House Shopping: Part the Third

So, we made an offer on House #1. This house listed at $189,400. With FHA financing we could go up to $170,000. I figured it was worth a shot. Our realtor talked to their realtor and their realtor told us to make an offer. Our realtor called us about 12:15 pm on Saturday, about an hour and 15 minutes before I was to leave for my bachelor party. Our realtor was very urgent; she was amazed they would even consider such a low offer. So, after a few frantic phone calls to my parents to decide if I want to do this, Meg and I hurried into the realtor’s office and put in the offer. The offer gets faxed over and on Monday we would hear the results.

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House Shopping: Part the Second

The house shopping continues. We’ve got two main candidates, and another possibility that I don’t like because I don’t think I can get any type of high speed net access at, among other faults. I’ve had an odd idea about how to write about these houses. Stick with me, it gets a little odd.

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“Home is where you go when you run out of places.”

So, in the lastest episode of “The Riverhouse Saga,” we learned… well, I’ve never blogged this before, so I guess a brief recap is in order (eek, I just verbed blog.)

It goes something like this:
1. The house I’m living in, is in a legal despute due to one of the former owners of the property committing suicide and the $15 Mil he’s leaving to his family isn’t enough, so they’re coming after us.
2. ?? *Legal stuff happens here* ??
3. Meg and I are house shopping.

Looking at houses makes me feel old. Getting married doesn’t make me feel old, and that’s for life. There is something about deciding to go into debt for the next 30 years that seems to focus the mind.

When walking through houses with a realtor, I end up looking at a house full of someone else’s life, trying see where mine fits. The first house we looked at, I remember when it was built. I used to ride the school bus past it everyday. Now I’m wandering through these people’s living room and bedrooms mentally trying to remove their stuff, and see where mine fits.

Then, we looked at a second house. This felt even stranger. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (their real name, but um, it might as well be a pseudonym) are right down the road from my parent’s house, and I used to sell them 4-H cookies. I remember riding my bike past their house, and I’d wave to Mr. Smith while he hit golf balls in his yard. Now, I’m looking through their living room, and I notice a pratice putter. I also notice some really trippy lamps from the fifties.

Then we go look at our final house for the day. I’ve been on the road where this house is, but never noticed it before. it’s a pretty nondescript house. Brick, two car garage. This is a house that I have no previous memory of, and it’s suddenly a lot easier to see where OUR stuff goes.

So, now we’ve submitted a credit application, and we’re waiting to see if our credit’s good enough to afford this place. On monday, we very well may be making an offer on this house. This is a very good thing, because Meg just told me that as of this weekend, our currently place will be up for sale in 60 days. Of course, if we aren’t approved for the cost of this house or if the house has already sold, everything will be up in the air.

Meg and I talked a lot last night, and we both want to make a house OUR home, instead of living in someone else’s home, like it’s felt like for the last year or so. No matter how much you rearrange the furniture, it still feels like some else’s house.

Well, the house we’re looking at in Glen Rock looks like it can get DSL. That will be a definite bonus.