But It's So FUN Being Schizophrenic

Okay, so we didn't actually buy a house this past weekend but we did find two contenders. One was a new sort of McMansiony thing with a dream kitchen and high ceilings and a Scarlet O'Hara staircase.

I really liked that kitchen.

But it didn't have a pool and we really love our pool. The girls really want a pool. My husband really wants a pool.

The other house we saw that spoke to us is this split-level (as in: five different levels!) that needs a new kitchen and a reworking of the exterior in order to add some curb appeal, but which has an amazing--absolutely amazing-- backyard, with a pool and, get this, a hand-crafted GAZEBO. I am not making that up.

My husband really liked that back yard.

I felt like I could go either way with the houses. The funky house has a full suite downstairs --including a kitchen-- where our relatives (read: my MOMMY!) can come and plop themselves down for a good long visit and still have a bit of privacy. It's got a bunch of bathrooms --they are small but there are a lot of them. (No jetted bathtub but it does have a hot tub out back that seats eight people.)

We went back to see the Funky House on Sunday and took a ton of pictures and talked about what we could do with it, etc. and then we submitted an offer, which was dismissed outright by the owners. I don't want to say they laughed at us, but that answer came back pretty darn fast.

So, we decided to think a bit more about it and crunch some numbers (that would be Coop) and then counter with a little higher offer.

But yesterday, after I'd travelled with the Gross Peeling Man and rushed my kids around to all of their after school things and unpacked and tried to do my laundry with my still non-functioning dryer, by the time I talked to my husband, the only thing that sounded appealing to me was relaxing in that huge jetted bathtub in the McMansion and then coming downstairs to admire that sub-zero refrigerator.

I love me some sub-zero.

So, Coop and I had a discussion last night where I said things like, "But the laundry is on the very bottom floor and we're all the way upstairs!" and "I've learned my lesson; we'll have to HIRE someone to paint!" and "Dude, if we are spending that kind of money, how can we possible afford to remodel?"

The next day, when the people countered our counter, Coop basically wrote the house off and told the Realtor that the price we'd submitted was our final price and if they didn't take it, we wished them well and maybe we'd see them in January when the market dropped even further. Then he called me to see if we should submit a bid on the McMansion.

I said, "What? Are you crazy? You WANT to put in a pool? We'd have to finish the basement in that one and you know what? I simply cannot see us living in that house. Talk about snobby, nouveau-riche..."

Coop's head might have spun around like the woman in the Exorcist because he said, very slowly and carefully, "After last night, I thought you were really against the OTHER house. Because you said you couldn't picture where we would do our living in that house and all that about the laundry and all..."

I said, "Well, I got some sleep and some exercise. So, um, I changed my mind. Sorry about that. I think it's going to be perfect and I'm getting all excited about it now."

So, then the people took our offer and it appears that we are (pending the inspection) going to be the new owners of a funky little house on Long Island that's going to need some remodeling.

I'll post some pictures when we know a little more...but I just have to show you guys the backyard (taken from an upstairs window so you can kind of see the screen):


I'm thinking this just might be the New Cooper Clubhouse.