Great Find!

Ahhh I'm so excited!! We've found the PERFECT place in Clear Lake! It's a charming little two-bedroom duplex, one block from the lake. There's so many great things about it, I must make a list, as I love to do:

• First of all, it's FURNISHED!
• Secondly, it's very tastefully furnished. And decorated. All of the little candles, curtains, comforters, flowers on the dining room table, little TV in the living room... all stay there, for us to enjoy!
• There's also cleaning supplies and kitchen supplies, like plates, silverware, pans, etc.
• It's also within our price range. It was actually the cheapest place we looked at, and by far the nicest.
• Good location - one block from the lake, and only about four blocks from where Caleb works.
• It's got a small front and back yard, which is mowed and taken care of by a neighbor boy. He also takes care of snow removal.
• We've got our own washer and dryer. Which look really nice and almost new.
• Kitchen appliances are also very nice and almost new.
• Working fireplace.
• Plenty of storage space.
• Two off-street parking spots.
• Nice hardwood floors.
• Newly insulated, so should help with paying utilities.
• Overall very well kept and taken care of. Looked clean when we viewed it, and the landlady will either have a professional clean it before we move in, or take some money off our first month's rent if we clean ourselves.

Here are the only downsides we've seen so far, which are vastly outweighed by the positives. I've also listed my action plan to combat these:

• Only a shower stall in the bathroom, no tub. (I don't fancy shaving in the shower, but I might try to get some type of tub or something to shave with, so I can like sit on the toilet and shave over the tub... I don't know, I'll figure it out.)
• Small bathroom. No counter space. (I plan to get a dresser/vanity with a mirror and a chair, so I can get ready in our spare room. I can do things that don't involve water, like makeup and hair, in there instead of being in the small bathroom.)
• No dishwasher. (I never use the dishwasher at my aunt's house anyways, and Caleb is good about doing his dishes, so we should be ok.)
• Possibly expensive utilities. (We'll call Alliant tomorrow to see what their normal rate is for the duplex. We'll do all we can to stay efficient, but we're willing to pay a little more for a place we love.)

We're working on sending in our application now, and will send the signed lease, first month's rent, and deposit tomorrow if possible. I'm so excited to get this all in place! I can't wait to move in and make it ours.

Yay! :-D