There's No Place Like Home...

Although I don't like keeping things from you, my loyal readers, there are certain things that I prefer to keep under my hat until I'm sure how they're going to shake out. Today, I have one of those things to report: Justin and I are moving in together!

Not only are we moving in together, we're buying a place! We started the process months ago, in May, when we started looking at condos. We found a place that we liked right off the bat, in Roger's Park on the city's far north side (a compromise between my job downtown and Justin's jobs in the northern suburbs), but it was a short sale, so we settled in for a long wait for approval from the bank. The process was fraught with setbacks, from disagreements with the seller to problems with the bank, and a seemingly endless string of delays. There were several times when it appeared that the entire deal would fall apart and we'd have to keep looking.

The approval from the bank finally came in September, in time for us to discover that the condo association had gone to court to petition for legal control over the unit (on the basis that the previous owner had stopped paying their assessment fees), in April, long before we had even looked at the place or made an offer, and everyone had neglected to tell us. Adding insult to injury, they had leased the place to a new tenant, effective in September, days before we got our approval to buy. The deal seemed dead in the water, and Dad, who is a real estate attorney, had never heard of a situation like it.

Luckily for us, it behooves the condo association to have a permanent owner instead of a temporary lessee, so they managed to work out a deal with the tenant to break her lease. The condo would be ours!

We closed on the deal today, and when I get back from Italy, Justin and I are going to start the arduous process of cleaning, painting, and moving in all our belongings. There will be paint to choose, furniture to select, and a decorative scheme to establish. I'll be sure to keep you posted on our progress, complete with photos.

This is an exhilarating, but terrifying step for the both of us. We're excited to start a new chapter in our life together, and take this step into adulthood hand-in-hand. The responsibilities and burdens of home ownership are daunting indeed, but it's a challenge we're willing to tackle together.  We're looking forward to learning new things about one another, and learning how to make compromises that will strengthen our relationship. Even though change can be scary, we both feel that this is the right step for us at this point in our lives, and we are both eager to see what the future will hold for us. Wish us luck!