Sunday, June 10, 2012

Adventures in House-Hunting

I'm off this week to go hunting for a new home in the city we will be moving to at the end of July. Of course I'm thrilled to have won the tenure-track lottery and I think I will love living in Anchorage, Alaska. I'm very excited! Or, rather, I would be if it weren't for the stress of trying to find a home to purchase and be able to move into by August 1. (We won't talk about the anxiety caused by a more than cross-country move with an anxiety-ridden dog just yet.) The housing bubble hasn't really burst there, so when we started looking I suffered a bit of sticker shock. However, rental prices are high enough that I found the motivation to keep preferring to buy right away if the housing gods smile upon us.

M. and I have been working with a fantastic realtor, and with his help we have picked about 18 homes from the listings - 5 of which we think we might really love if the internet photos speak truth and not lies - that we want to see while we are there on this recon mission. They all have garages and locations that would be workable for us so that we could remain a one car family for the time being. We also have some meetings scheduled with mortgage underwriters. We are cautiously optimistic right now, but know that the days ahead may be very stressful.

So dear readers please wish us luck on our Alaskan house-hunting adventure.

13 comments:

  1. Good luck, my dear! I am sending lots of love and optimism to you as you look for a new place to set up The Running Historian headquarters.

    {good luck good luck good luck...}

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  2. Good luck - I'm sure it will be stressful but really exciting as well!

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  3. A Northern Adventure, very cool! You will have so much to post about over the next few years. Meanwhile, all the best of luck in your house-hunting.

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  4. Best of luck with your house-hunting!
    Just remember: on trash/recycling day, don't put your bins out until the morning. Bears like to make a mess of unattended trash cans.

    I can't wait to see moose and mountain photos once you move!

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  5. Wow, I knew you said you were moving but didn't realize it was Alaska. That's exciting. House hunting is incredibly stressful, good luck with it. My only tips would be do not settle or make a rush decision in the stress of it!

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  6. Alaska will be awesome! It's a wonderful place for someone who cares about fitness - as you do!

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  7. What an exciting adventure you're starting! The home buying process can definitely be stressful, but hopefully at the end of it you'll have a home you love in a fun new city! Good luck!

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  8. Alaska! What a fun place to go. I wish you luck on the house-hunting and the qualifying.

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  9. How exciting! And good luck! When we moved across country, we settled on a 3 month rental with our stuff in storage to give ourselves more time to buy. Just think of something like that as an option if needed. :-)

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  10. Good luck! I hope you find something you like with an acceptable price tag! I used to underwrite mortgages, so if you have any questions about the mortgage process, I'm your girl! :)

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  11. Good luck! It's nice that you feel comfortable with your Realtor because that process can be daunting! I can't wait to hear about the anxiety ridden dog ;)

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  12. You are all over the world here lately! House hunting (and mortgage shopping, moreso) can be really stressful, but after the quest to win the tenure track lottery, I hope it feels like a piece of cake. Best of luck!!

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