26 Miles

New Hoos

// July 1st, 2008 // Life

After 18 months on the market, we finally got an offer on our house two weeks ago. Tomorrow is the end of the option period for our buyer … so far, so good.

We’ve also put a contract on our next house. We’re giving up 1/3 of the space for 1/3 less payment — a reasonable exchange given the our little nuclear family dynamics. The latter of those 1/3 buys more than meets the eye in terms of peace of mind and free time. With it comes an end to my 7-day-a-week work schedule. More than anything I hope it represents 1/3 fewer times I have to tell my kids I can’t play because I’m working.

I hear the phrase “work-life balance” thrown about in my very HR-savvy “day” job and I laugh. What balance is there even in a 40 hour week when you spend the best hours of your day away from your family, much less when you have to shoehorn “family-time” somewhere between the comment lines in your code. It’s not much of a life, and I’m hoping that kind of life will soon be a thing of the past. Thin-slicing my life has kept me from giving any one thing the proper attention it deserves.

Anyway, the new place combines some of the best features of all the homes we’ve had, plus it’s a 1-story!! Can I get an “Amen” to that? We’re going to blitz it with new paint and a few key things to make it our place. I’m happy with the price and we may go for a 15-year note like we had on our first house and try to build equity faster.

I’ll be happier after we’re closed and funded and I know it’s all real but it’s a positive development to say the least.