the weekend that was: holy cow. it was all about house hunting. so freakin’ stressful, as our house sold so much more quickly than we expected (2 weeks). more update below…
where i am at the moment: sitting at my desk for a day! yeah!
on my to-do list this week: the main thing is a trip to Z for a leadership team retreat, which i have a bunch of prep for today. we also need to start packing, and hopefully, agree on a purchase price for the home we made an offer on.
moving update: wednesday night, we drove by 25 houses (thank god for gps, baby). thursday, we started spending 5 – 7 hours a day with the realtor. we went through 9 houses thursday, 10 friday, 15 saturday, and 8 sunday. our spirits were pretty down by saturday night, as we were finding that buying a house has a lot of similarities to a software or website build. software and web people say there are three variables everyone wants: finished quickly, low price, and custom/robust features. and, they say, you can only have two of those — any two, but only two. we found in our house hunting that there were three variables also: neighborhood we want, house we want, price we want. we could only find two of the three. we’d find a great house in a great neighborhood, but couldn’t afford it; or we’d find a good house for a good price, but in a neighborhood we didn’t really want to be in; or we’d find a house we could a afford, in a neighborhood we liked, but the house sucked or was too limited in one way or another. finally, on sunday, we found a couple that met all three variables, and after going back to them a second time, one was the clear winner. we made an offer sunday night, and are waiting to hear a response.
procrastinating about: not much. everything is at full-tilt right now. i’m not making progress on my next book, but i don’t know how i could — so it’s not really procrastinating.
book i’m in the midst of: the book of general ignorance, by John Mitchinson and John Lloyd, and the blue parakeet: rethinking how you read the bible, by scot mcknight
music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: very little music this week.
next trip: tuesday through thursday in holland, michigan, for a zondervan leadership team retreat.
how i’m feeling about this week: i’m sure the leadership team retreat will be great, but i’m really stressed about what we have to accomplish this month with our impending move.
Don’t stress too much about moving. I’m sure everything will fall into place. Just take things one day at a time, and give the retreat your full attention.
We just did a week on the beach south of Holland last week with the family. Amazing time – that coast is a great (and under appreciated) part of the US.
Congrats on finding a house that “fits.” That’s a big step!
TL
WOW. Two weeks in this market? That’s crazy! Congrats on the quick sale! We’re about to get ours on the market – even if it takes twice as long as yours to sell I’ll be thrilled! : ) I’ll be praying that they take your bid!
marco,
not to add stress to a busy week, but since your in holland and i live here and if you want to grab coffee or a brew, give me a call if you have time.
ty hogue [from way back in fuller days] 616-218-0109
Hey, while in Holland, be sure to grab a coffee at JP’s in downtown. Even better than starbucks!
I grew up just outside of Holland. The lake is incredible, too.
Dude, I feel your stress. I’m in the process of moving 3 states away. I have 6 weeks between getting the job offer and starting the new job. I had all of 2 days in the new town to find a house (which, after 8 hours with a realtor, I did), and now I’m trying to pack, finalize details long-distance and sell a house in a stagnant market in my current town, and wrap up 5 years of great ministry with my students. It’s tough!