Hello, I'm Obsessed, Don't Judge Me.

I'm 26 years old, in a long-term relationship, and I've recently made the (semi uni-lateral) decision that my fiance and I need to buy a house in the near future. A little background info: Nicki and I have been together since meeting at the University of Florida, 6 years ago. We both grew up in different parts of suburban Florida and we were used to some of the creature comforts like central AC, updated electricity, and 2-car garages. Then we both decided it would be awesome to move to New York City and attend law school. Needless to say, those creature comforts we were used to disappeared. We both traded in our cars and space to spread out for a shoe box apartment and a metrocard in Manhattan. 

The first house Nicki and I looked at in New Rochelle, NY.

Now almost 4 years later, we have a little bit more space living in Astoria, Queens and we bought a car. But we are still renting a 2 bedroom apartment that has only one closet and blows a circuit every time I turn on my hair dryer while the lights in the living room and bedroom are on. Needless to say, I have finally hit the point where I am ready to move out of the city and get back to the cushy suburban lifestyle I was raised on. Luckily, Nicki loves me and however unwilling she is to admit it, loves the suburbs too, so convincing her that we should buy a house outside of the city was much easier than I had imagined. 

Ever since we made the conscious decision to start saving for our down payment, I will admit it, I've become obsessed with the home buying process. I've been researching home prices, mortgage options, specific towns and commute times. I've been doing countless math calculations to discover our optimal price point, and what our down payment would need to be at those various prices. I've been contemplating fixer uppers versus turn key homes, and I jumped six steps ahead in my mind, planning our DIY renovation projects for a house that probably isn't even on the market yet. 

So here it is Christmas night and I have decided that the best way for me to organize my thoughts (read: avoid annoying Nicki so much that she breaks up with me) is to write a blog. I hope that other potential first time home buyers out there will get a kick out of my neurotic obsessions, and maybe I can even provide some useful information in the meantime. And so it begins...this could be a long and bumpy ride, fingers crossed (sorry Nicki, I apologize in advance)