An Anniversary of Sorts

What would you do if you weren't scared?

There are a number of questions you could ask yourself. Would you quit your job? Would you move to a new city? Would you get bangs? The list is endless. We are creatures of habit. We slip into our routines and put one foot in front of the other and go on autopilot.

A year ago my husband and I took a chance.

In November 2013, I went on my first plane ride. Yes, I waited until I was 31 years old to set foot on a plane and go somewhere I had never been before. It wasn't until our honeymoon in 2011 I went to another country; albeit it was the Bahamas, but hey that's somewhere right! My husband on the other hand is a seasoned traveler. His previous job would take him all over North America and to Europe where he would spend at times a month in London, or Paris. So, when it came to choosing a place to go on vacation it would usually come down to one question: where have you not been to? After some thought, we chose Seattle. Obviously, I had never been to the west coast and since I had never flown, why not make it a cross country trip?!

We decided to go to Seattle during the "rainy" season since well, it was cheaper. If you haven't heard Seattle is a tad expensive. We definitely got asked- why Seattle? Doesn't it rain all the time? Don't you want to sit on a beach somewhere? Personally I don't mind the rain or cooler weather. I prefer it over sweltering heat and humidity. Nonetheless, we armed ourselves with waterproof shoes and rain coats, and set out to see what this city was all about. We walked the whole city trying to fit in as much as we could before we left. We ate breakfast at Le Panier twice and filled growlers with local craft beer. We people watched on the waterfront and squeezed into crowded buses at rush hour. You can definitely see the best and worst of a city on foot. Seattle is far from perfect, but I can tell you the exact moment I knew I wanted to live in Western Washington. It was on our third and last full day in Seattle. We had already done all of the tourist things we wanted to do: Space Needle, Pike Place Market, duck tour, ferry rides, etc. So, to fill our last full day in Seattle we decided to hop on a bus and go to the zoo. When we stepped off the bus we were greeted to this view:

The Olympic Mountain Range

To some it's just mountains, but to us this meant the possibility of adventure, a different lifestyle, and a bit of freedom. This picture doesn't do it justice, but I remember we stood there for about 15 minutes and both agreed we could eventually...maybe...someday...one day move here.

When we left Seattle, I remember looking out the window of the plane and seeing Mt. Rainier below us. The image is still burned in my memory and I remember feeling homesick for a city I had just became acquainted with.

Fast forward three years and we had purchased a home in Florida, both had steady jobs, and occasionally talked about Washington. We often thought of going back to visit again and expand our stay to somewhere outside of the city,or take a cruise to Alaska. We would also talk about moving, but I cannot tell you how many times we talked ourselves out of it. It's too expensive. Not a good time to sell. I don't want to leave my job. A list of cons that went on and on.

Then in May 2016 my husband had come to the end of his rope so to say. He hated his job. He had left his company of 10 years for something that required less travel, but he felt limited, and wanted to go possibly in a different direction in his career. So, for him moving to tech-centric Seattle was a no-brainer. For me, I liked my job. I liked my coworkers and was still learning the ins and outs of my fairly new position; the thought of leaving scared me. Also, my family was only 5 miles away. I have three young nieces. We just finished remodeling the house to how we wanted it. Did I mention my family? Why leave?

However, in the back of my mind was the thought of if not now, when? Florida is what I knew. After graduating college I moved back to Jacksonville and started to make a life for myself. The thought of living somewhere else was definitely intriguing, but the thought of the unknown terrified me. Would the grass really be greener?

But we took the risk.

A year ago today we were going over the offers made on our home, and feeling overwhelmed with our decision. Was it the right one? Was this a massive mistake? Why are we leaving the things we worked so hard for? We chose a city on the other side of the country. We knew no one there, but set out to start a new chapter.

Yes, I miss my family like crazy and there are moments where I have wanted to jump in my car and drive back east. But I am living the life I have wanted and missed while living in Florida. I missed being in the mountains. It's a different vibe, and I feel more like myself here. I am still trying to figure out my place here, but it's an adventure, an experience I do not regret.

