A Big Move

We're doing it. We're biting the bullet. We're moving. Buying a house. Eeek!

Don't panic, McMinnville friends. We're only moving a few miles down the road.

But first things, first. In only three days, I will officially be done with my 18 month long probationary period at work. And holy moly, will that be a RELIEF!!!! I know I've shared a little bit on here about how rough the last year and a half has been, but I haven't gone into great detail simply because...well...the sheriff's department asked for this website while doing my background checks and the last thing I want is for the Sheriff to be reading my complaints in excruciating detail. "Dear The Sheriff...". Ha ha. Right. Suffice it to say that I wouldn't go back and relive the last year of my life for a million dollars. Heck, I wouldn't even do it for $100 million dollars. No way, no how.

That being said, I love my job now. Seriously. I really enjoy the people I work with, I get a great deal of satisfaction out of the job itself, and I love that no two days are the same. For the first time, I can see myself staying here for a long time.

But the best part was when I called my boss the other day and basically asked her, point blank, whether it would be safe for me to sign papers for a house...after all, the last thing that I need is to sign papers and then have the rug pulled out from under me only 6 days before going off probation. But she reassured me that I have nothing to worry about, that everyone loves me (direct quote from her) and that I've settled in very well. I know that may not sound like much but...after the last year and a half, it's huge. Huge. H.U.G.E.

Now, on to the really fun stuff!

We've been scanning the house market in Yamhill County for about a year now, just keeping an eye on prices and the type of houses available. I have to admit, we were getting pretty discouraged. Everything in our price range was either old and beat up or new and tiiiiiiiiny. What's with newer construction houses these days, trying to put three bedrooms in the same square footage that they used to put two bedrooms in? Yeesh. Not only that, but most houses on the market right now are short sale...the process of buying a short sale house is anything but short. It's long. And frustrating.

But then we stumbled back across a house that had been on the market for over a year. We had seen it several times, but each time we were scared away by a really creepy photo of the white stone fireplace taken through a cracked lens. But this time, when Nathan pulled it up, the description detailed several updates that had been done and showed that the taxes were exempt. That was enough to spark our interest, so we called our real estate agent (who is worth her weight in gold) to see what that meant.

Turns out, the house is currently owned by the Yamhill County Housing Authority, which means that they haven't had to pay property taxes to, you know, themselves. This is a big deal because when they put it back on the market after an offer that went pending in June, they had to adjust the taxes for the current market rather than the inflated market. This translates into taxes around $1500/year instead of $2200/year. That makes a huge difference in monthly payments. Meaning we can afford a slightly more expensive house than we could have otherwise.

Without further ado, meet our potential new house:


I LOOOOOOOOOOVE it! Built in 1979, 3 bedroom 2 bath, it's in amazing condition. Since last fall, the sellers painted inside and out, replaced the counter tops, installed a new HVAC system with a heat pump for both heating and cooling, put new insulation in the attic and under the floor, had the electrical system inspected, installed a new bathtub in the second bathroom. The bedrooms are all a good size and the backyard is gigantic. Lots of room for a garden, running boys, and possibly a play structure.

The really exciting part is that it's 100% move-in ready. We can get settled in and not have to do a single thing to it. But it also has a ton of room for us to make it into our dream house through simple cosmetic updates. We already have a list of things we would love to do to the place, gradually. And that makes me excited. I loved all the changes we made to Marla's house, how we made it our own. Unfortunately, that was very rushed. You know. We had twin babies on the way. Rushed. This time, we can take it slow and enjoy the process.

At this point, our closing date is set for March 2nd. Our inspection is this coming Monday, I meet with our mortgage broker on Tuesday to get some final paperwork done, then we schedule the assessment. After months of beating our head against the house hunting wall, this is going so smoothly that it can only be a God thing.

I love God things.