We're moving! Not far, just across town, but the most exciting part is that we're moving into a house WE BOUGHT! Everything seems to be happening so quickly! We just got married a little over two months ago, and started looking for houses a couple weeks later. And in Boulder, you have to be prepared to move quickly, because the market is so hot right now. So when our house went on the market just a few weeks after we started looking, we knew we were in store for a crazy ride!

So what has our experience taught me?

Needing to move quickly means living in this mess...

1. Things happen quickly.

Our timeline was crazy fast. I honestly can't believe how quickly we found the house. That can take months, sometimes. But everything that happens after that has a pretty rigid timeline - when you have to get your offer in by, when an offer is accepted, when you need to have your inspection, getting the loan...Ahh! This process has really consumed my life lately!

2. You also have to wait...a lot!

Once your offer is in, you wait. Once you talk to the mortgage broker, you wait for him/her to tell you what to do next. I've often felt like I have very little control over what we're doing, because I can't speed it up or just check in. You can't bother the lender because the underwriter is busy looking for reasons you may be unfit for this loan. Most of the time I just wanted to get it over with! Just give us the loan so we can have the keys!

It's not even funny how much stuff we have... ;)

3. It's stressful and scary.

In Boulder, there are always multiple competitive offers, typically well over asking price. We made a fantastic offer, but were still scared it might not get accepted. Lucky for us, they took it!

The loan process is also stressful. The underwriter asks for all sorts of random stuff to make sure you're truly capable of paying your mortgage and that you're employed enough to continue to make those payments.

Also, moving is stressful! Packing is a pain in the butt, especially when you live in an apartment. I don't particularly enjoy the aesthetics of cardboard... ;)

Beer in the fridge... all we'd ever need!

4. It's also a great adventure.

We're going to be able to do a lot of fun things that we couldn't before. We're going to be able to have guests stay with us. We're going to be able to just let the dog out in the yard (once we get a fence), rather than having to bundle up just so he can pee. We're going to be able to have BBQ's in our very own backyard, and not be limited to what an HOA says we can or can't do. I'm going to have a CRAFT ROOM, and Nathaniel will have his own study.

Can't wait to show you guys better pictures of our new abode! I'm excited to unpack and decorate!