So, we went back to searching.
House hunting is so stressful. And disappointing. And frustrating. Especially if you don’t have a huge budget.
My husband and I started searching for our first home shortly after our engagement. We knew the process would take time and we wanted to be ready to move in together after our wedding. We underestimated how long it would take.
I found a little yellow Victorian just outside of the city limits that I had loved since childhood. Before our realtor could get us inside, the house was bought up by the neighbors who didn’t want anyone living next door.
So, we went back to searching.
This time we found a little, white, 2 bedroom house. It wasn’t in the country, but the neighborhood was tucked away so that it felt like you were. But, it turned out we weren’t the only ones looking for a quiet place to make our home. Three offers came in at the same time. They sellers accepted someone else’s offer.
So, we went back to searching.
Then we found another little, 2 bedroom house. It was across the street from a school and our backyard neighbor was actually a nature trail. But, the seller’s agent was impossible to work with — first telling us one thing and then the seller another. In frustration, the seller broke off the contract and we were back where we started.
So, we went back to searching.
Then a house in the country came up for sale and I was elated! I don’t care for town life. It’s so different from growing up in the country. All the noises are unfamiliar. It seems to lack privacy. I feel like I’m trying to play a game using the wrong rule book. But, the house was bought up by a developer before our realtor could even get us in to look.
So, we went back to searching.
A friend of ours let us know about a house in their neighborhood that was sitting empty. Someone had signed a rent-to-own contract and then suddenly left town. The yard was large, the rooms were large, the neighbors were a good distance away…it was perfect! Except the seller wanted us to rent-to-own and the deal sounded shady. This time we decided to walk away.
So, we went back to searching.
I was so frustrated. I searched and searched. Family and friends tried to keep their eyes and ears open for us. We looked at everything in our price range. No joke — our realtor literally ran out of houses to show us.
We looked at houses that had animals living in them (wild animals, not pets). We looked at houses that had holes in the foundation so large that we could stick our hand through (and on one occasion did). We looked at houses that had removed support walls so the floors felt like trampolines. We looked at one house where we could reach our hand out the window and touch our neighbor’s house.
Even if we had wanted to buy one of these houses and fix it up, our bank would never have approved the mortgage.
I finally accepted the fact that I may have to find a house in the next town and commute to work.
House #1 — Full of mold. Again, discouraging.
House #2 — Call the bank, we’ve got a winner!
When we walked through the front door we knew this house was the one. We had quit asking the bank to pre-approve our mortgage because we had been on the hunt for so long. So, on a Saturday morning, standing in the living room of the house we wanted to buy, we called a bank and got pre-approved. We then drove back to the realtor’s office and wrote up an offer. It really happened that quick!
Inspections and paperwork slowed the process down a bit, but shortly after the new year we were eating pizza on the dining room floor of our new house. We probably could have waited until we got some of the furniture moved in, but…
Who am I kidding? We had been practicing driving by our “new house” for weeks before it was officially ours. We went straight from the signing to our new home. There was no time to stop and pick up boxes or furniture! It was ours and we loved it!
But, 5 years later, our lives have really changed. We’ve changed jobs and now both of us are commuting and our kids are attending school in a different district (to be closer to us while we’re at work). We have a great house and great neighbors, but it would be nice not to spend so much time driving.
So, we went back to searching.
