Buying a House: To Make a Long Story Short...

Buying a house is a lot like having a baby.

1. When you first think about it, it's a little scary. It's a lot of commitment. A child is forever, and a house is almost that. 30 years? I can't even imagine.

2. When the timing is right, you just know. I've had lots of friends buy houses before me. I thought we might've (or should've) saved more money first before even looking, but May of this year was the time for us, so we took the leap and got pre-approved for a loan.

3. You'll never feel quite rich enough for one. I have yet to actually "save up" to have a baby. We had exactly what we needed to get a house, but no more. It's always worked out remarkably well, but I can't explain why or how.

4. You'll never have a perfect one, but you'll get the right one. I knew this before we started looking at houses. I don't know what I wanted, exactly, but I knew it when I saw it. It wasn't completely what I would've expected, but I love it. The same can be said of my children!

5. It'll probably cost more than you think. My doctor's bills are piling up as I write this. :) Houses in this area aren't cheap because the market didn't suffer as much as it did nationally. We found that we couldn't afford a regular stick-built home in our price range, but that's okay. Although our loan covers 100%, there were a couple of fees we had to cover out of pocket.

Earnest money: $500 (Goes to the realtor.)
Home inspection: $300
Appraiser: $465

6. It takes a stinking long time. When people tell you about the paperwork involved, they aren't kidding. I am one of those people who finds pregnancy to be insufferably long, especially in the last month...and week...and any day I go over my due date!

Our original closing date was set at June 26th, and I thought, "Okay, this is nice, but I bet it won't happen." It didn't. Neither did July 9th, 15th, or 17th. I came to realize that the 26th of June felt a lot like my 37th week in pregnancy. Sure, the baby is "full term", but nothing is going to happen. By the 17th, (3 weeks later), I started feeling like having a nervous breakdown. I felt exactly like I did when I reached my due date with Kenny but had no idea if he was ever going to be born.

We finally closed on Friday, 2 days after what I felt was the "due date".

7. It's a lot of work but completely worth it. The first month with a baby is the hardest for me, and I think my first month as a homeowner is just as hard. I have a lot of the same feelings: "Am I really ready for this? Will the work ever end? It is going to get easier?"

Even a week later, the answer is YES! My initial fears have calmed down a lot. I have a list of projects to do and a yard to think about now, but I love my home because it's my very own. Without further ado, here are some pictures of our place. (The same as FB, sorry!)

living room

office (back of living room)

kitchen/dining

my silly boys

laundry

shelving in laundry

front view of the wilderness

boys' room

bath

spare/future girl's (or girls') room

master

master bath

front

back yard

pretty view out front

another nice view