Commitments, decisions & a whole lotta money

Even though it seems like I am never around I am always reading. I read so much that I hardly ever write myself. I used to write when I was in the office but I've just been so dang busy that I don't even get to do that anymore. Busy at work is always a lot better than twiddling my thumbs.

The big news of the last couple of months is that LJ and I have been talking about moving in together. It's been going on since March but I didnt want to jinx it by going public with it before knowing it was all happening. The bigger news is that I decided to buy a house. The original plan was to move in together but considering the amount of rent that we are willing to pay we can afford a house. Worse comes to worse I can afford a house. I've learned my lesson about mixing finances before marriage and I'm not willing to do it again.


So where do we live? How big of a house? We have an idea of what we want b/c we have specific needs. 2 bedroom, would prefer a house over a townhouse, would prefere a townhouse over a condo. Beggars can't be chooser though. We need a 2 car garage (considering we have 3 cars between the 2 of us), air conditioning, i would like hardwood floors but its not really a deal breaker.

The other part of the move is really with location. LJ and I live about 17 miles apart and I live 17 miles farther from work. The city I live in is my hometown and all my friends and family are here. He is from the Northwest with only a brother out here but all his friends (frat brothers) all live near him now. His office is less than a mile away from his current location. Living in LA or in the near vicinity even if something is really not that far it can still be a pain to drive to b/c of LA/OC traffic. Anyone who has to deal with 405 going anyway during rush hour knows what I am talking about. I actually don't want to move closer to work b/c I really dont care for the area. I kind of want to stay in the city I am in now but I know I can't afford to buy in the neighborhood I currently live in. LJ would prefer that I move as close to his office as possible as he knows he is not going anywhere anytime soon since I really don't know what my plan is for the next couple of years. Honestly, the thought of commiting to live anywhere for the next 5 years is pretty scary considering that I have been out of my parents house for 7 years and the longest time I have lived in one place was 3 years and almost everywhere else for less than a year. Different cities different counties.

I've already put a couple of offers in and have been outbid and that's even putting in at asking price. The market seems to have slowed down with the end of summer but I would ideally like this straightened out by the end of the year. I am just hoping I can find not the place I am truly in love with but something that is better than rental living that can be a good write-off for the next couple of years. My roommate already found a place that she just went into escrow with this last week so she will be moving and guess what that means? LJ will be moving in next month.