new doorway
new doorway, originally uploaded by emlee.
now, just to explain up front, my camera is still in Hawaii, so this is an old photo with other people's stuff inside.
I referred to the matter of many tales in my last post. The first one that needs to be told is the purchase of this house. I was so hesitant to post anything about the process before it was a sure thing, that you have waited as long as I have waited... 3-1/2 months! We first saw this house when we visited in April. This is the same one with the door you saw in my last post. It was listed as being built in two different years; 1893 and the 1830s. I was excited just about that. How amazing to live in a place that has stood for almost 180 years! We fell in love with the place the first time we entered. There's a wine cellar that you can enter from the first room; three fireplaces, spiral stairs, a third floor loft, a backyard, and exposed brick and beams all over the house.
So now that we were good and attached, we talked with our loan officer and realtor about the next step. I needed to get employment for us to qualify, no matter what price we got on the house. Home loans have become more illusive to the average person than ever before. They want to be sure that there won't be a foreclosure. So, I began my job search. How hard can it be? Ha, my 3-1/2 month older self is now laughing at my early naivete. It was unbelievably hard. I think I've applied to somewhere around 70 different jobs. The hard thing is that I'm qualified for a graphic design position, but I was willing to do anything, however the loan required me to make a certain amount that I could only get working at a comparable job to the one I already had in Hawaii. Design is a tough field. I was so blessed to be working at my fantastic job in Hawaii. I had forgotten how difficult a field it can be.
We went past the deadline for the loan and we prepared ourselves to let go of the house. The sellers were invested in us, though, and told us they wanted us to have the house. They were in it for the long haul, they said. Much amazed, we added another month to the deadline. We didn't make that one, either. Finally, two weeks later, July 15th, I found 2 part-time jobs that would give me proof of employment for the loan officer. We set up a closing date but I still had documentation that had to arrive by closing. Through struggles and phone calls and emails, and a few tears, we found ourselves across the table from our two incredibly trusting and caring sellers.
So we're here, in our new house, partially furnished with craig's list jewels. There are more stories and tales to come, but this covers the incredibly stretching and difficult last 3-1/2 months.