Well, my dad and stepmom are coming to visit tomorrow for the weekend. We planned this trip about two weeks ago, when E and I first started really getting serious about a few specific condos, including the excellent 2-bedroom one. We wanted them to come so that we could get their feedback on aspects of each that would be good and bad, both for us and for when we eventually sell. Also, I was hoping that when my dad came to town and saw that we were truly, actually buying a place, he would offer us some money to bolster our down payment.

I mean, it’s a little passive-aggressive, yes. But E’s dad just came out and offered us some money, which was awesome of him, and I know that my dad does very well for a living, and I really don’t ask for anything - I work two jobs to keep my loans down to a minimum - so it would be nice if he’d pony up a little now, when it would really be helpful.

Also, when I first went to tell all my parents about E and I not just moving in together, but BUYING, I was concerned that they’d be judgemental about it. Especially my dad, because he is Old School. Thankfully, I thought to email my mom first, and ask her whether they had lived together before marriage, and to my great surprise they had. And then my stepmom happened to tell me that she and my dad had lived together before marriage. So, lo and behold, when I told him all about it he didn’t even blink an eye. As a matter of fact, both my mom and stepmom love E and are so thrilled that we are going to be betrothed.

But anyway, so the plan was that my dad and stepmom were going to arrive tomorrow, and at the end of the weekend we’d make an offer on our favorite place (the 2-bedroom), hopefully with a little more money for a down payment than we already had. It was a plan! We were ready!

But THEN. Dun dun dun. Last weekend our realtor called us to say that she’d heard around the office that another couple had viewed our favorite place and loved it too, and was going to put in a bid. Furthermore they had been approved for a loan for the full asking price, whereas we were still dealing with various banks and mortgage lenders, but still had not gotten final approval. But now we knew that we had to get our bid in first if we wanted any chance of getting it. So we did - we put in a bid for $10k under the asking price. And then we had 48 hours to wait and see what the seller said.

Finally, we heard back. The seller wanted the full asking price, but was going to pay $3k of the closing costs. We were sort of like, eh, we can probably walk away from this offer, make him wait, and then come back after my dad’s visit and ask for a little more off. So we decided that. One day later, another bid was made. Ours still hadn’t expired, and now we could either take it, for a little more than we had wanted to pay, or we would lose it to the next bidder for certain. We talked and talked and talked, and finally at the very last minute, a piece of paper surfaced that made our decision for us.

The place had gotten appraised at $10k over the asking price - over what we’d be paying. E, the realtor, and I were like, Shazam! We are golden. We have made $10k already, just by buying it.

So we signed the contract. Once it was signed by both parties, we had ten days to get final approval for our loan, and if that hadn’t happened we could have just walked away, penalty-free. But magically, the loan approval has all worked out, just a few days later, and we have a manageable mortgage payment. My dad and stepmom are still coming tomorrow night for their visit, but it’s sort of a moot point by now, because we own a motherfuckin condo.

Um, SCARY.