House hunting...

As you know, we have been living with my parents while we save and get things in order to buy our first home. To say I have been waiting for this moment is an understatement. Ever since I discovered HGTV years ago I have been fantasizing about this moment. I dreamed about walking through all different types of homes, tossing out words like "curb appeal" and discussing how we could "make it our own." I was sure I would be the tough negotiator, because I was essentially a real estate genius by proxy, logging thousands of hours watching House Hunters, My First Place and Property Virgins.

Speaking of Property Virgins, can we talk about Sandra Rinamato for a moment? Is she not the coolest? No nonsense, totally knows her stuff and always get the deal. I am not ashamed to admit that I actually looked on HGTV.com to see if they were filming Property Virgins in Cincinnati anytime soon – I would have died to be on that show.

Back to the house hunt. So the moment was upon us. Our first day of house hunting. 3 houses. 2 duds. 1 contender. Gorgeous "curb appeal," open floor plan and opportunities for upgrades.

But we didn't want to settle for the first thing we liked so we planned for another outing for Friday after Thanksgiving. Our realtor called on Wednesday, "Eat your Wheaties, we have 14 houses to see."

14 houses? I couldn't even imagine how it that was possible. But we carbed up on Thanksgiving and were ready to go bright and early on Friday. Our first outing helped us solidify our list of wants: open floor plane, newer house with room for upgrades but no major construction, open kitchen and yard space.

First house was a winner, good space, backed right up to one of the leading high schools in the area, lots of trees.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of homes that ran the gamut. From spacious ranches that were meticulously decorated to foreclosures with great space but so much damage we couldn't see past it. I was on fire too. "That's an easy fix" "I can see it" "Good school district" " Excellent resale value" were just rolling off my tongue. I was like an HGTV poster child.

It was so interesting to see all the different floor plans, to learn what to look for in a home, to learn what you should never compromise on and to learn about yourself and what you really need to feel at home.

But the most encouraging thing was how many great homes there were out there in our price range. Beautiful, spacious and places we could definitely see ourselves living.

It was such a fun day and one I will never forget. This is just the beginning of a fun-filled journey and we hope to have some exciting news to share with you sooner rather than later.

What was your favorite part of house hunting? Were there any doozies that you saw? What was the coolest home you toured?