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Song 8: The Waiting (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Greatest Hits)

"The waiting is the hardest part. . ."

Seriously, this could be my personal motto right now. I'm in a period of transition in my life, and part of that transition is finding a house to buy. I've been looking since the end of January, and I've looked at every house in the area I'd like to live (a 3 - 4 zip code zone in north Austin/south Round Rock) with no luck. There have been a couple of houses that I've been initially excited about, but then they ended up not being The House for one reason or another. For example, I'd like a house with a master bathroom large enough where I don't have to stand in the shower to close the bathroom door. And I don't think it's too much to ask to want a kitchen with more cabinets than my last college apartment.

According to my very patient and helpful realtor, in the next six weeks there will be tons of houses listed that might work for me. I am SO ready to move on, and I'm sick of waiting. Meanwhile, I'm stalking all the house listings I can find. There is a house that I saw last week that I'm going to have to seek out in person--the address isn't included in the listing. Looks like I'll be driving around my favorite neighborhood (which is HUGE) to see if the mystery house is in an area I'd like. Sure, the house is $3000 higher than the high part of the range I've been looking in, but we're in a recession, right? (And why not ask my realtor to find an address? I want to find out on my own what the street is like and how the house appraises before I waste time with a showing. Might as well not get my hopes up if the houses all around it are crappy.)

But! I'm also trying to use this process as a learning experience. Too often, I settle for something that's almost right or not quite right just because I get irritated or frustrated with the wait/search. (The contents of my closet are an excellent example of that problem.) Also, as a person who loves to plan and know what's next, this is a good opportunity for me to try and relax a little bit and not stress out about knowing where I'm going to live next. If my current house sells before I find a new one, I'll deal with it; I have options. Personal growth. . .it's like I'm an actual adult or something.