Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

next steps

Looks like we’re moving to Ballston!

Toward the end of last week, Rob came across a listing on Craigslist for a condo in Ballston that was surprisingly affordable given the location (half a block from the Metro station). We made an appointment to see it on Friday evening, put in a bid on Saturday, and heard back this evening that the seller had accepted our bid. The home inspection is on Wednesday, and we’ll close on the place in mid-October.

After two earlier attempts at bidding for other properties ended in disappointment, I steeled myself against heartbreak by not allowing myself to get too emotionally invested in the place. Now that we have it and the shock of it is wearing off, I’m slowly amping up my excitement level.

Sure, I’m losing my “walk to work” non-commute, but we’re right on the Orange Line, near tons of shops and restaurants and less than two miles from the office. And, most importantly, we won’t be throwing money away in rent anymore; now we’ll have something that’s ours.

Plus, with all the HGTV/DIY shows I’ve been watching lately, I’m super-excited about the prospect of undertaking some home improvement projects over the next couple years, like replacing the kitchen cabinet faces or installing hardwood flooring in the living room. This is going to be fun!

All mortgage forms and settlement paperwork in the coming weeks will surely underscore the huge, sobering financial responsibility we’ve undertaken. This isn’t something we can afford to screw up. But preparing for this and figuring out what we can afford has also forced us to pay closer attention to our finances and where our money is going. Come next month, we’ll already be in a good place to take this on.

So in the meantime, at least until we start dealing with mortgage stuff tomorrow, I’m content just to bask in the “woohoo! we got a place!” glow.