Above: I passed this overgrown yard on my walk yesterday. I want to rescue and rehab every sad house I see right now.
So, this week we got pre-approved for a loan. A small step in the home-buying process, but an important one. (And isn't the whole process made up of a million baby steps anyway?) I've been aching to buy a home since at least January – and the desire has only gotten stronger since then. The last few months have seen a lot of penny-saving, listing-stalking, and covert potential-house-drive-bys. We've watched houses that we loved go from "active" to "contingent," and felt the frustration of not being able to move on them. We found a realtor who came highly recommended by several of Micah's colleagues. We gave all our financial information to a stranger so he could decide if we were fit for a mortgage. We got pre-approved for way more than we thought we would, then decided on a number we were more comfortable with. And now we're ready for the next step – the next million baby steps.