So Close And Yet...

We began looking for a home on a Sunday following church. Our stomachs full of Jason's Deli and me sitting behind the wheel of my SUV, I noticed a sign announcing an open house and asked if we should go. We decided to.

It was a two-story house in northwest Oklahoma City. It was also a house we could not afford. But we fell in like with it. We continued our journey to a second two-story house in northwest Oklahoma City. It was a house that was less expensive than the first house, but it was also a house we could not afford. But we fell even more in like with it.

Then we crossed the interstate and began driving through the historic neighborhoods of northwest Oklahoma city. We found a small, one story house. The house was staged with furniture. We almost fell in love with it, except that the kitchen was too small and the washer and dryer were located in the garage.

Justin announced that he had house fever. We returned home, and I began looking up houses online, as well as mortgage rates. We inquired about a few homes. A realtor called us, and we went to look at a home in the Paseo District of Oklahoma City. While the home was cute, it as also in need of quite a few repairs. We then looked at a house across the street that was listed for more money than we wanted to spend. Still, we fell in love with it, and we decided we wanted to make an offer. It was a spur of the moment decision.

We later found out the house was under contract. We did contact a few lenders. We became pre-approved, and we began to seriously consider purchasing a home. We looked at several other properties, and then we found a home that seemed to be a perfect fit, in the Paseo District and within our price range. We made an offer. The seller countered, and we accepted the counter offer, with a few contingencies, of course.

Through a long, frustrating, and anxiety ridden process, we have come to the point we are currently at. Which is that the house was appraised lower than what the accepted counter offer had been. The seller is disappointed, and we are now trying to come to terms that we can all agree on. And we are planning to and hoping to close on January 15th. This is the last day on which we can close in order to remain locked in our current loan.

We are praying it happens. We thought it was for sure last night. Now we're on edge, once more. From what I know this is normal. Or so the veterans of the real estate market tell me. And it might be. It probably is. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

It also doesn't mean that it makes this process any more comforting.