The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: home

  • Nesting

    So, it’s official! I am buying a house! I’m so excited. During this waiting period, while all the paperwork gets processed, and in between packing by fits and starts, I am starting to imagine the many ways I will make this house a home. First of all, this place is really, really small. And it…

  • The Importance of Love Letters

      When trying to buy a house, I cannot overstress the importance of standing out from the crowd. Even though there were multiple bidders on the house I’m about to buy, and my bid wasn’t the highest, I was the only one who wrote them a “love letter”, and that strongly influenced their decision. So,…

  • The Size of the Fight in the Dog

    So, I’m trying to get out of my rental lease early, in order to move into my new (to me) house. That means I need to swallow really hard and allow potential renters to root around in my underwear drawer in my absence. My dog Quagmire is less than thrilled by this process. You’ve got…

  • Taking the Good with the Bad

    Note: I wrote this post long before I wrote One Very Close Shave, long before I had finally decided to listen to my little voice and not take this house! There is a happy ending– stay tuned! But I decided to post this anyway, because it is so revealing about my internal struggle. Many years…

  • I’ve Come Undone

    I am at the end of my rope. I’m on the ragged edge. I’m losing it. I’m buying a house. I’m packing, I’m moving. I’m making changes and updating and getting rid of stuff. I’m doing paperwork. I’m documenting. I’m panicking that I won’t get everything done on time, or I’ll forget something important. And…

  • One Very Close Shave

    So, I’ve been house hunting in the cutthroat Seattle market. After three rejected bids, two of which were soul-crushing, I was sorely tempted to give up. But I don’t really have that luxury. If I don’t lock down a steady mortgage payment, my rent is bound to increase way beyond my means. So I resigned…

  • Changing My Trajectory

    As many of you know, I’ve been house hunting lately. I’m dreading the whole packing and moving thing, but it’s nice to think that my next move might just be my last. But who knows what the future holds? That’s the exciting part. By moving, I’ll be changing my trajectory in life. I’ll be shopping…

  • Making a House a Home

    In my search for a house to buy, I’ve toured many possibilities, and it has really made me realize that no two people live the same way. Making a house a home is truly an exercise in creativity and imagination. It’s kind of exciting when you think about it. Most of us will never have…

  • Greed

    I’ve been learning a very unpleasant economics lesson lately. Attempting to buy a house in the Seattle, Washington area is leaving a bitter taste in my mouth indeed. This is the most booming seller’s market in the entire country, and therefore I’m experiencing cutthroat competition. I’ve seen house values nearly double in the three years…

  • Trying on Houses

    I’m a writer (obviously) so I have a fertile imagination. I spend a great deal of time picturing what my life would be like if this or that person were in it, or if I lived in Paris or Milan, or if I had any number of different jobs. Like my blog description says, I…