I’m so giddy! Soon, I will be free from apartment living and will no longer have to endure the nightly thumps and bumps from the upstairs neighbors (seriously – what are they doing up there?).

We met with the realtor yesterday and I can honestly say I haven’t been this excited since….oh, I don’t know when.

We talked a bit about what we wanted in a house – 2,000 square feet (if we can swing it),  at least 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, decent sized yard, etc. She talked about the process – getting approved for a loan, searching for the “perfect” house, making the offer, doing the home inspection – everything. She was really thorough and has been very forthcoming about everything.

She gave us a sample contract and went over it line-by-line so we would know what we would be signing when it came time to close on our new home.

Takeaway tip: Make sure you get some recommendations from people you trust. Ask them who they worked with when they sold their home. If we hadn’t gotten the recommendation from my husband’s coworker, we probably wouldn’t have found her. And she’s awesome. She’s really concerned with the convenience factor: how long it takes you to get from your car to the kitchen, how many flights you’ll be lugging laundry or kids up the stairs, etc. Very good stuff that I might not have my eye out for. She’s been at it for 20 years, so anyone who’s been doing something for almost as long as I’ve been born is all right with me!

Next step: This week we’ll be getting the documents together for the pre-approval process so we can see how much house we can afford.

I’m hoping we can get approved for enough that we can buy a decent house. I don’t want just any old house to lay my head down in.

So there you have it! We’re finally doing it and I am sooo ready!