Jumping may not be the most accurate word for our entry into the world of Real Estate. Cannon-balling in may be the best term. Nathan and I are dreamers. Since I can remember we've been talking about "when we buy a house" like it's in the distant future rather than something that is a reality for us soon (very soon).
We started looking at houses this spring? late winter? (it's all sort of a blur). A house came on the market and my boss said-- just take a look. So, we did. It sort of jump started the whole process and soon we were addicted. It still somehow seemed as though we'd never afford what we wanted. To make a long/boring story short we found some good lending options that we were eligible for and decided to sign up for a home-buyer's education class. In the mean time we continued to look at properties.
We finished our class Thursday night and had plans to see 3 houses on Saturday with our broker. The second house we looked at immediately stood out. It was in a great location and had a beautiful lawn. I was sort of in love before I even stepped into the front door.
On a side note--- Nathan and I are lucky in that we have the same taste(mostly). We aren't into the whole modern/new thing. If you know us at all this is obvious since we love our apartment which was built in 1901. A few things we like: old, charm, history. We especially enjoy an old farmhouse feel because Nathan grew up on a farm. We also don't believe in the idea of a "starter home." We want a forever home.
So anyway, this is an old Farmhouse built in 1900. It's a 3 story home with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. It's charming... and that's an understatement. It's so us. As though this wasn't enough, it has a 2 story barn that we (especially Nathan) adore.
It didn't take us long to realize that we were seriously interested in this house. We found out on Sunday that another offer was coming in on the house. After scrambling to get to the bank Monday and determining-- can we really do this?-- we put an offer on the house. Let me tell you, I knew it would be an emotional and nerve racking process, but I really had no idea. I was awake once every hour last night thinking about it. The two offers were presented today and we got a call that they want until the end of the week to decide because of a few things we asked for in our offer. Ok.... so not good news, but definitely not bad. So, I am assuming it'll be a very sleepless week with a lot of pretending to not get my hopes up. But, if you know me... you know they're already WAY up.
One of the best qualities my husband has is that he is the most optimistic person I've ever met. We keep telling ourselves that if it is meant to be then we will get it, and if we don't it's because "our house" is still out there waiting for us to find it! I just hope I'll remember this when we hear the news! Did we expect to put an offer on a home 3 days after we finished our class? No. Did we expect to find a home that we absolutely loved so soon? No. But here it is, so until next time please say a little prayer for us!
