Why it's NOT new house closing day. :(

Today was supposed to have been an exciting day for us--we were scheduled to close on a new house! I haven't said anything on the ol' blog here or really much even to the people I know in real life because I just wanted to make sure everything was signed and stamped before I opened my mouth. Turns out, my instinct was right.

Let me back up. Back in September-ish, a friend of mine who knew that we have been wanting to buy a new house all year tipped me off to a great house in her neighborhood that she knew would be up for sale soon after. It just happened to be the same floor plan as her own house, which we already knew we liked. We called our realtor and told him about it to give him a heads up, so that as soon as the house went on the market we could get in there and have a look. We were the very first showing on a Friday afternoon, and by Monday or Tuesday, we had made an offer. We went back and forth with the seller for a few days with counters, and then finally agreed on a number--but it was contingent on the inspections. You see, there is a large crack in the ceiling of one of the rooms and we wanted to make sure that was not a huge foundation problem. In addition to the normal inspection, we also hired a separate structural engineer to come and take a look and make sure the problem was not critical.

It took some time going back and forth with the seller to get everything worked out, but we ended up very happy with our arrangement. The seller was very motivated to sell as quickly as possible and we got a great deal on the house. The house itself is really beautiful! The downstairs is big and open, just like I've wanted, so I can entertain and hopefully hold more craft classes and maybe even a little pop-up boutique a few times a year. The neighborhood is great and we already have friends who live literally across the street and down around the corner. We get to stay within our current church congregation (we are divided up geographically) with friends we've known for 9 years. It's only about a mile north of our current house. Everything about this house is just exactly what we had hoped to find.

So then you might imagine how I felt late last Wednesday afternoon when I got a call from my realtor saying that we'd hit 'a speed bump'. It's a long and ridiculous story, but there was a 2nd mortgage on the house that seller apparently thought had gone away in a bankruptcy filing--but it hadn't, and the house couldn't be sold because of it. Just that morning I had been on the phone with painters and the electrician and handyman to try to make appointments so we could get started on the house this week--and then it all fell completely apart.

Now the house is going up for short sale. We decided to keep our bid in--we are already approved for our loan, have shelled out $$$ for those multiple inspections, and we REALLY want the house. But we have no idea what the bank is going to decide to do, or how long they are going to take to do it. There is still a chance that we might get the house, but there is also still the very real chance that we won't and will have spent all of that time and money and hope only to be massively disappointed again. Plus the timing is really horrible--while moving the week before Christmas isn't ideal, moving right after you've given birth is probably worse. We had planned to buy a new, larger car after the house deal was done--something that will more easily fit 3 car seats--ahead of the baby's birth in January, but now that's on hold too because you we signed a paper saying we wouldn't incur any huge new debts while the mortgage was still pending.

So there you go. What I WON'T be doing today. 2013 continues to kick our behinds.