Our new house!

All pictures are taken from the listing; none of the furniture is ours nor is this necessarily how we'll have the place set up. Still, it's pretty great!

Outside our new home!

Front steps

Detached garage - room for one car but the driveway has room for at least four more

Outside back deck

Back yard - currently a garden and we're not sure how much of it we'll keep

Front entrance

Living room - the windows look out front

"Family room" - but we'll likely use this space as part of the dining room

Kitchen

Kitchen with view of family room

Family room/kitchen/dining room

Dining room - sliding doors go out to the back yard

Upstairs hallway

Master bedroom - with closet!

Bedroom #2 - no closet in this room but plenty of space for a dresser and free-standing wardrobe

Bedroom #3 - with closet!

Upstairs bathroom

Basement living area - currently set up as basement apartment

Basement kitchen 

There is also a 3-piece bathroom on the main floor and a 5-piece bathroom in the basement (that's right, we have a bidet - though it's broken). Though the basement bathroom will need a gut. In fact the entire basement needs some work but it's all cosmetic. A good scrub, some paint and some better light fixtures and all will be well. There's also a bedroom in the basement (it can be seen just beyond the table two pictures up) which we could use for a variety of things - office; 4th bedroom; library; exercise space; the cat's bedroom. So many possibilities!

And that's the best part about this house. We have so much room and so many options for how to set up our beautiful new place that it will be a long time before we're tired of it. And we can finally host family and friends! This is such a momentous occasion for us and we couldn't be happier!

Houses, heartbreak and happiness

It's been one hell of a week on the house front.

A week ago Friday, around 9:30pm, we heard from our realtor that the house we had waited seven weeks for was not going to be ours, after all. Needless to say, it was crushing. And we didn't lose out to another bidder; the sellers were unable to find a place to move to so they decided to take their house off the market while they continued to look.

I thought I was taking the news well but it turns out I wasn't. I ended up crying a bit, yelling a bit, swearing a lot and drinking way too much red wine. After waiting seven weeks, it just seemed impossible that we WOULDN'T get the house.

But we didn't, so we moved on.

This past Wednesday, we went to view another house - and we fell in serious like with it. After all the emotions that went into the house we lost we were careful not to fall in love or start thinking too far ahead lest we end up with another huge disappointment. But we liked it enough to make an offer on Thursday.

And then, on Friday, WE GOT A SIGN-BACK!

Seriously, if I hadn't been sitting down I would have fallen over. Apparently this is how things should work and, I must say, I really do like it. The seller didn't accept our price offer and went higher, but we were just fine with it so we accepted. Then today we had the home inspection and it went awesomely. A few things need to be done but most of it we can do on various Saturday mornings. The only big thing to be done is installing fans in the three (three!) bathrooms, which will require a roofer and an electrician but isn't a major job. After that's done, we can just putter around doing what we need to do.

It's not officially official yet, but it will be soon - we bought a house!

Running and houses

Just a quick post today.

I finally went for a run (like I've been planning to do for a week) and I actually did okay. I was still running and walking but I managed to run for 10 minutes/walk 5/run 5/walk 5 /run 7 so I feel pretty good about that. And I covered 3.05 miles, so that's almost 5km. (3.1 miles is about 5km.) I might be able to do this zombie thing after all!

And I will have house news tomorrow afternoon.

That is all.

WW Weigh-In #31

It was what I thought:

Last week: 186.6 lb
This week: 187.2 lb
Total gained this week: 0.6 lb

Weight loss target: 181.8 lb
To reach target: 5.4 lb

I know I'm a day late blogging but I did weigh myself yesterday; even when I'm not punctual in reporting my progress, I always make sure I get on the scale on Wednesday morning.

So why am I up this week? Because I've been eating like crap. Because I haven't been exercising. Because I've been stress eating. Why stress eating? House stuff, mainly. Both the Beau and I would like to buy a house and set a closing date and start getting ready to move. It's weighing on us both and it's taking its toll on me. I've also been having a lot of tummy discomfort lately, which may be related to the house stress. I'm still taking Relora, but it may be time to increase to three pills a day.

However, I'm just going to take this in stride and keep trying. I was actually thinking about goals and how I should be focusing on losing a pound this coming week. Just a pound. I mean, it's not that much, right? And I won't worry about the next week or the week after that. Just the upcoming week - and I'll focus on losing a pound.

THAT I can do,

House hunting update

The latest update on the house hunting front is that there isn't one.

No house. No update. No nothing.

And because it's summer the market is pretty quiet right now, there's not much to look at either. All in all, I'm at a pretty frustrating point with the whole exercise right now. I know we'll find a house, so I'm not in one of my, "It will NEVER work out!" moods. It's more that I'm just fed up with the inaction. I'd rather be out looking at mediocre houses than not doing anything.

