So our original closing date on the house was August 1st. Our new closing date? October 29th...or worst case, November 15th. Needless to say, I am a bit frustrated with the delays, the changes, and the wait. Actually, at one point, I was pretty good with all the waiting. However, at some point I switched from being anxious about leaving our current home/neighborhood and became anxious about when we would finally get into the new house/neighborhood.
Before summer came, I had visions of beginning packing on or around June 1st with the hope that we could move a little at a time around our closing date. I have yet to pack a box. (Though I admit to JUST beginning to collect them.) I had wanted to have enough stuff for a yard sale prior to the start of August but now, most likely, I will just box the yard sale stuff up and save it for next summer. I do look forward to the fresh start this move will give us in so many ways...purging stuff we don't use/need is going to feel so good.
I had been tentatively planning color scheme and layout for months but this summer, as August 1st approached, I began more aggressively planning color and layout, even taking photos and uploading them to the Sherwin Williams site in order to apply virtual color to the walls and stopping to pick up color samples from their store. I have arranged furniture in my mind over and over. I have landscaped and planned our yard in hundreds of configurations. I have signed up for neighborhood blogs and emails in order to get to know our new home better. And all of this adds to my excitement but it also adds to the frustration of waiting.
Meanwhile this summer has been pretty good to Bob. Though he is declining again in strength, he has been making good use of our apartment building's swimming pool in order to stretch and keep limber. He is tentative about moving into the new house. While he knows it will be built to suit him and his unique needs, he also knows he is moving to an area that is new to him. He will have to find a new hangout, new friends, and new folks to serve. (I have NO doubt he will make his presence known and loved within weeks of our move.) Bob also knows he may not be able to get out and about in winter as easily as he does now. Our apartment maintenance staff is stellar in keeping the walks clear and shoveled and while I will be just as diligent (due in part to inheriting my dad's snowblower) we can't know or dictate how well our neighbors will do to make sure Bob has a clear path all winter.
One of the good things about the wait though is that we were able to apply for a grant/loan through MN Housing that, should we qualify, will take $20,000 off the price of our home. The deadline is Sept but we should find out by August 16th if we are in. Also, starting in September, we are taking a wealth building course offered through the Urban League that COULD also take another $15,000 max off our loan. I'm not yet certain how that works but the information we learn in the course will be invaluable to us even if we end up not qualifying for the grant part.
Urban Homeworks has been awesome through all of this. They have managed the project, contacted the right people, and reassured us that we will ONE day be homeowners. Even if that day is 2 and a half months later than originally thought. They are always positive, always available, and always patient with us. We would NOT have been able to buy a house without them and their amazing organization. That said, I hope my next post has news of a firm closing and photos of remodeling progress.
