The time has finally come to share a big announcement – Bill and I bought our first home!
I know people often overuse the word “finally” when sharing an announcement, but for us, this marks the end of a year-long journey. Let me back it up and walk you through one of the longest, most exciting, and most frustrating experiences we’ve ever been through.
Backstory
A little backstory for those who might not know much about us: Bill and I are Chicagoland natives, and we’ve spent the better part of a decade living downtown. We both started out living in the Lakeview neighborhood since it’s essentially a rite of passage as a twenty-something moving to Chicago. In 2018, we moved to the River West neighborhood and called that area home for four years. During that period, we got married, traveled to new places, experienced a lockdown due to the pandemic, transitioned from office to work-from-home life, and brought home our dog, Gus.
Our one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo was a dream when we moved in. It was in the perfect spot in our area since we were accessible to all the West Loop and Fulton Market amenities, but it still had a neighborhood feel. We were close to friends and family, all our favorite restaurants, and public transit. Not to mention we had a killer rooftop view. After we welcomed Gus home in 2020, we began to make friends with our fellow dog-parent neighbors. This strengthened the feeling of community we had in our neighborhood, which is pretty rare for an urban setting. It truly was an amazing period of our life.
But something shifted for us during the pandemic. Bill and I had exclusively worked in our respective offices pre-COVID. Working from home was a luxury we experienced once in a blue moon. Heck, we didn’t even have a dedicated working space in our apartment at the start of the pandemic. Like most people, we got through the lockdown by pouring into our hobbies. My hobby was obsessing over starting this blog and second-guessing every step I took until I was too paralyzed to make any progress. More on that another day.
Bill began to come into his own as an excellent chef, bread baker (you didn’t really experience the pandemic unless you whipped up a sourdough starter), and flower gardener. We also had our hands full with an eight-week-old puppy with a tiny bladder and razor-sharp teeth. Let’s just say that we were always on the move with puppy Gus. Working from home, discovering our passions outside of our 9-5s, adjusting to life with Gus, and figuring out how to fill our time led to us feeling claustrophobic.
We slowly started to resent our once fabulous apartment and wished we had a little more space to spread out. Don’t get me wrong, we’re incredibly fortunate that we could work from home while front-line workers risked their lives during unpredictable times (if you’re a front-line worker reading this, thank you so much), but we knew it was time for a change.
As the pandemic eased and things returned to “normal,” we began evaluating our options. Many pro-con lists were made during this time as we contemplated a significant life decision. We ultimately decided that in the summer of 2022, we would leave the city and (hopefully) move into a new home in the suburbs. What we didn’t know at the time was that this process would slowly drag on for almost a full year.
Our naive goal when we began our search was to find a house, move into it, and run out our lease if needed. We didn’t want to re-sign our lease for fear we would find a home and then need to break our lease and pay a pretty penny. Our backup plan was temporarily moving in with Bill’s parents, who graciously opened their home to us.
Well, as they say, “the best-laid plans….”
Our bruised egos moved into Bill’s parent’s house during the summer of 2022. This was obviously not the plan we imagined, but we were very grateful to have a roof over our heads. As we adjusted to not only living with his parents, we also adjusted to suburb life. If you’re a former city dweller who made the leap to suburb living, you know what I’m talking about. I didn’t realize how much of my identity was rooted in our life in the city. I missed the daily walk route I had with Gus around our neighborhood. I missed being a stone’s throw away from our favorite restaurants. I missed the ease of seeing our friends at a moment’s notice. This transition definitely took a toll on my mental health, which was something I wasn’t prepared for.
However, there were so many wonderful changes that took place too. Gus now had a backyard to romp around in. Bill’s commute was significantly shorter, and he didn’t come home feeling exhausted after sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-90 (IYKYK). We were much closer to Bill’s siblings and our nieces and nephews, so we got more quality time together. I now had my own office, which was infinitely better than the tiny desk we had shoved in the corner of our condo. The most beautiful gift of all was getting extra time with Bill’s parents. We spent many nights together listening to music, drinking wine, and discussing everything under the sun.
After ten months of house hunting, seven months of being “homeless,” countless house showings, a few (okay, more like many) tears, and one declined offer, I felt so defeated. While I’ll spare you the arduous and frankly annoying experience of house hunting in a volatile housing market, just know that when you finally get an accepted offer, you feel like you won the lottery.
But it finally happened; we won the lottery, and our offer was accepted.
To say we were excited is an understatement. We started dreaming of house projects even while we negotiated contract terms, completed the inspection, got approved for our mortgage, patiently waited for the home appraisal details, and signed roughly 10,000 documents during the closing process. Who knew that buying a home took so many freaking steps. But in the end, we got the keys to our first home together, which marked the beginning of a new adventure.
It’s kind of crazy to consider myself a homeowner now. I’ve always thought of myself as a traveler to the core. I’ve left a piece of my heart in so many destinations that I’ll never truly feel at home in one place. It’s a slightly nerve-racking change for me, but I’m ready to tackle this new phase.
I’m filled with so many emotions as I begin this new chapter in my life. The main one that stands out is gratitude. I’m grateful for Bill since we endured this chaotic process together, strengthening our marriage. I’m grateful we’ve both done well in our corporate careers, allowing us to purchase a home during these challenging conditions. I’m grateful for the support of my family and friends while I went through a very emotional transition in my life. I’m grateful for Gus since he’s always a bright spot in the darkness.
Last but certainly not least, I’m grateful to my in-laws, Bill and Peg, for opening their home to us for nine and a half months. I’m grateful for our time together and that Bill and I never felt like a burden or imposition. We’re endlessly grateful for their generosity.
If you’re reading this, I’m grateful for you too. This is my most vulnerable post to date, so thank you for sticking with me.
So, what’s next for us?!
Bill and I are settling into our new home, and we’re chomping at the bit to begin some home projects! We intentionally chose a house where we could add our personal touch, but now the project list is getting pretty long (sorry, Bill haha). Is that something you would be interested in reading about? Or maybe you want me to highlight it on my Instagram? Tell me in the comments!
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