Honestly, I'm almost at the point where I'd rather be in a bidding war than not offering at all.

Eventually I'll calm down and get back to being rational about the whole thing. It's just that I really, REALLY hate holding patterns.

Blargh.

Back to (better) budgeting

Since paying off my student loans in March, I've been both responsible with my money and more than a little profligate.

On the responsible side, I've increased my biweekly RRSP contribution; I've set up a biweekly TFSA contribution; and I've joined the employee share accumulation plan (ESAP) here at work, again with biweekly contributions. So every paycheque, money is automatically deposited into these accounts - and I don't even miss it. It's pretty great.

On the profligate side, I've bought some lovely new clothes; ordered in and eaten out whenever I've wanted; bought some things for my mom's house; and never been without a nice bottle of wine. It's been fun, I must admit, and I've felt so good knowing I don't have to pinch every penny that comes my way.

But it's time to get the spending under control (again) and get back to budgeting (again). The more houses we look at, the more it sinks in that this is a purchase that's going to happen - hopefully sooner than later - and a new house means all kinds of costs. And not just the regular costs associated with purchasing a home (commission, lawyer's fees, land transfer, taxes), but the fun costs, like new furniture and paint and curtains and linens and all the other fun things that help make a house a home.

The Beau and I talk quite a bit about what we want to do with the space we get and that conversation changes depending on what kind of space we're talking about. But even with the changes, we still want to be able to buy what we need but also what we like; it's our home and we don't want to buy the cheapest IKEA light fixture because that's all we can afford. Likewise, we don't want to be living with barely enough furniture because we don't have the funds for a new sofa.

We have also gone furniture shopping (probably more than we should have!) and we know not just what we like but what we'd like to spend. So really, it's high time I rein in my free spending and keep a better eye on the bottom line. As delicious as red wine is, leather club chairs are much more appealing - and will last SO much longer.

Self-sabotage

Guys, it's time I admit it: I've been self-sabotaging.

The past few weeks my weigh-ins have been a little bit of a loss or a little bit of a gain, but no major progress/regress has been made. And it's all my fault. Sure, I've admitted to being a lazy points tracker but it's more than that. I haven't been tracking points because I've been making lousy food choices and I've been too embarrassed to track them. Well, also lazy. And I've been drinking more beer and wine than I really should be.

Wow, it feels good to finally admit this.

I've said I want to find a balance in my lifestyle, something I can sustain weight-wise but that will also make me happy. Thing is, I haven't been trying all that hard. I did so well at the beginning because I was trying, I was making smart choices, I was being honest with myself. Now, I'm just taking too much for granted.

And while I'm being honest, I'm struggling with finding my groove again.

To get back on track, I need to figure out where the self-sabotaging is coming from and I had a bit of a breakthrough on this last night. I've been having a hard time with stress eating ever since we started house shopping. I've tried to play down the stress but it's there and not just the stress of finding a place but the stress of getting our condo ready to sell - and that's the bigger issue. There is so much to be done and we're starting but nothing major can really happen until we buy a place and have schedule to work with. And the house hunt has consumed all our free time, whether it be for viewings or prepping the condo. I tried to go out of town this past weekend and had to cut my trip short to view a house - and the house was a piece of shit.

So now what? Now that I know what the stressors are, does everything get fixed? And what about the bigger theme here, namely how do I deal with stress without sabotaging myself?

None of these questions are easily answered, but as the saying goes, the first step is admitting you have a problem.

If only finding the solution were so easy....except I know the solution. It's just getting from "knowing" to "doing" that I have to work on.

More house hunting

After what felt like a slow May for house listings, June is already proving to be better. We're going out this afternoon to look at five - FIVE! - houses. In all of May we only looked at seven places so if this is any indication to how the market will be in June, it seems very promising. Recently we were able to increase our budget to a level that we're still comfortable with but has opened up many more options. And with a little more to spend, we're also able to look at neighbourhoods we thought we couldn't afford.

And we're FINALLY going to get to see not one but two townhouses in a complex we've had our eye on for over a year now. On paper, this complex seems perfect and if we can find the right unit, it should give us everything we need and we've been waiting for a chance to get in. The catch, of course, is that what looks good on paper doesn't always look good in real life. But because we've been idolizing these townhouses for a year it's been hard to really consider other things until we've seen them. It's so great to get to see two units; hopefully after today we'll know if that complex will work for us.

There is one thing I'll never understand, though: in the over-heated Toronto market, where it's not unreasonable to see small homes priced at half a million dollars, why WHY WHY do realtors list homes without including pictures??? 

(Of course we would look at any home in person before even considering an offer, but how lazy do you have to be to not even take a picture of the exterior of a house? It boggles the mind.)

"Where would we store a stroller?"

