House Dating

I've been neglecting the blog on account of one thing: the all-consuming, attention-pulling, always-on-my-mind HOUSE HUNT that has taken over my life. I've found myself on more than one occasion up at 2:30 AM soothing a crying babe....and then an hour later still awake and scrolling through pictures of remodeled kitchens and double sink vanities. "Go to BED, you crazy girl!" (referring to me and not my child for once).

For those of you who don't know, we've been living with my incredible in-laws since moving here last July. They have been a DREAM to live with (no joke, I have the best in-laws!) and we've been so blessed and absolutely spoiled to have had this time with them. About a month ago the various moving parts of our life aligned and we started looking for a house in earnest. At first it was a blast, then it was an obsession, and finally it became an emotional hot mess.

Kinda like dating.

But really. Looking for a new home shouldn't be called house hunting. It should be called house dating. Some sort of wonky strategic dance of timing, preferences, physical and emotional appeal, and that ever mysterious X-Factor. And SO emotional!! Here are the phases of house dating we've endured over the past month:

THE BEGINNING: Wide eyed, hopeful anticipation. This is it! You're about to find "The One." You scan the dating, I mean, realtor sites. Zillow is your Tinder. Pinterest and Good Housekeeping, your Pandora's Box. SO. MANY. OPTIONS. You start visualizing and pinning to your heart's content. There's no doubt about it, your dream house is a dream boat.

THE "STILL FUN" PHASE: Dating is fun! Every time you drive past a neighborhood you are perusing the merchandise. You look into new builders and attend open houses. You're in "first-date mode,' changing your outfit at least three times before attending a showing. They need to know that you can TOTALLY afford this house and you BELONG there.

AND THE FUN WANES..: Surpise! You can't afford your dream boat mansion. Chris Hemsworth is out of your league. Half of your Pinterest board, it turns out, is for millionaires or champion DYI-ers. You, of course, are neither. Tinder/Zillow is starting too look pretty darn sparse right about now. So, you figure out what your non-negotiables are. You remind yourself that what you want is a HOME, not some cold, untouchable house. And the PEOPLE make it a home. You put on a brave face, because you know you have to go through a lot of "meh's" before you find "The One"

THE BREAKUP: You did everything you could. The nice clothes, the smiles, the offer...all the signals. And you got DENIED! Rejected. They don't want you!! *tear* But you were the perfect match! Same goals, same needs, same color palate...So compatible! You'd already started to imagine a future with that home! Kids in that home. But turns out it wasn't meant to be, and some other chick with a flashy sports car and two incomes stole that house right from under your nose. How can I go through this again, when THIS home was supposed to be ours!?

MR. RIGHT: There's this rightness, this peace that comes when you find a good home, within your price range, with all of the most important non-negotiables. A similar rightness as when you find a genuinely good man who's worth investing your heart in. And in like manner, you invest your heart (and pocketbook) into a house. This house may be different than what you first imagined you'd be looking for, and you both may take a little DIY-ing to become the perfect family for the perfect home. Or at least the home that's perfect for your family.

Here's where the analogy diverges a little bit. The house that we FINALLY decided on is a new build in a new development, and while Andy Grammar might disagree, you can't really build yourself the perfect mate. Sorry to burst your bubble. But we are SO EXCITED!! It will be another 5-6 months till it's done (thanks Ben and Kerry---did I mention best In-Laws EVER!?) and we are thrilled to go through the whole process from start to finish. While I still feel some financial. responsibility, and general adulting trepidation...I can't wait to build this house and to finally make it our own HOME!

Goodbye House Dating! Goodbye 2:30AM dates with Zillow! HELLOOO to our new home!

More pictures forthcoming!! And if you have any first-time homebuyer's advice...PLEASE help a girl out!

#HouseDating #FirsttimeHomeBuyer #Adulting #NewHome