May

So, it's the middle of May already. How does that happen?

I found a house! This is the second house I've put an offer on. I loved the first one and was super excited about it... only to find out a week later that there were lots of other offers and they picked someone else. That was devastating, but as everyone kept reminding me... things happen for a reason and there's a reason that house wasn't meant to be mine. Any idea how irritating that is when you're the one actually in the situation? I will admit it, they were right! So, I kept looking. Nothing fantastic was jumping out at me and I was beginning to wonder if I was being too picky because nothing came close to the one I bid on. Then two weeks ago we're out with our list of houses and the second one we come to is rather cute... from the outside. So, in we go... or not. The key was missing from the key box. Apparently this happens a lot. Someone will see a property that they like and their realtor will take the key so that no one else can view the property. Shady, but it happens. So, my agent calls the listing agent and she tells us to try the back door. No luck. So, I try the basement door and hit pay dirt. We're in! And the basement is a good size with very tall ceilings. And, oddly, very clean for a basement. Oh, and it also comes with a washer and dryer! Can't beat that! So, we head upstairs. We come into the kitchen which is actually a nice size. Older and in need of some updating, but nothing that has to be done immediately. It has a fridge, stove and dishwasher... sweet! The dining room is a good size and it's right off of the kitchen. I think it's likely that it used to be a bedroom and they turned it into a dining room, but that's cool with me and likely what I would've done anyway. There's a full bathroom and a bedroom towards the front of the house on the first floor and a good sized living room as well. The stairs going to the second floor are in the living room. The second floor has two bedrooms and another full bathroom. The backyard is HUGE for a city lot. The garage is small. Not too concerned about it. I can fit my truck and bike in it so it'll do for now. So, I will admit that when I walked into this house I didn't get the "oh I have to have this house!" feeling like I did on the first house I put an offer on. I did however really like this house and I could see myself in it with no trouble at all. So, after we finished our tour of the rest of the houses on the list I came home and crunched the numbers. Called my agent and the next morning we wrote up the offer. By the time we were done I admitted to him that I liked this house even more than the first one. He said he did as well. So, off I go all excited again. Although this time I think I was a little more prepared for the likelihood of not being accepted again. We find out the next day that there are two other offers for the same amount. One is identical to mine. Same type of loan, etc. The other is a cash offer. Cash offers win. I was crushed. However, I was told that the cash offer asked to have some time to get their ducks in a row and the other offer that was identical to mine didn't seem interested anymore. So, we waited.... and waited... you get the idea. Finally a week later we find out that the cash offer either lost interest or fell apart and so in turn they ACCEPTED MY OFFER! No shit!? So, I have a contract on a perfectly wonderful house! It's a short sale so now we're waiting for the bank to approve it (keep fingers crossed!). Once that happens we'll have 30 days to close. So, the process is rolling. Short sales can take a long time, but I think this house is worth it. Plus, I don't have to hurry to get out of my current living situation. My landlord, aka Mom, will not throw me out and I don't have to give a crazy amount of notice to leave. That and the fact that she may be more excited than I am (likely because she wont be the one paying the mortgage) puts me in a good position. So, that's where that stands. I'm very excited! When I found out that there were other offers on the table I said to my boyfriend, Metal Dave, that I guessed I wouldn't start picking out paint colors. I'm thinking I may be able to start doing that now. Still trying not to put the cart before the horse... but it's hard. And I'm excited!

I guess that's about all for now. Time to get back to cleaning and throwing stuff away so it'll be easier to move (regardless of whether it's this house or another one).