Newlyweds

Our move 2 miles down the road to Fairview is finally over and I'm living in box heaven. Let's hope it's a long while before we repeat that process. From house shopping, to placing offers, to buying it, and signing documents, the whole ordeal reminded me of the dating game.

When you join the fray you are hopeful and optimistic. Certain your dream house is just around the corner you go out a few times, trying to find the One, mentally moving your furniture in to see if it's a fit. A host of duds parade before you, bad in more ways then one, obviously something you'd never look at twice. Then you find that sweet, cute, little place that may not be your dream mansion but one you would definitely be happy to invite your friends and family to. You're smitten so you plunk down an offer and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, only to discover that the listing real estate agent is a yahoo and had been double dating, accepting another offer while leaving yours out to dry.

Shocked, you move on, a little bruised but smarter and wiser, convinced the "One" is still out there. More hunting and looking and mental moving...then you see it. It's perrrrfect! It has all the gorgeous upgrades, it's in your price range, and you wouldn't have to lift a finger before moving in. What's not to like? You get an offer written as fast as your realtor can type and send it. Nerves tie your stomach in sailors' knots the rest of the day and night as you wait to hear if your offer was accepted.

The next morning the phone rings. The voice on the other end is in a minor key. "They got a cash offer," she says. End of story. There's no way to compete with a big money roll. Crying your eyes out, you try to keep life moving, attempting some form of normalcy.

It takes awhile to recover from that disappointment and you don't even glance at a "For Sale" sign for weeks. But time is not on your side, so you get out there again, determined to be realistic and open to possibilities. You spend a few days looking and thinking back through all the houses you've seen, wondering if you'd missed any opportunities or were too picky.

"There was that one house with the big yard that was cute. The carpet was vile, but that could be gotten rid of. I wonder if it's still available?"

A quick call and you hear it's still on the market. Time to take a second look. It's not bad, it's actually a nice house. The walls are freshly painted, just the carpet needs to go. Having been on the market awhile, the owners might be willing to negotiate. What the heck- let's put down an offer.

And you do. And they accept. And you have a house, or at least the promise of a house, for it takes several more weeks to go through all the legal and financial processes to forever join your bank account to the house, via the lending institution. You are excited nonetheless, and look forward with anticipation to the Big Day!

When it finally arrives, you're stressed and nervous, hoping and praying all the details come together. With lots of help from family and friends, you and your home are finally joined together- forever, or at least as long as you keep paying the mortgage. And so you live happily ever after, fixing plumbing leaks and holes in the wall, enjoying the fact that for better or worse, it's all yours.