Friday, February 24, 2012

There and Back Again...

I feel like this is an appropriate title for this post because it seems like I'm about to go on an EPIC journey! Today marked the start of buying my very first house and all that that entails. I woke up this morning a bundle of nerves. I don't know why I do this to myself, but I get the worst case of social anxiety when it comes to meeting new people and today I met my lender AND my real estate agent for the first time.

The good news is, things went great. I got pre approved for much more than I'll ever need, and my lender is fantastic! Small world...when he was looking at my credit report we discovered that we actually worked together in 1999 at my first job! Crazy! I had no intentions of meeting with my agent and seeing houses today, but I DID plan on doing a drive by of a house I had my eye on since I was out on the north shore anyway.

I suppose I should give you a geographical lesson real quick so you know what this north shore business is :p Right now, I live in New Orleans which is on the SOUTH shore of Lake Ponchartrain. The north shore of lake ponchartrain is about 30 minutes away from the city but vastly different. It has all of the charm of little boutiques and shops and coffee shops, but it also has lots of woods and forest and farmable land, etc. Can you see the plan for me???

So I called my agent just to let her know that I got pre approved and that I was going to drive by that house that I was loving and she said she would meet me there! So I met her too :) I didn't love the house :( I was really disappointed because from the pics it had everything I wanted. Wood floors, porch, granite counters in the kitchen, spa tub, walk in closet, relatively new, etc, etc....problem is...it's a modular home. One of those homes that are pre made and just shipped over. It doesn't FEEL like a home to me. It felt plastic almost. My agent said "well lets go to my office and put together an offer!" LOL She's a go getter. She's great. I had to let her down and tell her I wasn't in love with it.

But it was a good exercise. I told her what I liked and what I didn't and we're going to go next Saturday and look at LOTS! I'm super duper excited!!!! Mostly I wanted to warn everyone that you will probably be seeing lots of squeeing and whining possibly and house buying updates for the next while here :/ Yes, there will still be book reviews too :p Just a fair warning though.

Best news of all...once I can get settled in down here, I can bring Matt down here and we can finally start a life together :) Yes, we have a life together now, but we're not physically together and that makes things hard sometimes. So I guess I'm just asking you to keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Hopefully up next is a review of the Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey as I'm almost finished this amazing book. Anyone have any amazing weekend plans??

19 comments:

Cath said...

Fingers firmly crossed, Chris. Good luck with everything and it is *so* worth hanging on until you find the right house for you (and Matt).

Amy said...

aw good luck with everything! What an exciting time in your life.

Amanda said...

Yay!! Yay that you got pre-approved, and yay that you got past that anxiety (I know how tough that is!!) and met the people you needed to meet to make it all happen. I'm sorry the house you wanted turned out ot be modular. Jason and I have had that experience before and it's a bit startling. Sometimes you just can't see from the pictures! But you'll find a great home for you guys, I know it!

Megan said...

How exciting! Here's hoping you find the perfect place! =)

DesLily said...

awww, sorry this one wasn't it. I know you are anxious..but calm down and find what you really want!..and at the price that won't break you! love you baby boy!! most of all i want you and matt to be happy, happy, happy!!!

Keshalyi said...

*shudder* Oh god, I hated having a realtor there when we went housing. I always just wanted her to go away so we could look around, stop sounding irritated that I wanted to look at the back corners fo cabinets, and the cracks in the walls. Its like a car salesman, except at least you can look in the windows of a car alone, without the police getting concerned.

Glad you didn't let her push you into a house that wasn't right! I hope you find the right one soon!

My Gallery of Worlds said...

Oh, what an exciting time for you Chris!! You'll know the right one when you find it. Never settle!!! That's my motto. It doesn't have to be the biggest, or most expensive to be a loving home. Your home is an extension of who you are as a person. So I'm sure yours will be warm, open, inviting and have a big beautiful garden <3

Anonymous said...

Fingers crossed! And the toes, too!

We're fortunate that Mitch's mom is a real estate agent...it makes our house hunting pretty stress-free (except for the whole lender part that's hard to avoid).

Fence said...

Good luck with everything Chris. I've just started on the same journey :) Made an offer on Friday, not sure if it'll be accepted, but you have to start somewhere :)

Bookfool said...

Good luck, Chris! We've been house-hunting for 2 years, now, but haven't had any luck but MS hasn't been hit by the flood of housing that most places have. Hope you find the perfect house, soon!

Jeane said...

How exciting! Buying a house is a big thing. I'm sure you'll find the right one eventually. Can't wait to see some pics when you find your dream house!

Memory said...

Good luck, Chris! What an exciting time.

Daphne said...

Yay!! Enjoy! This process is really fun; don't get discouraged. You'll find the perfect house. I did not believe I would, but I totally did: the PERFECT house for me. You will too.

Kailana said...

How exciting! I look forward to you finding your house. Then I can come visit! haha!

Susan said...

Whoohoo! home shopping is fun as well as anxiety-inducing...so enjoy it,and you seem to have a good idea of what you want, too. I'm thrilled this is happening for you, Chris. And I hope to see pictures, and then later hear about your garden. Oh yes!!! Fingers crossed you find your home soon.

Becky said...

Oh my goodness! So exciting! :) *Squee* I bought a house two years ago, and despite all the stress of doing it on my own, it now feels AMAZING. You're coming in at an even better time than I did too, which must be a relief.

I can't wait to see what you decide on, if you get a plot of soil to keep growing things, and if/when Matt can become part of it all! :) What exciting, fun times.

chrisa511 said...

Thanks everyone for putting such a huge smile on my face :D Y'all just overwhelm me with your kindness. I have it down to about 16 houses I want to see at this point :p I'm going next Saturday to look some more, so I'll be in touch more about houses then!!!!

Marg said...

Such an exciting time! And I am sure that you will know as soon as you walk into your right house! I certainly did with mine.

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Fingers and toes and legs and arms are all crossed. Very excited for you Chris. But don't let that agent talk you into a house you're not 100% on. You'll know when it's the right one.

Yay!!!