WOW! What the last few days have brought!

It's hard to believe this only started a week ago.

A week ago, I did some number crunching and realized we wouldn't qualify for a decent loan until our medical bills were paid off.  On further number crunching, it seemed the earliest we'd be able to pay them off would be this fall, meaning getting into a house could take until the next year once a down payment was saved up.  We started considering some drastic measures to pay off the debt.

Five days ago, I mention to Mom a house Nick and I had spotted on the listings several weeks back and had briefly considered: a house-turned-triplex that would give us an apartment and then some income to make the payments.  Only, we didn't qualify for a loan to buy it. 

Same day, my parents run some errands together.  They decide to stop and look at the house I told them about.  They like what they see.  When they get home, my dad looks up the listing and shows me how much the payments would be.  I know this, but had also gotten on our lending companies mortgage calculator, and what we qualify for there doesn't even compare.  That night, Nick and I go to his first softball game for the summer.  When we got home, my parents sat down at the dinner table with us with their game faces on.

They had been doing some number crunching of their own.  Turns out, my grandfather's trust isn't making any money in the checking account (with interest) it's been sitting in.  Thousands on thousands making less than $.50.  Then they get the idea: what if the trust bought the house?  Then we (Nick and I) could rent an apartment in the house rent-to-own until we had debt paid off and could afford to buy the house from them.  In the meantime, the trust could make some money.  My parents had even called a realtor and started asking questions.  Someone is looking at the house on Monday.  We could view the house at the same appointment, but we want to get in before that.

The weekend goes by.  No appointment.  We all decide to meet at the house on Monday and view it at the same time as the other interested party.

Two days ago, we view the house.  We LOVE it.  Original woodwork in place on the main floor (did I mention the house was built in 1909?) and unpainted.  HUGE living room, massive dining room with original wainscoting, fireplace, built-in bookshelves next to fireplace, wood stair case.  Large rooms on second story.  A garage off the alley.  Kitchen and bathrooms need updating, but hey, the rennovations were old.  Updated plumbing and recently updated electrical.  We find out that two other parties viewing the house that afternoon.

We meet together after everyone is off work.  It doesn't take long to come to the consensus that we want the house.  We call the realtor and he comes over after dinner to work out a contract.  I had NO idea it takes that long to work out a contract!

Yesterday morning, our realtor submits our offer.  The listing agent meets with the sellers in the afternoon.  We have a counter offer not long after 5pm.  We make our counter offer.  Shortly after 7pm, I get a call on my cell from my dad.  They've accepted!  We're getting a house!

In just one week we go from being completely dismally disappointed that we may not be able to begin looking for a home until after the first of next year, to suddenly, we'll be moving out of my parents' this fall at the latest!  It's a special circumstance: we won't own the house.  But someday, we will.  I'll post more later, but for now I'm looking at paint colors (as the house needs to be repainted) and starting to get an idea of how much we'd need to budget to renovate the kitchen.  The bathrooms are next on my list.  In fact, a list of renovations to be made when we eventually do take it over needs to be done... But that's some time down the line!  For now, I will just wait (hopefully without anxiety) for the closing date to come and these things get on a roll.  It will be maybe a month and a half before that day comes!