The (sorta, kinda) Big News

I've been hinting at something for a couple of weeks now... but said I wasn't blog-ready for it.

Then I was thinking about it this weekend and a lot of people who read my blog already know... and I'm feeling more and more comfortable telling people about it... so here it goes...

I have decided to buy a house (eek!)

Yes, that's right, I've been house hunting for the past week weeks... and it's surreal, crazy, exciting, nerve wracking, emotional, scary, and really really cool.

But before I get into the details... let's back up and take a look at why I decided to buy a house.

You may remember a couple of months back when I wrote this bittersweet post about moving in with my boyfriend but that meaning I would need to find a new home for my cats.  When my search really didn't find them a home and me just being sad about it all the time, I started to think of different options.

While I was thinking I wanted to rent before buying a house and saving up some money.  I started to really think about why I wanted to rent instead of buying.  And a lot of that was just fear of doing it all myself.  Granted - I think this is a pretty legitimate fear... but I also began to give myself some credit - I could do it myself... after all I know many people who do!

Then back in May, my cousin bought a house and that really started to make me feel like I could do it too.  So I approached the boyfriend with - if I bought a house and found one where we could keep the cats and dogs separated - would you be okay with that?  And surprisingly he said yes.

So then, I really started to think about it - is it the right choice?  Am I doing it for the right reasons?  If we broke up, would I be okay with doing it all on my own?  Those sorts of questions.  I really didn't want to just up and make a decision about something so major!  I wanted to think it out and make sure I was ready.

After deciding that it indeed was what I wanted to do, I started researching how much could I afford.  Because, frankly I had no idea what this amount of house would equal that amount of payment.  After talking it over with some people, I decided my first step would be to get preapproved.

I started by looking on my credit union's website and that took me to a lender's site.  I put in an application and began to work with a loan officer there.  I had a meeting with him (and my dad) to discuss what things might look like.  He was very knowledgeable and was able to lay out what my expected costs would be and if I qualified for a first time home buyers credit (which I don't - sadface!... even though my name was never on the mortgage at my last house, we did file taxes together and deducted interest - so I had some interest in it or whatever... oh well, if that's the only 'bad' thing to come out of the divorce I'm good with it - my credit is awesome so there!)

It was a really great meeting and really let me understand what kinds of costs to expect buying a house.  My mortgage dude, also referred me to a real estate agent.  Since I didn't really have any ties to anyone, I went ahead and used his suggestion.  She got me set up on a site where I can view properties and search by different kinds of criteria.

Using a combination of that site, Zillow, Craigslist, recommendations from friends and family I have been on the hunt.

To date I have seen 11 properties and driven by over 30 different houses (hey ruling some out from the street is necessary!)  Of those 11 that I've seen I seriously considered putting an offer in on two of them.  One, I realized later just wasn't the right house for me - although I really liked it... it was a great house just a small backyard and couldn't get over that. 

The other, I was ready and knew it was great, only to find out someone beat me to the punch... that happened this past weekend and really bummed me out.  I know this is the roller coaster of house hunter, but it's tough to go from being super excited to realizing it just wasn't meant to be.

I am leaving on vacation on Friday and returning on July 27th... and then going out of town again August 1-4 so I'm not sure when I'll see more - if I'll find some this week to see, or if I'll wait awhile.  I'm trying not to over think it... I know I need to be patient.

But that's where I'm currently at - in the market.  I am mostly looking in Lindbergh, Mehlville and Oakville... but now considering widening the search.  I'm looking at around 130k - I've looked at some over that - knowing that's part of the negotiation, but haven't looked at anything over 135k.  (Although I do have some marked on my Listing Book for around 139k)

It's all a very exciting time, and I really can't wait to find the right one.  Since I'm living at home, I'm not in a super rush, which is good, I just know I need to not get that eager and buy something I later regret. 

So that's my big news... I was going to wait until I had found a place, but whatever - I'm sharing now... might as well right??  I can't wait to share with you when I do find a place, and then personalizing it and moving it... Eek!!