We decided!
July 21st, 2008 -- Posted in family, future / dreams / goals, hill to haven, pics | 4 Comments »So we did go with the “quiet crescent” option! 
We went back to the Sales Centre and model homes yesterday (this time dropping the kids off with my parents first!) and spent some more times in the homes. Although we really loved the layout of the Sutherland, the Westminster was a really nice place, too, and we could picture how to change things from the way they have it set up in the model home that would better suit our needs. For example, the model home has a large living room area in the blended living/dinning room area (along with a piano in the dinning room, um, no!), but we would make the dinning room part take up more of the space and have a smaller living room area.
After exploring each house again a 2nd time and going over the floor plans again (and again), we decided it was a perfectly OK compromise – the Westminster would be a great home, and it would be worth switching to since it means a) we’d get to build on the quiet crescent instead of the busy street and b) we’d have a closing date of April 2009 instead of Sept 2009 (and therefore would not disrupt the kids’ school year!).
So we went for it! We put a hold on the lot and this week we’ll finish getting all our ducks in row to take care of the financial aspect of things. We could go with the banks (or broker) that I’ve already been in touch with (and pre-approved with), but if we switch banks and use the builder’s “preferred” financial option, we get a $1650 credit towards upgrades. I’ll take the upgrades thanks!
Until we sign those papers though (and write all the cheques for the down-payment), someone could come along and try to “challenge” our hold by providing a firm offer of their own (pens and cheques in hand). We’d still have priority to keep the property but we’d have to come back within 2 hours with our own signed agreements and money in the bank. And if our funds were still tied up and in process of being released from our RRSPs, etc., we could lose the house. 
But yesterday when we were told about a lot that had a “hold” on it where we could build the Sutherland if we wanted to “challenge” the existing hold, I was like “That would be kinda mean.” And we didn’t do it. So I’m hoping that no one will come along and do that to us.
Assuming all goes well though, hopefully we’ll be signing the papers this week and will be home-owners next Spring (still not moving ’til the end of June or start of July though)!
Oh, and we have a good omen on our side! Avery keeps saying that our new house will be across “Crocodile Lake”, and right across the street from the lot is a bit construction muddle puddle lake! LOL 
So really that house was meant to be ours!!!
Here’s a pic of the model that would be built, followed by some pics of the site of our (hopefully!) future home!
