Speeding Along!

We've been frustrated for so long that now it feels like everything is moving so fast! We were told Wednesday that we are officially in contract and need to go apply for a mortgage. AHHHH! Then Nicole became even more anxious about our lease and if we can't get out of it. (It ends February 1, and the last month is paid, so worst case scenario would be paying through December.) Her mind started running away with her, and she was talking about scenarios such as renting out our second bedroom for a few months.

I nipped it in the bud by calling our landlord that afternoon. I'd had so much well-meaning advice from others, which I'd sought out because I was nervous about not presenting it "right" and being mowed over, and all of it just made me even more nervous. But seeing my wife's state of mind made me take the plunge, and I ultimately decided I just had to be honest and straightforward. I called him and said that we were in contract for a house as of that day, and that this had happened more quickly than we'd anticipated and we hoped there would be a way to resolve the lease. He paused and then said if his broker could rent it out, which he tends to do very quickly, we could go. He gave me the guy's name and number, and I called him. 

I told the broker that I'd spoken to the landlord and he'd given me the green light to have the broker list our apartment. The broker offered such sincere and exuberant congratulations and said he would happily list it, and when would we need to be out of there? I told him as soon as possible, and he asked where we would go if it was rented before the house was ready. I told him we'd already planned to move into my in-laws' basement apartment while the floors are finished and the walls are painted, so we can do that anytime, and I would not want any delay if there is a potential renter. He asked if we were okay with having the super let him or his staff in if we're not home, and I said of course, since that will speed up the process. He said, "Ok, I can rent this in 1-3 weeks. Are ya ready?" He said he wouldn't rent for September 1 if he couldn't give us adequate notice, though I'm not sure what would be adequate since that's a week away!

This conversation happened around 4:30pm Wednesday, on his cell phone while he was driving. Thursday afternoon Nicole got off the elevator to see a broker and a young man leaving our apartment. HOLY COW. So we bought boxes and bins yesterday and are spending this weekend trying to pack away everything we won't need. We only want to bring what's necessary for about two months of living into Nicole's parents' house. I don't want to unpack twice. Clothes, toiletries, four dishes, a pot, a pan, etc. The rest will go straight to their garage and won't get touched until we can move it all into the house. 

I'm getting in touch with my inner minimalist. Who knew? For years I tried so hard to acquire (albeit on a budget) because I kept growing into bigger spaces and needing more "stuff" to make it feel like a home, and to make ME feel like an adult. I'm always ticking things off the list - still need a real coffee table (we're using an old TV stand), end tables, a china cabinet, a real dining room table... I'm having a BLAST packing things away, reducing my life to just a few boxes of (perceived) necessities. It's much more fun and fulfilling than it probably should be!

Allowing the Excitement to Grow!

The seller's attorney should have received the contracts today. We haven't heard yet whether the homeowner has signed, but...Nicole just noticed this on Redfin. (Click on it to make it larger.) GIDDY!!!

Happy First Year!

We had a lovely weekend celebration of our anniversary at a little bed and breakfast in Provincetown, MA. We could only afford two nights, so we spent another at a hotel just outside Cape Cod so that we'd be almost there and wouldn't spend our entire Saturday driving. It was a cute, fun town, and it was nice to celebrate amongst hundreds of other queer folk where we could just be ourselves and not get a second glance. It was just so comfortable.

A year ago this very moment, I was an anxious mess. I had been so calm up until that morning, and then my stomach went haywire. Nicole was the opposite - she had been a bundle of nerves and then, that day, was calm and smiling. We reversed roles and she helped take care of me.

We took today off work too so that we could just relax together. We're going to get lunch at the Outback, our favorite chain casual dining restaurant that we very rarely allow ourselves, and then I'm going to see if I can get my eye-rolling wife to watch our wedding video together and maybe go through some photos. :)

And for myself, I will re-read my private journal post that I made after we got back from our incredible Vermont honeymoon last year, written 9/2/11. (Click "read more" below the photo if you want to read it.)

(Almost) Officially in Contract!

I can't believe how everything is happening for us with this house. After the last post where I began to let myself hope again, we had yet another heartbreak - we were told the next day that someone had offered full asking price and that the owner had accepted that offer. We couldn't match that, and we certainly couldn't surpass it in order to be competitive. There was a lot of crying (me) and anger (her) and discouragement all around. We banded together in a way we haven't had to in quite some time, so I guess I can be thankful for that. The support was just as mutual as the grief.

Meanwhile, we resumed talk about the house in Merrick, but we just couldn't regain our initial excitement about that house. It wasn't Tyson. However, we had to move on, so Nicole said she wanted to see it again before making an offer. I was working late the next two nights, but I didn't feel such a need to see it again, so I arranged between Nicole and the realtor. Nicole had her parents meet her there. I got a full report from all of them afterward. Her parents thought it was worth making an offer but told us the highest they would go considering a few obvious issues with the house. Nicole and I talked it over, and on Wednesday Nicole's mom asked if we wanted to make an offer. I told her that I know it sounds silly, but I was holding out some hope that something would fall through with Tyson and it could be ours - and I didn't want to go too far with Merrick and then find out we could have had a chance with Tyson. I knew it was a long shot, but I wanted it badly enough that I didn't want to close the door.

Then John called on Thursday to say that as soon as they had gone into contract, the buyers started trying to negotiate the price down. They had only offered the asking price to get themselves in the door ahead of other offers and were now playing games. The seller was turned off by this and wanted to accept our offer. John told her that they can't keep toying with us, so that she would have to accept it immediately before anything is even written and would have to agree to stop showing the house. She did!

We stayed nervous because technically, even without her showing it, someone could make another offer and she could still accept it over ours. But it all seems good right now. We got an attorney that day, who was a personal recommendation from my brother-in-law's girlfriend who is an attorney, and the seller's attorney sent contracts to ours on Friday. Our attorney was out of the office and called us on Monday, and we went in at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday to meet with him and sign the contracts. We scheduled the inspection for Thursday at 10:00, because I would be off that day for a Saturday that I worked recently, and the lawyer said he would hold onto the contracts and send them out as soon as we call him to say that the home is structurally sound.

The inspection went AMAZINGLY. We used the same guy that inspected a house in Levittown that we'd made an offer on. We'd backed out of that after his report showed some serious issues, such as with electrical and plumbing. He couldn't believe how much better this house was and kept telling us how glad he was we didn't go through with the Levittown house. He raved about things I wouldn't even have known to look for. He told us never to get rid of the toilet bowls because they are really expensive and top-of-the-line - who would have guessed?? He said the renovation of the full bath was a $15 or $20,000 job and that they didn't chintz on it; the cabinets are solid, the plumbing was done in an ideal way that's more expensive, and the fan is a $2 or $300 fan that runs silently. Everything that they did in the house was properly installed and solidly constructed. The owner is a middle-aged widow, and I think they put a lot of money into the work they did because they thought they'd be there for life. But after he died, she moved to Connecticut to live with her son. It's kind of a weird feeling that we are benefitting so much from their tragedy - but I'm glad their home that they put so much love and work into is going to help raise a new family and give them amazing memories.

After the inspection, I called the lawyer immediately and told him to go ahead and send out the contracts. I guess we will hear from him when she has signed, and then we will be officially in contract! Much scariness lays ahead, particularly with applying for a mortgage, but at least we will be securely locked in without the threat of someone else taking it from us. This house is so perfect for us, and worth the tug-of-war on my heart!