Home Sweet Duplex

Danny and I met on the porch of a duplex, and it looks like our first house together is going to be the left side of a duplex in Lakewood, a western suburb of Denver. This whole process has been a real whirlwind; so I take real comfort in the fact that once we move in we plan to stay for at least  five to seven years. As one who has moved every two years since arriving in Denver nearly six years ago, I am not sure how I will feel going in to year three. I am willing to risk it though because I really like this home.

The plan when Danny and I renewed our apartment lease last year was to move into a house at the end of it since the idea of planning a wedding and moving freaked me out! If only we had known that in late 2012 the Denver housing market truly shifted back to a seller's market. While I cannot speak from a national perspective, I can assure you that the housing market is strong in Denver. Here are a few highlights (read: stressors) from our search for our first place:

The first house we fell in love with in pictures had a bomb-maker living next door (no joke).

The first house we actually viewed must have had a Photoshop expert as a listing agent because the pictures did not actually represent the house itself. My favorite feature: a garage that was connected to the house, but one still had to go outside to get in the house.

A house in Highlands Ranch (southern suburb) caught our attention to the point that we made an offer even after being locked out by the sellers the first time we tried to view it - which should have been our cue to run screaming... Yet we persevered and managed to go under contract. Despite the poor showing condition of the house (trash everywhere and a deep-fat fryer on the counter were among the highlights), Danny could see the good bones of the house. As a person who does not have this type of vision, I trust him and his abilities to fix things. Thankfully, the deal fell apart for good after the house miserably failed the inspection and the sellers would not do anything to help defray the costs. That home proved to be an expensive lesson, but really did save us a lot of money in the long-run.

Even though we were under contract, no one had any real faith this deal was going to go through based on the interactions with the sellers and their ridiculous agent. So we kept looking, and found a house that was in wonderful condition. Danny and I liked it so much that we offered $7,000 over the list price without any concessions (eg closing costs) - well it ended up going for $15,000 over list price!

Cue the background music as I go through a number of other houses in my head that we looked at while also seriously questioning what our next move should be... We talked about continuing to rent, and I really started to wonder whether this was a sign we should be living somewhere else entirely.

Last weekend, Danny and I agreed we would give the house search a few more days (literally) as our deadline to give notice at the apartment was quickly approaching. Denver got hit with a snowstorm on Saturday, and I was fighting a nasty virus; so we set appointments to view two homes on Sunday. The first was the one we chose, but the second one we saw was also a viable contender. Although there was a funny moment in that house that I call a – “Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” experience," when you enter that house there was a door in the "foyer space" immediately to your left. One would think this would be a coat closet; right? It took me a moment to figure out where Danny and our realtor had gone. I really thought perhaps the door led to Narnia. Nope, it led to the basement... I digress.

Danny and I put in our bid, and hoped for the best. About three hours after the bid was submitted our realtor called to say we were under contract! Danny and I were so stunned we did not know what to think, other than perhaps we overpaid. Honestly we only offered $1,000 over list price, and from experience I can attest to the fact that this is just how quickly the good houses are moving in Denver.

The inspection was done earlier this week. One has not lived through an inspection until you do it with two devout Catholics as the new pope is being announced, just saying... The house passed with flying colors, as we had hoped, since one could tell this home was well cared for - I have come to appreciate people who display a pride of ownership.

The closing will take place sometime in April, and we will be able to move directly from our apartment to the house. Although Danny did offer to move us into temporary housing if needed. Let me just say, he would have been doing that on his own. I love my husband, but sometimes I think he is trying to kill me.

Phew! It is kind of crazy when I spell it all out, especially when I stop to think this whole process has only been about two months long. Two months and a lot of houses. I will never watch HGTV the same way again.

I am excited to begin this next chapter in our married life in a house we picked out together (and actually agreed on!). I assure you that is no small feat!

We will soon be looking for painters if anyone is interested - pizza and beer will be provided. Plus there is a spare bedroom if anyone wants to take a trip to Denver, just think how exciting a painting trip could be! Danny and I are grateful for the love and support we have received through this whole process, with the exception of our dear friend who said we were dead to her if we moved to Highlands Ranch...