Homeward Bound?

Mark and I have been house hunting for nearly five months now. I remember being on the phone with a potential realtor before the holidays, telling him that I would keep looking online and we would touch base after New Years.

New Years came and went and Mark and I became more diligent with our search. We started driving by neighborhoods after work and on the weekends with our dog, trying to filter out the neighborhoods we didn’t even want to consider.

We connected with a realtor about two months ago and started buckling down with our search. We considered this the time frame in which we could technically put in an offer on a home without having too much overlap with our apartment lease. It seemed inevitable that we’d find a home before we really needed to, but that was better than getting stuck with nowhere to live.

We set up alerts on our phones so we would know when any houses went on the market, we drove by homes that went up that we liked, attended a first-time homebuyers class, started touring homes on the weekends, after work and during our lunch break, etc. Then one night around 8 p.m. we saw a home go on the market that fit all of our needs, so we immediately hopped in the car with our pup and drove by. We were touring the house by the next day at noon (on our lunch break) and had an offer in by that afternoon. Unfortunately, four other offers were also in and the sellers opted to go with a different one.

Slightly discouraged, we got back to the grind, checking the Redfin website every 30 minutes to see what was popping up. I even went to look at a home the day after I had two teeth pulled just to make sure nobody would beat us to it. A couple of weeks went by and I really started to feel like we’d missed out on our perfect first home. And then… around 2 p.m. on Monday I saw a house go up in a great location within our budget. I immediately texted the address to Mark, even though photos hasn’t even been uploaded to the website yet. We wasted no time in setting up an appointment with our realtor and the home didn’t disappoint.

As soon as I walked in, I knew it was perfect. The layout, the size, the price, the location, it was exactly what I’d hoped we’d find ever since we started looking. It made me feel like we’d missed out on the other home for a reason. The timing was perfect too, since our lease runs up in about 40 days. Mark and I decided to put in an offer while still parked outside the house, we were that excited about it.

That night, with the offer in, our realtor told us we were the only ones to view the house that day (pictures weren’t even up yet) and the first offer to be put in. Although we offered lower than the listing price, I still felt confident. We’d moved quickly.

The next day our realtor informed us that three other offers were in and we’d likely need to increase our offer if we wanted to compete. Without a second thought, we upped our offer for more than the listing price (although still within our budget). It was that once-in-a-lifetime type of home and we felt no hesitancy.

The next day our realtor informed us that 10 other offers had been put in on the home, and they had chosen a different one. So, here we are, back at square one, with time running out on our lease.

It’s so disheartening to get emotionally attached to a home (have the furniture already set up in your head and picturing yourselves living there for a long time) and have it taken from you. I know this is so trivial compared to what a lot of people are going through, but to me, at this moment, it’s frustrating.

I know I should be telling myself that I am lucky I can even buy a house (which I am) and that I should just wait for the perfect one. But it’s been a rough go lately (multiple dentist appointments, doctor appointments, unexpected expenses, etc.) and I felt like venting via the trusty old blog who can never tell me I’m wrong.

Here’s hoping and praying that we find something soon! C’mon perfect house!

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