That's Life!

Life! Well we are one step closer. Closer to what you may ask? Well we got past one wedding, and are a step closer to the next wedding in the family. I am a step closer to being 46 years of age and we are one step closer to trying to buy a home! YES! As of June 23rd, our 2 year mark from the date of closing of the short sale on our former home.. the earliest we could try for a loan. The excitement and fear are growing at equal rates. We have the paperwork for pre-approval in hand. I went today to the Social Security office, waited outside the doors for 45 minutes for it to open, but once in was first and in and out very quickly... why was I there?? Well I put my SS card in a safe place and well it is safe alright, I can not find it. This is not the first time... actually it is the second time, hid it real good when we moved from California to Texas, had to go to the SS office there in Houston ( not as easy and quick as here) and then as luck would have it, I found my old one. Well now getting my third one, you can bet I will put it in a place I shall not soon forget the whereabouts of. So, as soon as I get the new card and we can get past this first little hiccup we can submit the papers and see if we indeed do get a loan. The the search begins. 

As you know, or can guess if you are new here, hubby and I desire a home that is in the same age group as the one we once owned, so anything from the 1900's to the 1930's would be wonderfully grand. The great thing is that there is actually quite a few in the very neighborhood and area that we once lived! Darling homes, just the right size, just the right streets, and so close to the historic downtown that I desire with all my heart to be in.

There are auction homes, short sale homes, and bank owned homes, all at prices that would work out for our budget and leave wiggle room to make it a new to us dream home. The unfortunate part is those auction homes owners need cash, the short sale homes are all getting snapped up by investors before they even hit the MLS portals and well the bank owned ones go in a day or if not have 5 offers on them in mere hours! Even shanty homes are being snapped up. Nothing new is popping up on the MLS, not even under those headings above... not like in months past and not like most Summers which is the buying season. We are, well I am afraid we will only see homes that need far too much work for our liking, and we do not mind work, we, hubby and myself enjoy it... but being that we will have an FHA with a 203k refurbishing loan attached, well it dictates that the home be in far more perfect shape than we even desire... so no shanties will pass.

I have a feeling this whole process will require a lot of patience to be sure... far more than I have currently. With our lease being up in December, we need to be in contract or even own a home by November! In the meantime the home prices are going up, the inventory of what we desire, even the ones we would compromise on just is not there... so all we can do is hope something opens up and God aligns the stars and the heavens and one of the homes we have our eyes on will fall out of a deal and we will be there with an offer that they can not turn away and that everything will fall into place as it needs to do. Till then, I shall continue to dream of the perfect little home for two to spend our golden years....but I guess that's life right???

The journey shall continue from here.