It's interesting - and very personal - the questions that you ask yourself when buying a house. I'm fortunate in that I have someone to buy a house with, so we can bounce questions off each other; come up with worst-case scenarios involving family and friends coming over; and help point out smaller details the other may have missed. We're a good team but on the weekend this question came up:

"Where would we store a stroller?"

It seemed innocuous at first, but once we actually thought about it, it became much bigger. Wherever we move, we want to be able to fit a couple of kids in too and kids come with lots of extras, like toys and clothes and diapers - and strollers.

Before we started house-hunting we answered the "big" questions: what neighbourhood; how many bedrooms; could we make it work with one bathroom; parking is a must; easy TTC access is a must; we don't want to be house-rich and cash-poor so figure out our max limit and try to come in below it; we'd rather not go north of St Clair; we'd like to stay put for at least five years and maybe even up to 10. We had it figured out - until I brought up the stroller.

And that's the trickiest part of the house-buying process (at least for us [at least according to me]): not just how we're going to use it now but how we're going to use it later. 10 years is a long time, especially when buying with our budget but we'd talked about it and knew what we needed, what we wanted and what we could compromise on. But don't forget the stroller.

We're still looking - it has been barely a month after all. But we're pretty sure we've got all the answers we need now, both big and
small, and we'll make sure there is room for a stroller.

On buying a house

As we talk about and move towards buying a house, I find myself dwelling on the whole concept and the sheer magnitude of it. I mean, this is HUGE.

Sure, low interest rates mean there are lots of people looking and the idea of buying and flipping a house (i.e. not staying in it for long) is still alive and well, but it's a big deal. And it's so easy to be swayed by pretty hardwood or granite countertops or a soaker tub or any other high-end finish, and it's easy to look at a staged home and think it's perfect and fall in love with everything. We've done a bit of that, I have no trouble admitting, but we've also talked it out after seeing things and we're really good at playing devil's advocate with each other. And this is good because we're looking for a place we can be in for 5-10 years so that means discussing what the next 5-10 years could bring in our lives.

So not only are we looking at spending six figures on something; not only do we have to make sure our furniture will fit as well as the staging furniture; not only do we need to be sure we have what we need, as well as what we want; we also have to consider what our lives will be like in 10 years (and there's a very good chance that will include children). It's a bit mind-blowing.

Add in that houses stay on the market for, oh, about a week, and suddenly it's a lot of pressure. Since we own our condo we can wait until after we buy before we sell, so that's a bonus but we also have to act quickly on anything we like. That means lawyers and deposits and offer strategy - all in a matter of a few days.

We spent two months buying a car and it cost 1/20th of what we're planning (hoping) to spend on a house. Really, it's a purchase that's 20 times as expensive that we have to make 20 times as quickly. I've spent longer buying shoes.

I remember when I was planning to go to university, there was so much emphasis on making the right choice, not just of program but of school as well, because it was going to affect me FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. Truth is, I switched majors halfway through second year, I opted for a 3-year degree and I went to college two years after graduating to get the skills necessary to actually be employable. So while university was a big, expensive deal it was nowhere near as impactful as I was led to believe. It was worthwhile, don't get me wrong, and it influenced many other facets of my life, but it didn't lock me into anything for any significant period of time. (Though my eight months of third year felt like a small eternity.)

When we buy a house, we can't just switch to a different spot six months later. With all the closing costs associated with a house (and when it's a percentage and you're dealing with Toronto prices, those can climb quickly), we're not going to move again in two years, unless absolutely necessary. While we're not looking for the forever home, we're looking for middle-term. And it's a huge decision to make. And it's a little scary.

But it's also a ton of fun - though I do get carried away sometimes. One place we liked I kept staring at the pictures and started picking out paint colours. In reality the house was a big no, but if it had worked out, I knew what colour the dining room would be! This helps keep me sane and happy and excited about the whole process - because if I spend too much time dwelling on the magnitude of this purchase, this decision, my head just might explode.

Slow and steady - but mostly slow

About two and half weeks ago I bought 20 boxes, small ones that would accommodate our books (we have a lot of books). The plan was to start decluttering now and get some stuff in storage so we're in better shape to stage the condo after we buy a house.

The catch? The "buy a house" part. It's been rather slow in the real estate market of late, at least the part that we're playing in. Almost four weeks went by with very little and the one or two that did pique our interest sold before we could even book an appointment. On the upside, there has been a bit more action of late but it's a finicky market so we'll see where that leaves us.

But at least we have boxes at the ready!

Miscellany

A few random thoughts, late on a Tuesday night...

...I know I have to be patient in the house hunt, but I want one NOW dammit! Everyday we have new listings emailed to us and everyday we obsessively check MLS ourselves, just in case. So far, our dream home has not materialized. Apparently this kind of thing really does take time.

