We didn’t get the house we put an offer on. And even after we said we’re not the bargaining type (meaning, we’ll never accept a counter, that the amount we offer upfront is the amount we’re comfortable with) the sellers came back with a counter. And the counter was more than our real estate agent said they’d settle for. I’m thinking one of two things took place: either they are really that arrogant and/or stupid, or they got an offer closer to what they’d settle for and figured they’d have nothing to lose asking us to go higher. Nevertheless, we feel we offered them a fair price and have said no to their counter.

OK, so, this whole house buying thing is and has been an emotional roller coaster. They now HAVE accepted our offer. We’re going into attorney review tomorrow. I’m not going to get my hopes up — I made that mistake last time — but it looks like we may become homeowners soon. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

On Sunday Tobyjoe and I did something neither one of us would have agreed to a year ago. We went to a couple of open houses for the condos going up all over Greenpoint and Williamsburg. (Remember this?) I’m not sure why, really, anything we need (size) is too expensive. Most of them looked exactly how you’d imagine, which is to say trendy and cookie-cutter. But there was this one…

I actually really liked one of them. I even pictured myself living there. Granted, we’d have to sell the baby in order to afford it, which seems silly since one of the reasons we like it is because it happens to be in one of the best public school districts. It also has an elevator that delivers its occupants directly into their apartment. Do you have any idea how appealing that is to me right now? After spending 8 months lugging a baby, a diaper bag, and whatever other baby things I need up three flights of stair just to take my son outside? Orgasmic!

They also had balconies, an added bonus for those of us who haven’t had access to an outside space since college.

I don’t know what to say. I’m deflated. I’m sick of driving around each and every weekend to look at overpriced, sometimes rundown properties with annual taxes of ten thousand dollars plus. Factor in crime statistics, resale value, size of lot, garage space (or lack thereof), driveway space, walking distance to anything (we would rather not depend on a car), public school rating, oil tank burials, commute time (and price), and you’re left wondering why any member of the middle class chooses to buy a place at all.

One of the places we looked at (and it wasn’t cheap) is three blocks from the apartment complex that housed one of the shooters from this heinous murder. Yes, that’s in Newark. The murder took place there as well. No, we weren’t looking to move to Newark. Yes, one of the neighborhoods we’re looking at borders one of the most dangerous places in America. I am left thinking that denial must play a huge role in how some folks agree to buy what they buy.

And I’m thinking that choosing to read this book right now was a bad idea. (Anyone commuting to NYC from Southern Virginia?)

Should we continue to rent? Am I just having a bad week? I am still sick, 8 days and counting. Do I sound like a broken record?

Do I sound like a broken record?

It appears there could be a potentially HUGE problem regarding the underground oil tank that will keep us from actually buying the house. I plan on discussing this further today but I have to feed the baby first. Heh. So, we may not be homeowners yet. We may back out of this entirely.

Tell me, why? Why did people think it was a good idea to bury oil tanks? I got so worked up last night and then I spent an hour thinking about all the environmental faux pas we’re currently committing that our kids and our kids’ kids are going to have to deal with once we’re dead and gone.

More later. And happy Good Friday.

Later…

We were told by our real estate agent that the whole oil tank fiasco is the leading cause of contracts falling through. During attorney review, the buyers request that the sellers have the oil tanks removed at seller’s expense and the sellers refuse. The deal ends swiftly. We’re looking at this house as a place to raise a family, sure, but we also don’t want to find that our ground is contaminated and we’re potentially in the hole (no pun intended) hundreds of thousands of dollars. I realize that’s a worst case scenario, but when planning for one’s future, one can never be too careful.

Here’s the bigger stinker: this particular oil tank isn’t just underground, it’s beneath the basement as well. Digging said tank up, or testing the soil, could prove to be one gigantic pain the ass for whoever decides to take on said feat. Not only do you have to pay to dig up the tank (which isn’t all that pricey alone) but you have to dig a giant hole in the basement, test the soil, wash the soil out (if there is any contamination) and then put the basement back together again. Scary, is the first and only word that comes to mind.

