Mortgage Monday: Taking A Chance

This was the first attempt... really glad it fell through!

I am going to take a step back for a moment in this series and actually talk about a few months prior to us moving into the house. By the time the summer was coming to an end, my wife and I had a big decision that we had to make. Our lease was set to end today and while we had been looking at houses for some time, and we were under agreement on a property, there were no guarantees. While we usually take a more careful approach to situations, we decided to take a chance and give our notice that we will be not renewing our lease. So, when we sent our rent check in late August for the month of September, we included a note that, in accordance with our lease, we were not going to be renewing.

Technically, we had a place that, at the time, we thought we would be living but, as September slowly trudged on, that reality quickly dissolved and we soon found ourselves without a place to live come December. It was an interesting feeling of uncertainty and one that had us contemplating whether we should try to extend our lease but it was also freeing in the fact that it was one less thing to think about as we continued to search for a home. If anything, it certainly served as a motivator to get things done and step up our efforts to find a home.

Things do happen for a reason and our house hunt definitely proved that point. Within a week of terminating the agreement on the first house (based on inspections), we reached an agreement on a second, far superior, home. After talking with the bank the following week and shortening the escrow to 45 days, we knew that we would be moving and would be making the transition from a house to a home by the end of November. As it turns out, taking that chance in late August was going to pay off.

Contrary to the first ordeal which was rife with misleading statements and answers that didn’t match up with the facts and documents from the county, the process for the second house went as smooth as we could have hoped for and now that second house is now our home. No more renting, no more moving, and no more uncertainty about where we are going to be living this time next year or the year after. We are home.

One Week To Go!

Alright, who has been joyriding in the Delorean again? At this point I question whether June actually happened, July was more than a week long, and whether August started yesterday… however, according to this blog it, somehow, did happen. It doesn’t change the fact that it seems as though the summer lasted about a week and a half as we are already getting ready for the next stated meeting after having been adjourned from labor over the past three months. Three months to prepare and it still seems as though there is a bit of a rush to take care of some last minute items before the meeting.

With the meeting rapidly approaching it is once again time for the notice to be completed and sent out to the brethren… of all the things, this is what gets delayed? With everything else going on, projects that need to be managed, and fires that still have to be put out, it is going to be an interesting return to the lodge this fall. On one level I am looking forward to it but at the same time, I could do without some of the things that will most certainly be brought up during the night.

This time last summer, it seems as though things were much further along than they are now. It was also a time absent of some of the issues that we are now facing. But that was a different year and, sometimes, the worst thing that you can do is think about the past. This is a new year with new issues that need to be addressed and a future that is still with some uncertainty… nothing major just some questions I was hoping to have answers to by now.

Just over a week to go until the September meeting and there is a lot yet to be accomplished. At the same time, there are a number of projects in the works that will surely be great additions to the fall and a large group of dedicated new brethren that I am looking forward to seeing in action when the meetings resume next month. There are always challenges, it is one of the consistent aspects of the office, but there are always great programs, initiatives, and achievements (especially from the newer brethren) that make all the difficulties evaporate. All of these things make the lodge better in the long run and make this good men just a little better in the process as well.