A Home of our own

 We found a house, hooray!

Nothing about this move from Maryland to Colorado has gone as planned but it seems we finally have a place to call home in Aurora.

We thought we had a home last fall but the deal fell through because the sellers had not disclosed it was owned by a trust and would not release the trust info. We thought we had the rental as long as needed but the owners decided to sell in this hot market. We soon found out how hot it was.

We looked at so many homes trying to find the right one. When we lost bid after bid to cash, 30K over value, appraisal bridges, multiple offers, our agent said, stop looking for the right house and take any house. 

Then this one came back on market because interest rates went up and the buyer had to back out. We were looking at it when the call came in the house we bid on the night before, had three offers over our bid at asking price.

I wrote a note to the owners, "we love it, we'll take it, please choose us, leave the elephant" and put in a bid at asking price.
They accepted!

They had lovely artwork including a 220 lb ceramic elephant from India.
We were nervous through each stage of negotiating, appraisal (it was priced right!) inspection (the usual things including radon mitigation so we chose a few items to request and they agreed to some) loan and interest rates, taking a loss on the MD home to sell quickly, and all the paperwork to close the deal. After losing the other house one week before closing, I didn't want to discuss this until it was a done deal.

Our home may not be our dream house, but it's pretty, close to work, there is a lot of walking nearby, a porch on the front and back, and a larger yard waiting for us to make it into a haven.

We are all uneasy in it at the moment. I've been trying to clean it so I can put away my possessions. I need to make lots of decisions about where to store things differently than I have in the last 18 years.

The studio situation is two small bedrooms side by side, one for tables and design wall, one for supplies. Not optimum but with a bit of mountain view on a clear day.

I realized my old systems may not work in this house, so I have to open my mind to designing new ways to store things. Big changes might be stimulating but they are also tiring.

Right now it's empty with big running places for Milo, who is scared and staying right next to me.

He goes off to explore the yard, then quickly returns to stick to at least one of us. We are trying to figure out what the trees and bushes are so we know how to care for them

The movers will bring our possessions to the house and we'll find places for them in the days to follow. We'll need to put up wire mesh first to keep Milo inside the yard! And learn how to keep the lawn alive with watering.

That's a big deal here.

The sky has not been blue in a while, with forest fires in Utah coming over, and rain, and hail.

We are so tired. But we are grateful not to be looking for another rental. We hope this will be a good  home for us, a place to learn and grow, a place of happiness and joy, a base from which to explore the area, a place for friends to gather and for me to create.

I've been bringing over flamingos, cows and mermaids, to make it look like home. Just wait til these Coloradoans realize a Flamingo is moving into the 'hood.

We even have a mailbox in front of the house, pretty unusual these days...

The past year has been so stressful and the housing market in Denver is so cut throat for buyers, that we fell into despair with the looming deadline to vacate the rental. It's not over by a long shot...

This may not be our dream house, but it's a good house and we are grateful to have it.

 I have been supported by many of you through this ordeal, giving me hope when mine had run out, encouraging me to keep trying.

 I love you and appreciate the connection we've shared, it's what life is about to me.