The buying side of things

Well, this is a new experience for us. Being a home buyer and all.

Sure, we're looking for our 3rd home. But...our first 2 were new construction, so the 'looking' part was pretty easy. Cruise websites for floorplans and locations (and prices) we liked, check out the showhomes and essentially custom order your home. Sounds like fun, right?

Yeah, it was I won't lie. But we definitely wanted to try for resale this time around.

1-Time. we're on a serious time constraint. Builders are too, but a very different one. There's no way we could have even got an inventory home this quick.

2-This urban sprawl business. I admit I've added to it with our previous homes, but I'd like to not be a sulprit it I can avoid it. I like greenspace and having animals in the 'wild'.

3-The project. Hubs is handy, I've always said he was. And I like to think I'm pretty darn handy for an accountant too. Plus, I think we work well together, have good ideas and have good taste. So the project of taking something less than perfect and working to get it closer is definitely appealing.

4-Land! New construction doesn't have any. Well, certainly none we'd be able to afford anytime soon. Most try to squeeze as many lots in as small an acreage as possible, making for fairly small, very close lots.

5-It's new. We haven't done it before, and we're not planning to stay in the next house for more than a couple years at most, so what do we have to lose? It's exciting, it's something new and it gives us more information on the real estate market/industry.

So last Friday, I sided with hubs and decided to have some faith and trust that this sale would work out. I'm still not 100% (as evidenced by my unwillingness to pack up anything that we'd need to immediately unpack if the deal falls through), but I'm getting there. And I've certainly acknowledged that if we have a hope in hell of moving into a house on the 11th, and not temporarily boarding with a relative, we have to get our behinds in gear.

We called an agent with a couple degrees of separation that my sister used successfully to buy their first home recently and has been raving about since. She started quickly, setting up our first showing that very evening. It was a bit of a dud-not her fault at all. It fit our criteria, there were just some very serious problems we weren't willing to take on. But...it was pretty neat to try the 'buyers' shoes on.

Since then, every single house we've inquired about has been sold, conditionally sold, or taken off the market. SONUVA!!!

And then...last night at graduation night from level 2 cake classes, our agent (who is 36 weeks pregnant) called and is now due any day. So she's understandably and obviously off the case, but referred us to a friend and seemingly great agent.

The new agent has set up a new search for us and I'm working her to the bone! We're feeling the crunch for sure and, although we're not desperate, at the same time we kind of are. So...I e-mailed her 12 listings from her search to look at...12! Surely there'll be something worthwhile in there...anyone? Anyone????

I'm finally excited about all of this.


Now if only my lawyer would call that the deal's 100%.