As some of you might remember, Jay and I have been going back and forth on whether we want to buy a home or not. Recent events have forced us to think very critically about this decision.
We currently live in a very cute 3 bedroom duplex near the ocean. In many ways, it is a great place to live. We take lovely walks on the beach with the dogs and Joaquin and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful weather of a coastal neighborhood. In other ways, it is not so great. Many of our neighbors are young guys who listen to loud music, play electric guitar and drink during the day. Our place is cramped and although we have a guest room, it really isn't suitable for guests because Jay's entire wardrobe is kept in the guest closet. There is no room for a desk of any kind, which is quickly going to make my life a little more difficult. In short, we have sort of outgrown our current living situation.
We were hoping to score a great deal on a rental around the corner. It was a 4 bedroom house in a quiet part of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the owners raised their expected rent by $500 per month and that was that. Ugh.
One of the reasons we were attracted to our current place when we first visited it was the option in the lease to break the lease upon the purchase of a home with 60 days' notice (once we had lived in the unit for at least a year).
So, when we found out we weren't getting the place around the corner, we faced a decision: (1) find a new rental by the end of May or (2) stay in our current place but commit to buying a house in the next year. Decisions, decisions.
After frantic visits to craigslist and redfin, we felt like we were really between a rock and a hard place. We did not want to keep throwing away absurb amounts of money on rent AND have to pay to move and put down a new security deposit. At the same time, we are still underwhelmed with our purchase options and overwhelmed by the idea of making a commitment to a massive mortgage.
Ultimately, we decided we were done moving to new rentals and we are (almost) ready to take the real estate plunge. So, the frantic scrimping and saving has commenced (well, it will commence once I start getting paychecks again) and we are hopeful we will find something we love that we can afford. Plus, we think it will be great to settle into a neighborhood and give Joaquin a chance to start making the kinds of friends that Jay was lucky enough to grow up with in Irvine.
Donations are welcome ;-)
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