April 21, 2006
I feel like such an adult now
I have some big news to share. Are you ready? No, we're not having a baby, but it's approaching that order of magnitude: We bought a house! It's in the North Berkeley Hills, a short walk from the UC Berkeley campus...and it's BEAUTIFUL.
The housing search was an intense process. I put a lot of energy into trying to find the right place. We both had long lists of things we wanted, and in this house we found allthe things we desired most: an inspiring living space, a yard, Bay views, room to grow, and walking distance to work for both of us.
And now you know why things have been relatively quiet here the past few months. I thought about sharing the process as I went along, but like a high-risk first trimester pregnancy, I decided to keep it under wraps until I was sure things were going to work out. (And if you're not from around here, let me tell you: Buying real estate in the Bay Area is a most uncertain venture.) The fact that we got the first house we bid on is unusual. But that there were multiple overbidders is not. How did we succeed? By bidding pretty high, of course, and with a seventeen-day close, with zero contingencies, and a brilliant agent. I still can't believe we got it!
It's all happened so fast: We saw the house, and fell in love within ten seconds of walking in the door. We got all our financial ducks in a row, took a deep breath, submitted our offer, and waited for the phone to ring. I've never had a moment quite like when that call came. It was like applying to your dream college, then opening up the mailbox to find that BIG envelope. In an instant, a new realm of possibilities are opened to you. What was a dream, an aspiration, is now a trajectory, and you're on it.
We closed escrow last Friday, and got the keys, and now we're moving in. I took photos of the house while it was still empty. Right now it's a mess of boxes, and we're fumbling around, trying to find things, wondering what should go where. We slept there last night, and this morning I took my first shower there. Today I awoke to the sound of the Campanile, and walked to work. DSL won't be on at the house 'til next Monday or Tuesday, but once it's on, I'm sure I'll have plenty of tales from the homefront to share.
YAAAAAAY!!!
Posted by Jason at April 21, 2006 06:00 PM | TrackBack