whew!

A beautiful whirlwind of events have lead to potential home ownership. I feel so calm through this whole process. Wait, that is inaccurate. The very first morning after we discussed making an offer, a two minute wave of nervousness hit me when I woke up. Then it passed and this amazing feeling of clarity took hold and has not let go. Things are falling into place.

Groovy and I have been house hunting and researching for close to a year now, going to open houses, online searching home buying info, gathering experiences of friends who have been through the process or are in the real estate business, and looking at areas we can afford that are less likely to have gang gunfire. We considered getting a foreclosure and a 203k loan. We considered small bungalows. We created a list of things we must have, things that would be nice and the "definitely nots" that helped eliminate a bunch of homes we saw. We have taken knowledge passed on to us by our parents over the years to help us make a good choice.

Then we went to the most recent few open houses. We opened our possibilities to an area that we hadn't considered before and were pleasantly surprised. A two bedroom raised ranch. From first in-person glance, something was different about this house compared to all the others we saw. The yard was close to perfect. Just add a fence for the dog and it is ideal. The house is a great size, not too opulent and not too "cozy" (real estate lingo for "small"). Quiet neighborhood where people maintain their properties and no through traffic zooming on by. Everything in good repair and many updates on the house, inside and out. And a price that is within our means.

This house was lovingly taken care of for the past eight years by this nice old man who sadly lost his wife and will be residing with family henceforth. This obviously was truly a home for them. He tended to a sweet little vegetable garden. I can imagine him and his wife sipping tea in the kitchen, enjoying the sun on the patio and sitting in quiet bliss in the living room. I believe we will love this house as much as they must have.

So now we are up to the inspection part of the process. We hired an engineer to check out the home this Saturday and I cannot wait to show this house to my family. I am hoping everything goes well for we might be in our own home before we know it (and can maybe move when it is not snowy out...which is an unfortunate habit we have).

Breathing deep and slow.
Namaste'