One sentence weekend update. Went to Christmas parties this weekend and one was too loud so we took Brennon home and the other one I went alone. Ok now here is what is really happening. I can't believe we are doing this, but sometimes in life you have to take a risk to get what you want. So we went house shopping on Saturday. We went to three houses in Frisco and three houses in Plano that met our list. Most of them one of us would like but not the other. I could see how some people spend alot of time looking.

Then there was the last house on the list. It is located in Plano near 121 and Coit, close to Stonebriar Mall. I have been watching it on the internet for months, and just this last week the owner reduced it by 20K.. It is a normal looking house on the outside but is almost twice the size of our existing house. The whole neighborhood is conspicously clean. Lawns are all trim. There are no potholes. It is relatively flat and it has a side walk that goes on for miles. I think it is the homeowners association that keeps it all uniform. We pass a neighborhood park on the way to the house. It was a very spacious park with a playground, a huge community pool and a clubhouse. The local YMCA is also down the road. I can picture Brennon having alot of activities there.

At the doorway to this house you can see a camera staring down at you. As I walked in the door I felt like I was home. It was a very weird feeling. As I start walking in to all of the rooms all of a sudden a light comes on. Then when I leave the room the light goes off. They all have dimmers too. Then I notice little LCD screens in most rooms like the kitchen. I think with 7 cameras in the house you can see things and people at the door on the LCD screens. Then I notice automatic dimmers to control 64 different house light settings. Then I notice automatic blinds to control shading. Then I notice that there are speakers in every room embedded into the walls. The living room and game room have them set up in surround sound fashion. Then I notice the 2 multi-zoned 16 Seer air conditioneers that are programmed per room. There is also a Honeywell UV air filter and electric air filter attached to both units that cleans all of the air by 99%. We have officially entered an energy efficient smart home.

Holly notices the stone floor and long kitchen. We both notice the view of the backyard with a pool and an attached hot tub that feeds into the pool by waterfall, heating it, actually heating the pool by waterfall. I notice the master bedroom is on the first floor. It has a whirlpool tub and a view of the LCD screen in the bathroom and main room. As I walk into the walk in closet the light turning on makes me shout "this is so cool". As I walk up the stairs I can see, in the distance, the breakfast room. The view reminds me of my current home. Having the ability to look so far away and still see your house gives me a feeling of kinglyness. Holly is excited at the look and feel of the house. We agree. I want it and she wants it.

Of course, we do have a problem. We have not sold our existing house. But I figured if we could get approved for it, we might be able to swing it. So last night I pulled together assets and talked with a banker and actually got pre-qualified and pre-approved as long as the owner pays the closing costs. I visit the house tonight to check on all of the systems and verify they are all in working order. If it is all good we are going to put an offer down. I think this is actually going to happen. The process should take 45 days, so our move in would be the middle of January or February. Having two mortgages will put our discretionary funds close to zero, but it will be possible to survive. Just maybe Christmas this year might be very very light, and monetary gifts are always nice. But I think a new smart house makes a great present so we will be very happy with that. Everyone should own a smart house. It has a compass in the stock and a thing that tell time. A++++