PROJECT HOUSE: SEARCHING

It's unbelievable to think we've only been looking for houses since July 20th. A LOT has happened in 19 days. I'm actually sitting here a little shocked that it's ONLY been 19 days. We feel like we've been searching for months and have known our realtor for years! Our decision to buy a house happened during the beginning of July. We were pretty determined to continue renting our condo for the next couple of years but really felt strongly that we needed to move and we needed to buy a house. After some phone calls and references we found our realtor, contacted a lender, got pre-approved, and met our realtor all within a few short days. The first day we looked at four houses, one we thought was really interesting but didn't get those butterfly feelings when we thought about it. The second day we looked at a really nice townhouse on the other side of town, but ultimately wanted to move into a house and wanted to live much closer to our families, if possible. Our third time looking at houses we found one we really liked but decided to continue looking. Our fourth and final time looking at house we saw three and enjoyed all of these for different reasons. All that to say, after a quick whirlwind of looking at only nine houses within a week, we've come to this point...

While I can't say much at this point, we've found a house that we are truly in love with. It meets all of our needs, a lot of our wants, and is the type of home we can imagine growing a family in for years and years. We are working through the entire process still but things are moving along smoothly and I hope to be able to reveal "the one" to you soon. :) Again, a lot has happened over the past 19 days!

As Jon and I have been going through the home searching process, we feel like we learned a lot in the way of searching for a home. Here are some of our top "learnings" so far:

1// Realize what you're looking for - Before we started our search, Jon and I spent a couple days discussing our "deal breakers" and "wishlist" items for the house. This really helped us in our decision process and helped us to view each house and ask ourselves if it would fit our needs. The more houses we looked at the more we realized what we truly wanted and needed in a home. Check out some of our "deal breakers" and "wishlist" items on this post.

2// Listen to your heart - *Sappy music starts playing* but seriously, people told me that we would get that "feeling" and just know the house that was our house. Waiting for that feeling and being patient for that definitely paid off. We both felt that way when we first saw photos of "our house" and each time we looked at it afterward.

3// Don't pressure yourself - If you see a house that you like ok and feel any pressure to make an offer because of the deal or because of other offers already on the table, don't do it! Hold out for the house you love. It's really easy to get wrapped up in the "game" of finding a house. Don't loose sight of finding "the one"!

4// Advice is great, but it's your decision - Being first time home buyers, we felt the stress of not knowing a lot about houses. Luckily, my dad and Jon's dad are great with homes and have a lot of knowledge and advice to offer. We found their opinions and thoughts super valuable but at the end of the day realized it was our decision to make. Seeking advice from smarter people is always wise, but just remember you're not trying to find a house that will please everyone, you're looking out for you and your family. :)

5// It's stressful - Going into this process felt almost like we were taking on a part-time job. There are lots of decisions to make, things to think through, papers to collect, documents to sign. Expect that your journey might be stressful, but in the end hopefully filled with lots of joy when someone hands you the keys to your new home. If you're not feeling it, step away, continue looking. You'll know when it's your home! :)

I seriously can't wait to share more with you about the home. It's a great story. Once things become really official, I'll be sure to share more. We'll have lots to do before the baby comes in February, so expect lots of home update posts, too! As well, if you have any home searching advice to add, please feel free to share in the comment section below!

Photo Credit: Homes Illustration by Amy Blackwell