Life and more happy changes...

I'm happy to work part-time, so I can spend some grey afternoons like the one we have today at home drinking tea, knit, weave and spend time on Facebook, Blogger and Pinterest while listening to music (currently listening to this - fits well with my cocooning mood). I also just received this book from Amazon, so I think I'll have a pretty good time not doing anything I should be doing, such as redoing our budget, planning for home renos, thinking about our move, etc...


Remember, a few weeks ago when I was rambling about having a burnout caused by too much happiness? Well...following that post, I decided to drop my translation class this semester, in order to get more time for myself. I was pretty proud of myself to gain those 2 extra hours, and promised myself I would use them to weave and exercise more. Until we bought a house.

It's ours! (picture from the real estate site)

 Buying a house was in the plans for 2012, so it is not such a big surprise. We (okay, I) had a very well structured plan over 10 months for this acquisition:

1. Make list for everything we have to have, everything we would really like to have, and everything that would be nice to have - Fall 2011 (check)
2. Look at web real estates sites and choose some houses to visit - December 2011 (check)
3. Start looking at mortgages to get pre-approved - January 2012
4. Slowly start visiting houses to see what is available in 3R - January 2012
5. Buy a house at the end of the spring
6. Do renos, if needed, in June. 
7. Move in on July 1st (when our rent is out). 

Everything started very well with the step 1 and 2, but then we fell in love with the 3rd house we visited, so it's all done now. We visited this house on January 15, decided we wanted it, crossed the street to visit another house that was also for sale (it only confirmed we really wanted that one), decided to discuss it calmly over lunch looking at our list (so we would not make any hasty, emotional, decision), and called the agent an hour later to make an official offer the day after. I have to admit that I was secretly hoping for something like that (love at first site), but I was expecting it a little later:-)

One of the reasons why I did not expect love at first site with this house...(picture from the real estate site)

It's a house that was built in 1960 by the late husband of the lady who is now selling it. It was designed to be lived in, which I love. It was also built over a long time, which allowed them to build it well. It has everything that was on our list: 3 rooms, space for my loom, lots of natural light, laundry room, room for a freezer, workshop for my man, entrance hall on the 1st floor (very difficult to find in 3R, all main doors open directly in the living room, which I can't understand in such a cold country), mudroom, space for a garden, storage and a price similar to what we pay in rent.

Finished basement (picture from the real estate site)

On top of that, it has only 1 neighbour (we are next to the parking lot of a small mall, and behind the parking lot of a church, so that means a lot of natural light without too much noise), enough space outside to have not only a garden, but a big one, a few fruits trees (on top of the sugar maple that is already there) and a swing, there is what used to be a hen house and a second shed where they used to organize dances on Saturday nights (really this place was built for me!). There is also a small market at the corner of the street, and it it close to a bigger shopping mall ( I'll be able to go by bike). There is a bus a corner away from the house, and a big bus stop a few blocks away, as well as a big park on the other side of the street. My favourite restaurant in 3r is also a corner away. It is really the best of living in the city with great access to lot of green!

I also love the fact that even if it is clean enough for us to move in as it is, nothing has changed since it was built, so it will need a little TLC, such as replacing the green-and-orange and brown carpet with hard wood floor. I would have felt bad to replace something that would have been installed not long ago.

Future renos!(picture from the real estate site)

Of course, this is a very happy event, and we are both trilled to have found that perfect place. But of course, all changes, even the happiest ones, come with lots of stress. Stress of dealing with the seller, stress of having to find a mortgage very quickly and having to explain our financial situation to a bunch of strangers, stress of having to find a life insurance and having to explain all our medical history to another bunch of strangers. Stress of having to get the house inspected, stress of having to have the house evaluated (not the same thing!), stress of having to answer and making life changing decisions very quickly, stress of seeing new expenses adding up at the speed of the light. 

Anyway, it is done. We are getting the house on May 1st, and we will probably move in a month later, after the floors and windows get changed, and everything gets painted. Now comes the fun part: planning for renos and decoration. And writing to our current landlords to let them know we are not staying another year in this neighbourhood...


Life is good!