Buying a House Rocks!

What a difference a weekend makes.

After lots of looking...hours of discussion amongst Mike, Kevin our rock star realtor, my mother-in-law Dale (who had the mistfortune to visit this house-a-thon weekend, poor woman) and I... two offers on two different houses on two ends of town...one counter offer on the one...and one happy phone call from our realtor...we have purchased a lovely little three bedroom, two bathroom ranch house in south Webster Groves on Old Watson Road.

We close on both houses - this one and ours - well I guess both are ours - so we'll say House 1 and House 2 - on Wed. May 28. As in next month, before June, within 30 days, just a few weeks away - and icing on cake - the day before Mike's last day of school.

"AH!!!!!" doesn't quite cover how I feel.

I am already plotting our Pod strategies to get out of the one house, store our stuff, then into the other one. And am very thankful that Memorial Day weekend gives us a leg up on packing said Pod.

I am already stressing about inspections. Worried, what if closing costs are twice as much as I'm estimating and it cuts into The Basement Fund, otherwise known as a portion of the proceeds of our current home sale that are earmarked for building a 4th bedroom and a family room/play room/recreation room (aka drinkin' room) in the currently unfinished basement.

I'm already mentally listing who we'll shamelessly recruit to help us move. I'm fretting that the Simple Moves costs - they move the heavy stuff - will be as reasonable and worthwhile as I hope they'll be.

But for one brief moment - I am also realizing it really is okay to be excited, and happy. We bought a house! We will not be homeless May 28! And, we will not be stuck here August 29 and forced to move with a screechy, crazy newborn!

Mike and I agreed on the house! Our moms agreed with us! We managed to keep our buyers, but still land a house that we didn't feel we "settled" too much for!

We don't have to keep our house clean anymore, waiting for the next showing! We found something ready to move in, but with enough projects to make it out own! That we can actually imagine staying in for five or more years! That is close to 44, the Rec Center, Walgreens, the Chinese buffet!

That we like, a lot.

Me happy, me a homeowner once more.