Movin' on up

It's not quite official yet, but Bethany will soon be a homeowner!

Okay, that might be jumping the gun a little...I haven't even applied for a mortgage! But I will! I'm a little afraid of looking right now because I think it's wisest for me to wait a couple months (AT LEAST) to save up money and pay some bills before I buy. At the very earliest, I want a place by January (...so does that mean I start looking now to buy then, or start looking then???)

But it's so exciting! And scary at the same time. I will officially be a grown-up when I have a house note. It's like a check list:

• Out of college? Check.
• Full-time job? Check.
• Car note? Check.
• Health insurance? Check...in January.
• 401k? Check...also in January.
• HOUSE NOTE??? No check...yet.

I'm definitely getting a condo because I don't want to hassle with yard work. (I would seriously need yard guys, and I don't have enough money for that, too!) AND a lot of the maintenance will be taken care of for me. AND there's a good chance the major appliances will come with the property.

So here I am, praying to the Good Lord above, hoping to be approved and praying that I don't get swindled in the process. :o)

For those of you who are behind a step, I've been apartment-hunting for the past month. I never thought home-owning was an option, but the more I thought about it, the more logical it became. There's a lot of stuff about owning a home that I don't know about (like property taxes, etc.), but I definitely won't be able to afford a home after doling out money for rent for endless months. So why not start out by buying and investing in my future? (do I sound like a commercial yet?)

A friend of mine said a couple weeks ago: Invest in your home, not your car. Those of you who read my blog know that I want a different car badly. So when he said that, it was a total reproach to me. Instead of thinking about something that loses value so rapidly, why not put money into something that will actually increase in value by the time I sell it? Hmmm...

If you have any advice on buying a home, especially for a first-home buyer, please e-mail me! If you are reading this blog and don't have my e-mail address...how did you get here in the first place??? Leave me a comment and answer that question, why dontcha?