...I've been reading more about this study that showed women who cut carbs twice a week lose more weight than women who stick to a low-calorie diet. Of course, you have to eat reasonably the rest of the week, but I'm so tempted to try. Despite my whole "fad diets are for suckers" stance. I mean, what will happen when I stop cutting carbs two days a week? I don't want to end up as the Pillsbury Dough Boy. But it's so tempting!

...the Canadian Book Challenge wraps up at the end of June and I'm still seven books away. I was so gung-ho when it started. It makes me sad that I'm not more into Canadian writers. What can I say - I love my Brits. But I'll still get a few more reviews in before it's over (I hope).

...I really want a cheeseburger.

...for some bizarre reason, I have Gwen Stefani stuck in my head. And I'm not a Gwen Stefani fan. At all. I liked No Doubt back in the day, but not Gwen's solo stuff. I don't even know what inspired this song that I don't know the name of to get stuck in my head. Sigh.

...I need a new knitting project.

...I really want a pair of red pants, which makes me laugh, because when I was in second-year university, I really wanted a pair of red pants. I found some then and I'll find some again - 11 years later.

...I should find a blog template I like and stick with it. I change it because I get bored but I feel like it should be consistent. Alas, I have yet to find anything I like. If only I had the skills to make my own. It's a tough life.

...did I mention I want a house?!

On the hunt

We went on our first house-viewing expedition last night and it was...interesting...to say the least.

After spending a year drooling over houses but being realistic about our budget and commutes, the Beau and I have a clear idea on what neighbourhoods we're looking at and what our maximum budget it. We've also accepted that housing prices in Toronto are what they are, so I'm not going to be bitching on here about the cost of homes. We've made the choice to live here, fully knowing what it will cost, and that's fine by us. (Though we don't look at real estate outside of Toronto, to keep the envy down.)

House viewed not exactly as shown (unfortunately)

That said, we went out last night and checked out some townhouses in complexes we'd been eying. And what an eye-opener it was. We want three bedrooms and have discovered that our definition of bedroom does not always align with sellers' definitions.

One place we viewed was a 3-bed, 3-storey townhouse, but of the three bedrooms, one was a loft space that we would have to use for a living room (as the living/dining shared space was not big enough for both living and dining) and the second bedroom would end up being an office/den. So that meant we ended up with...a 1-bedroom + den home, which is what we have now. Oh, and it had less kitchen space.

Does it have a living vroom?

We looked at another townhouse, which was a bust, and then a semi-detached home. The semi had a huge amount of potential (i.e. we loved it) on the first floor: separate living and dining, big kitchen, big back deck, lots of light. It felt good...until we went upstairs. First, the staircase seemed to have been narrowed to allow for main-floor remodeling, which meant it was awkward walking up as a person (never mind trying to get furniture upstairs). The upstairs bathroom had a great tub, but it was at the expense of toilet space; I could barely fit on the toilet and a niche had been carved out of the wall to allow the flusher to move.

The Beau and I had talked of getting a new bedroom set when we moved, but the master bedroom in this home would barely hold our bed - if we could even get our king-sized mattress up that narrow staircase. The second bedroom was wee. Lovely, but wee.

We were hoping the finished basement would have potential but the even narrower staircase (which I've dubbed the supermodel staircase) was not a good start. The basement was "finished" in that the cinder block had been painted and it would work, as long as you were 5'4" and under. The Beau is over six feet; needless to say he was cramped. And there was a bulkhead right around the corner from the staircase; if you took that corner too quickly, well, you didn't need that other eye, right?

C'mon Barbie, let's go party

But it was a still a great outing. When you spend as much time looking at MLS listings as we do, everything starts to seem like "the house". It's just as important for us to cross spots off the list as it is to see the ones with real potential. And it's amazing to see what the price differences are and to learn what the market value is. Plus it's fun. I'm sure some people would find it frustrating or discouraging, but we're in no huge rush and we've already decided that we'd rather wait for the right place than rush into the right-now place.

Our perfect home is out there and we know it. And spring is a busy time for listings so who knows what might come up next? We get listings sent to us daily by our realtor (who is amazing) so we're always aware of the latest and greatest/"greatest". And I'm excited to go see what we can see.

Exciting news!

The Beau and I are officially house hunting! It's a very exciting time for sure. After spending the better part of two years lusting over houses of various size, shape and price we've finally taken the plunge into the market.

The Beau owns the condo we're currently in, so he's been through this process before (albeit six years ago), but it's all new territory to me. We're fortunate because we're able to use the realtor the Beau used to buy his condo and she's a lovely woman who has already sent us a list of potential homes and we're hopefully going to start viewing them this week!

Squee!

The hard part for me is going to be the waiting. I might be a little impatient (okay, a lot impatient) but I know this is a major purchase and that we have to wait for the right one to come along. It's just I want it now! NOW!  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!

All in good time, though. All in good time.