Sometimes when big things are happening in my life I like to bring you all along for the journey...and sometimes it feels so big and scary and unreal that I forget to mention it until it's all said and done. This latest announcement feels like the latter, and I can't believe I am working on this from our new home (and by the way, it is definitely not the one in the header image - that's the gorgeous Plantation on Sunnybrook)! So how did we even get here? There's a story for that...
Nathan and I bought a condo when we were first married - in fact, the closing happened only a few days after my college graduation. I had not yet turned 20 and I was signing a 30-year mortgage, which was (and is!) absolutely terrifying. We lived in that house for 5 years before selling it and while I won't go into details on here (ask me in person!) we were very badly burned in the process. We loved our home and our neighborhood, but we ended our time there in a very miserable way.
After such a bad experience we were ready to rent ONLY - and to be honest, I'm still part of the 'renters for life' mindset. We have enjoyed having our own space over the past almost 2 years, yet not being responsible for everything that goes wrong. We rented a small single-family home with an itty-bitty backyard that worked well for us. We didn't need anything bigger and we didn't want a huge space to take care of. On top of that, we were able to save a good amount of money per month. The house certainly has its flaws, but we have overall been extremely happy to live here.
In the fall, based on some advice from our financial advisor, we tentatively looked at a few houses just to see if there was anything available. We were only looking in a specific area of a choice school district (both close to Nathan's job and the best schools around) and honestly did not think we would be able to move anytime soon. Lo and behold, we stumbled across a house that seemed like a great deal in the exact location we wanted. A few days later we took a tour and while I can't say we 'fell in love' with it, we began to think over the possibilities.
Slowly, as we discussed the quirks and the things we didn't like about it, we realized all those things worked to our advantage. We waited a little while to put in an offer, and the rest if (pretty much) history! After a little back and forth we came to an agreement with the seller and decided to close in mid-January. All of a sudden we were homeowners again at a house we can grow into, host people in anytime, and a place near almost everyone and everything we love.
So, last weekend, we packed all our stuff and moved. We had a million friends and family to help and while every move is stressful and exhausting, we count ourselves lucky. It has all felt like a whirlwind (especially with a crazy December month in between!) but we know that, for now, this is the best decision. I still can't believe it - we bought a house!!!