I wrote this before we entered attorney review and learned more about what lies beneath:

“We have a screened in porch that runs the entire length of the house. I am looking forward to turning it into a sanctuary for the entire family. (I envision plants, bird feeders, creaky rocking chairs, candles, and maybe a designated spot to practice yoga.) I can’t wait to listen to the chorus of crickets from that porch, let my cats curl up into fat furry balls at my feet on that porch, grow more wrinkles on that porch. I can’t wait to sit outside on hot summer nights, sipping a glass of chardonnay to wash down my Grand Old Man with my grand old man.”

I took the rose colored glasses of yesterday and am now willing to accept (as egirl put it) having to kiss a few more frogs first.

Crazy day.

Between The Mountain Goats show this evening, Emory’s doctor’s appointment, and my mother visiting, I haven’t had a lot of time to write. But I wanted to take a minute to say that today we became homeowners.

The Mountain Goats are going to sound so much more sweet this evening. And my life gets better each and every day.

I think I’m in shock.

Edited to add: I wrote this yesterday flippantly and excitedly, however, we aren’t actually homeowners. Yet. Technically, we’re in attorney review and there’s still a lot to work out before we sign the deal. This could fall through. I feel I need to correct myself. Plus, I hate getting excited about something to only be let down. Assume the worst! ;]

Did you know that the three most expensive counties in the United States where property taxes are concerned are Ocean County, Essex County, and Westchester County? It’s a fact. And we looked at houses in one of those counties yesterday.

Toby and I went to look a houses in Maplewood, New Jersey yesterday. We fell in love with the town. Of course we fell in love with the town, to live there, homeowners pay anywhere from 7,000 dollars per year on taxes, all the way up to 11,000 dollars a year and that’s for smaller lots. The bigger the lots, the higher the taxes. The taxes don’t even include trash pickup or sewage costs.

Let’s say you get your mortgage down to 2,000 bucks a month. Awesome, right? Add on water, heat, sewage, property tax, trash pickup, commuting expense and any insurance you need and you’re suddenly well into the 4 thousand dollar range. Well, we can’t afford that, not on one salary. We come nowhere near that. I’d have to go back to work, which I think I might be OK with, but that means adding another expense to the list for childcare.

At one point on Sunday morning, I decided suddenly (in the middle of a yoga class) that we were moving back to the Washington, DC area and into rural Maryland where houses are a little cheaper and we’re surrounded by close friends with kids. (I was fed up. I had a moment.)

I get the feeling we’re going to see a whole bunch of crap before we find something we’re willing to buy. One of the places we saw yesterday was just awful. Not only was it poorly built and falling apart, but the person living there was filthy and did nothing to try and clean it up. I fail to understand how and why people choose to live that way. Do people have that little pride in what they own? I have watched people on our Brooklyn street clean their SUVs with a toothbrush. Do they give the same care to their houses? All but two of the houses we have seen have been disgusting. One of them was covered in dog piss. I have no idea how real estate agents keep a smile on their face while trying to sell some houses. They should win Oscars or join professional poker tournaments.

But I don’t want to sound totally negative. We did see one house that was well out of our price range that I fell in love with. Its only downfall was that it has an underground oil tank, which is proving to be a big headache for many homeowners in Jersey. Everything else about the house was outstanding. I immediately began putting my furniture into each one of its rooms. It was a lovely house.

In spite of the pricey real estate we looked at, my weekend was really quite great. Emory has exited The Screaming Baby Phase and has entered Sweet Baby Phase. He’s even starting to amuse himself for extended periods of time with all the new toys we got him from Haba and elsewhere. Although, for the first day or two he was more into the Haba catalogs than the actual toys. I think he’s been taking hints from the cats. If I have learned anything from cats, it’s that the more you spend on something, the less they’re likely to use it.

I went to yoga twice and I can barely use my arms today. I cleaned the apartment. I showered twice. I even shaved my legs. It’s been a wonderful couple of days and I can’t thank you all enough for your words of encouragement. You helped me (again) more than I can possibly say. I bookmarked that post so the next time Emory and I have a rough week together, I can remind myself that I’m not alone and that things will get better and always do.

UPDATE Comments are broken. Once they are up and running again, I’ll turn them back on. So sorry if you posted one and it got lost somewhere. Fixed!