House Hunting in Nashville- Let the Search Begin

I've never owned my own home. My husband I have been fortunate enough to live in a house for the past year and a half, thanks to the kindness of my in-laws. We've enjoyed low rent costs during our Dunailie days, which allowed us to stay in a spacious home that came equipped with a fenced-in backyard for our two crazy dogs. Finding a house in Nashville that is located in a safe neighborhood, has above average yard space, and low rent costs is next to impossible. However, this mission must be successfully completed during the next few months- A task that my husband perceives as a fun, exciting challenge- and one that I feel terrified about. Terrified is an exaggeration, perhaps, to describe my apprehensions surrounding our inevitable house hunting excursion. I'm just one of those obnoxious people who likes to plan everything and know exactly what's going to happen.

Predictability in life events, meticulous planning, and detailed investigations provide me with a sense of comfort and control, I suppose. I like to know what's going to happen next. I always have. Now, as we venture into this house hunt as first-time home buyers, I have no crutch of predictability or experience to comfort me. I have no idea what I'm doing.

I like to know what I'm doing.
Familiarity and routines are the substances of life that promote security for me. Boring as this may be, I just worry less when I know what's going to happen next.  I am ill-equipped to deal with real estate agents or to attend open house events and foreclosure auctions. Why? I haven't done it before. That's really it. House-hunting and home buying are two subjects about which I know pickles and cheese. Pickles and cheese replaces offensive or expletive words that offend my mother. Saying I know pickles and cheese about home buying makes her happier than saying I know jack shit. Using expletives to explain or define pickles and cheese terminology usage will also offend my mother, though it will be more easily excused. There have been several pickles and cheese words thrown around at our home recently- all of them have been the result of my realization that I must leave what I know behind. I must adapt to a new life circumstance that will make me uncomfortable. It will all work out. I do realize that. I know that, no matter where we move our little 2 person, 2 doggie family, we'll be just fine. The process it will take us to assume new residency, however, will be pickles and cheese. :)

I'm hoping that flipping through magazines and newspapers will enable me to share my husband's enthusiasm surrounding our pending home-buying venture. There are several things holding me back- All of them are really just me, being me-ish. Money, debt, and financial responsibilities are all subjects that I prefer not to discuss or think about. Buying a house means going into debt that will be thrown into the 'don't-think-about-that-right-now' section of my brain- where my husband's pharmacy student loans dwell, along with the monsters may really be under the bed facts, thoughts, and theories of my life.

Paying a mortgage to own our own home seems like a better monthly expense than paying a slightly lesser amount for rent. Making a down-payment will tremendously reduce money we've saved since we married. That part of home buying is the one I really hate, but it's inevitable. The thought of wiping out one's hard-earned cash makes everybody's stomach hurt. I keep telling myself that we'd be making an investment. I comfort my crazy self by saying, 'That's what savings are for'. Still, my tummy hurts.

Apart from the savings account wipe-out that's gotta happen, there's something about moving to a new home that makes me a little sad. It's the realization that, our time on Dunailie must end. We will leave our home and what we know, to take the next step of advancement into adulthood. We'll live in a house that is our own. We'll make new memories in whatever new shelter we'll soon occupy.

Now, we've just got to find it.

We will take the memories made on Dunailie Drive to some new little starter home, whose location is currently unknown.  There, we will make new memories that will last a lifetime. I feel better now about leaving our house behind. A house is just a house. Finding a new one will be fun- once I get over the initial scared-little-girl-ness I feel about it.

Our days at Dunailie are numbered. Let the house hunting begin!

 Over the years, at Dunalie Drive...