We are house hunting for the third summer in a row, and while I LOVE seeing the insides of homes, it is a little wearying.
We have been happy in our 3B+den/3B, but our lease is up July 1 and Chad’s brother is going his separate way. We would like to take this opportunity to reduce our rent, but it’s a double whammy to move into a 2B/2B and pay less than what we pay now. Right now we we’re paying $1750 for our portion of a 1800 square foot place and we’re looking for a $1600 place, which will likely be under 1000 square feet.
That’s quite a bit of down-sizing.
So we’ve eye-balling furniture and starting to think about getting rid of things. Although honestly, nothing’s been rid of yet. Giant-sized corner desk, anyone?
We’ve been considering this move since before Christmas, so emotionally I think I’ve adjusted – and I like the idea of moving into a more affordable place and worrying less about making money. My current boss wants me to continue working from home, but we’ll see how that works out. My friends keep reminding me how busy a baby makes you – honestly, I can hardly remember. really? I won’t be able to squeeze in 20 hours of work time a week at home?
Ideally, we’d like to settle down for three years while Bella finishes up high school and then make a move towards LA, possibly in the Pasadena area.
Bella on the other hand has raged and raged against the move. It is a third summer in a row to have to spend packing and unpacking, but the bigger story I suspect is that moving into an apartment and seeming “poor” is rubbing her teenage fur the wrong way. Ah well.
But Chad and I are reluctant to move as well – especially considering that the lease is up three weeks after the baby is due – so we have done some creative brainstorming. Chad and I have even entertained the option of inviting one of Bella’s Yucca friends to move out here, rent Chad’s brother’s room, and live with us next year to go to school. Probably luckily for all of us, that idea didn’t pan out.
It’s hard for me to squeeze into a smaller place, too, mentally and physically. And to constantly explain to people that yes, it actually makes sense to move into a smaller place rather than a larger one with a baby on the way. That no, we will not have a nursery, and that no, we have not picked a “theme” or colors. (Okay, I made up a theme and colors up to satisfy Chad’s colleagues at work: forest colors and insects.) I know that the norm is to move into bigger and bigger places… that norm is especially deafening here in south Orange county.
On the upside, I think we might have found the place. You can see the place here. We saw this super clean condo last weekend and have been mulling it over ever since. Last night we walked Giselle over, because the owners hadn’t wanted any pets, but they did see, love, and OK Giselle – seeing that she’s HARDLY a dog at 3.5 pounds. So now the only downside is that we had thought about extending our lease until August 1 to give us a little time to adjust after the baby is born – but they really want a July 1 move-in. I suppose that’s not such a big deal.
But the thought of finalizing: signing a year’s lease more than an month in advance, is still making me nervous. I do like the stainless steel appliances and the pergo (wood) floors…
