The Hunt Begins!

In keeping up with our resolutions for 2009, we decided it was time to take the plunge and start in on probably the #1 resolution, buying a home. The first obstacle to overcome was finding a Realtor. Jason and I had decided on one long ago, but after that fell through (two unanswered emails to her), we decided to contact Tanya with Advantage Realtors in Fargo per the encouragement of Jason's brother and sister. Thanks guys!

Tanya put me at ease almost immediately, replying to my email within 10 minutes and calling me the same day to discuss the beginning steps. It was exactly what we needed as we were to the point where we were ready to start but not sure where. The biggest question for me was where to go for the mortgage. Since "bank" is technically a four letter word to me as my mom managed a credit union for many years, our finances are with a credit union. Most do home loans; however, they are underwritten by outside entities. Jason and I both weren't interested in that based on the recent falls within the financial world. Tanya had the answer though - Valley Mortgage.

I'll admit. I was fearful of the whole aspect of trying to obtain a loan with the economy/housing market as it is. Perhaps I watch too much news because the entire process was a breeze! Just like their web address, www.itsabreeze.com. We'd recommend them, along with our loan officer Ray, to anyone and everyone in a heartbeat. We were in and out in about 45 minutes, pre-approval basically in hand, on the same day I had called Ray to discuss our needs.

So, now it begins. Tanya took us out last Tuesday to look at a few homes and to get an idea of what we want. I was convinced we had found "the one," which Jason referred to as the "garage house" (it looks like a garage and only a garage from the front), but after another look during an open house a few days later, we couldn't compromise not having much of a back yard. The house was beautiful and being new construction, we could have even picked our own colors and flooring, but it wasn't home for us. We've also been to a few open houses over the weeks in preparation for this, so we know what we want. Right now, the market is a little slow in the area, and ours just isn't out there yet. Hopefully with Spring here now, the right one pops onto the market for us to find. Stay tuned as the hunt continues...