So, I ask again- what would you do if you weren't scared?

House Hunters...Seattle

Isn't this the truth!

So, you've decided renting is for the birds. You've made the decision you are ready to set out and plant roots, and put all those saved Pinterest pins to use. Buying a home is such an exciting and defining moment. House hunting should be an exciting experience, and a majority of the time it is, but sometimes it can be the most frustrating process. Currently, I am finding the end game of the process maddening.

When we lived in Florida finding a home that checked off the majority of our wants/needs from our list wasn't hard. Once we decided we wanted to buy, it was definitely a whirlwind of activity, but from putting an offer down to closing it was relatively stress free. Even selling the home when we decided to move to Seattle was quick and profitable. However, house hunting in Seattle is a whole different ball game.

Oh how I miss our first house!

I never wanted to live downtown; great to visit, but I wasn't 100% ready for a true urban living experience. I am definitely a suburb kind of gal. The surrounding neighborhoods like Ballard, Queen Anne, and Fremont are quite appealing for many reasons. However, even renting here was out of our budget. Yes, we probably could afford it, but I'm not in my 20's and okay with a diet based solely on ramen noodles. Also, I don't want 50% or more of my income going toward housing. The median sales price in this area is around $700,000. So, buying a home...forget it!

It's definitely a seller's market in Seattle as there is a lack of inventory. Knowing how hard and expensive it is to buy in the city, why sell the home you have? It seems as soon as a for-sale sign goes up an agent is slapping a SOLD sticker over it. So, we knew immediately we would be looking outside the city limits of Seattle and even outside of King County. However, it was a lot harder this time around to find something relatively close to what we had in Florida. A majority of the homes we found in our price range required a tremendous amount of work. Good neighborhood, garage, backyard for the dogs, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths- check, check and check! But...it needs a new roof, foundation repaired, painting inside and out, mold, walls repaired, floor replaced...sigh. Even if you have the funds for repairs there are multiple offers bidding $10,000 to $50,000 (and much higher!) over asking price!

Needless to say the process became discouraging. We spent a lot of time looking at other homes, but once you "liked" a property you received an update saying it was already pending or sold- sometimes same day.

While looking we kept coming back to this one house an hour outside of Seattle. And when I say an hour that means no traffic, no accidents, no detours (if there is traffic lets add 30 mins to an hour to that). The property is basically located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and rural. It wasn't perfect, definitely the furthest of all the homes, but it was near the mountains. It was also located near one of our favorite places to hike and come on- did I mention it was near the Cascades?! Google it. It's gorgeous.

Following the moving truck through the Cascades a year ago

So, we came to the decision to go for it. The more we looked at it, the more we liked it...then loved it. Knowing how the market is, and knowing there was a possibility of not getting the home was fairly intimidating. Regardless, we found a broker and started the process. After we were pre-approved, we quickly placed an offer on the home. Shocker- there was another offer already on the table. So, we anxiously waited to see if it was our offer which would come out on top, or not. Luckily it did, and soon we were under contract and scheduled to close June 12th. Our broker, I would have to say, has been extremely helpful and quick to answers any and all questions I have thrown at him. However, it's the lender who has made this whole ordeal a nightmare. Basically all conditions have been cleared for over a week, but we have not received a cleared to close. Here it is June 20th and we were supposed to sign docs yesterday. I have my fingers crossed, but I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happened today; such a nightmare.

If you are looking to make the leap from renting to owning don't let my experience discourage you! Like I said, the first time around was a breeze, and these companies are usually on top of their game. Do your research and know this process takes up to three months and sometimes longer. Even though we are still waiting for a clear to close we did receive a great rate, and saved a bit of money in the process. Eventually we are getting a home! No more listening to neighbors stomp about, or sirens racing down Aurora Ave. every 15 minutes. I cannot wait to move out there and enjoy being closer to the mountains, to nature, and do more of the things I want to do without having to drive hours to get there, and I can't wait to share it.

But, trust me. I do have my review ready to go for the lender as soon as keys are in my hand!

Till next time!