The Road to Buying a House... Volume 2

It has been almost six months since Volume 1 of our home-buying process, and after months of saving for a down payment, monitoring our credit scores, and meeting with our purchase advisor, we are now officially "buyer ready"!  We have a really wonderful realtor through Homewise, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to getting Santa Feans into affordable homes of their dreams.  

In our first meeting with the realtor, we discussed our priorities and values when it comes to selecting our future home.  Here were a few of the things that were important to us in a house:

Three "Chile Peppers" (top priorities)
Three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Safe, family-friendly neighborhood
Two car garage
Yard
No urgent need for home improvement projects
In a neighborhood with good market value
High quality structure
Within our price range

Two "Chile Peppers" (somewhat important, but negotiable)
Close proximity to our places of work
At least 1,200 square feet
Fence around the yard
New (or new-ish) roof
Lots of storage space
Large kitchen
Inviting entryway
Good schools nearby (negotiable because open-enrollment is an option)
Air conditioning system
Large garage with room for storage
Some landscaping
Affordable Homeowners Association fees
Dining room (as opposed to an eat-in kitchen)

One "Chile Pepper" (desirable, but not necessary)
More than three bedrooms
Fireplace
Energy-saving features
Updated appliances (including washer/dryer)
At least 1,400 square feet
Parks, trails and recreational facilities nearby
Lots of natural sunlight and windows
East-west facing design
Two story design
Mountain views
Large, fenced-in yard with trees


We then set up a database that included all the houses for sale that fit our criteria based on size, neighborhood, and price, and we went from there!  On a snowy Saturday last week, our realtor took us to look at five houses from our "Favorites" list, as well as new construction in a few desirable subdivisions.  We surprising fell in LOVE with two houses one our list, both of which were in the same neighborhood.  These houses were both beautiful, two-story designs in a safe, family-friendly area.  They had nearly identical floor plans and contained a lot of the features were looking for.

Jaycob and I were hesitant to get too attached to any homes after our first day looking, and we definitely didn't want to rush into one of the most important decisions of our lives, but our realtor assured us that many families find a home they love after just one showing, and encouraged us to not pass up an opportunity if we could envision ourselves being really happy in one of these homes.  So... we made an offer!  I knew at that point that it could go either way and that there may be dozens of other buyers out there making offers on this beautiful home, but this step of the process worked in our favor and we are now under contract.  

We have a potential closing date set for the end of next month!  I haven't started picking out paint colors or creating a menu for the housewarming party yet, however, because there are a lot of steps left in the process, and anything could happen.  However, we are excited and optimistic about the idea of this house becoming ours!

I have so many mixed emotions right now -- excitement at the thought of owning a beautiful house and rooting ourselves in Santa Fe, fear about the overwhelming commitment and responsibility of homeownership, stress about all the many things that still need to be done in this process, but mostly hope that all the pieces will come together.  

Stay tuned soon for an update on our home inspection, the next step for us!