Such a waste.

Our neighborhood is slowly coming alive with holiday lights. We hope to get ours up tomorrow, house hunting and Redskin football permitting. I'll post pictures once they are up. Enjoy your weekend.