Sean and I had a talk last night about what to do.
Interest rates are going back up. They aren’t too bad right now, but we missed the best rate. We could wait until interest rates lower again, which could take a decade, or we could hurry up and get a house now.
We’ve decided to hurry up and get a house now, and lock in our interest rate before the Fed meets again in December.
Despite the fact that older houses are cheaper, we’ve decided that a new build would be best. This way we won’t have concerns about bad windows leaking out heat in winter and cold in summer, and we’ll have all-new appliances and such. Plus, Sean said he would get the builders to run CAT-5 cable throughout the house, which would rule. (I’ve always imagined a totally wired house like that!)
In order to manage this, we’ll be scrimping and saving. No more “I don’t feel like cooking” or “I don’t feel like getting up to make Sean a lunch” from me, and no more “I don’t feel like eating this lunch Heather packed” or “that doesn’t sound appealing, let’s just get Wendy’s” from Sean. :> We’re going to throw every penny we don’t absolutely need into savings.
I will also (as always) continue the job hunt, and take freelance jobs wherever I find them.
It’s looking like we’ll live in Grovetown, since that’s where all the new builds in Columbia County in our price range are, and because it’s close to Sean’s work. (We are also looking in South Augusta, but not too seriously.) I hope this doesn’t mean I’ll never see my friends again, but you know how that goes. You don’t think to invite someone who lives all the way on the other side of town to an impromptu gathering, and when you live all the way on the other side of town you can’t spontaneously show up, because if the person is busy or something you’ve just wasted a hell of a lot of gas. It’s hard to get past the feeling that it’s wasteful to visit friends who live far away without a good reason for the visit (like a party or something). But it’s important to see the people you love, and if I do end up in Grovetown I will make a stronger effort to stay “in the loop”.
(I will keep pushing North Augusta, but honestly the prices aren’t any better there, and Sean is not a fan of the long commute.)
We’re going to be meeting with a realtor Cheryl knows to discuss financing options other than NACA. Then we’ll decide what route we want to take for financing, and then we’ll start the housing quest.
I’m more excited than stressed now :) It will be great to finally have my own home again.