a change of plans

We are looking to buy a house!

We have to be out of this house by March 1st, so Jason and I had been looking and looking and looking for another rental, but none of them were right for us for one reason or another. Jason kept saying that he'd rather buy a house, but I wanted more in savings and a signed contract for a partnership buy-in first. I kept resisting and he went along with it. Well, after a month of that, and many *seemingly* unanswered prayers, Jason came home on Monday determined that we should buy. After one night of shock, I came around to the idea and am now convinced it's the right move.

Problem.

There is almost no way we can be out of here and moved in "there" in a month. On Tuesday we got prequalified for a loan, and this Saturday we're going with our realtor (who seems to be fantastic) to see five different houses. So now we just HOPE that it all moves quickly. Hope that we'll find a great house, in a stellar neighborhood, with great schools, near Jason's office, with a pretty fantastic backyard, AND that we can make an offer quickly and get the loan finalized even more quickly than that. Whew!

We're trying to prioritize our "wants" but it's much harder to do in real-life than it is watching House Hunters!

There might be some opportunities to rent for a short time from a few different families in our ward (basement apartments, etc), but if not, we'll explore other options. We may end up getting a 6 month lease somewhere (and then breaking it?), or stay at an extended-stay hotel (veeeery expensive). So, we'll see. But we are excited! For what we're paying in rent, we can afford a nice home...so why not? Things are going GREAT at the office now, and Jason just got a temporary job in Richmond, VA to supplement our income on most of his days off. Yay! Things are looking good down South, I just pray we'll find our new home soon!