Glam, have you decided not to move?

sj, after we lost "the house," we really looked at our finances and what it would take to get into a home and think we would be extremely pressed financially. We are bummed but we agree that it isn't worth it to not be able to afford anything beyond our basic needs. Our original plan was to wait until we were both working again (DW is a stay-at-home mom), but with the rates low and the housing prices looking decent, we jumped in. I feel really bad about wasting my realtor's time, hence the not wanting to tell her. I also feel guilty about staying in a 2 bedroom condo with no yard with my almost-3-year old and adding another kid, you know? Sucks. Still, our original plan was to stay put so nothing has really changed.

Now we will get a storage space and clear the clutter, turn the office into kid room, and move office into our (huge) master. It's doable.

"House poor" is no fun.

SoCal is just so ridiculous. You'd think making a 6 figure salary (on the low end of it, but still) would guarantee that you can afford a modest family home in the Valley. Nope.

Glam, it sounds like you are making the right decision for you, and I am sure this happens all the time in the real estate business. I would just be honest that you thought buying was doable, but when you got a good look at what was out there, you realized it wasn't. Do you own your current condo or are you a renter?

I can't even imagine looking for houses in SoCal. Things are much less expensive here, and it was still tough to make it work.

We own our condo and bought it before the market went through the roof, so we are grateful for that. I'm grateful for many things and had to remind myself and DW how totally fortunate we are in SO many ways. But yes, looking for houses here is just a nightmare. Add morning sickness to the mix and it's just torturous. I'm actually really glad to be done with it. Though I am sad that we won't be living in the one perfect-for-us house we found. Oh well, there'll be another.

We own our condo and bought it before the market went through the roof, so we are grateful for that. I'm grateful for many things and had to remind myself and DW how totally fortunate we are in SO many ways. But yes, looking for houses here is just a nightmare. Add morning sickness to the mix and it's just torturous. I'm actually really glad to be done with it. Though I am sad that we won't be living in the one perfect-for-us house we found. Oh well, there'll be another.

We found several perfect for us houses before we found this perfect for us house. So, yes there will be another one, and it may seem so much less overwhelming when not pregnant.

Thanks for the support, sj. Are you loving your new place?

Are you loving your new place?

I do love it! I'm a little overwhelmed with people who feel the need to point out that I have too many books, and that we're not fully unpacked yet. But I'm trying not to let them get to me. I've been very low energy this month, so not much is getting done.

Yay! Forget those people. Take your time and enjoy it.