B and I are buying a house!

Big news - B and I are buying a house together this summer! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it, and I think she feels the same way. It's such a big step, but I feel completely confident that it's the right choice. She and I have been solid for a long time, and she's the real deal. Wedding bells might be ringing in the near future, but I can't give too much away online, as she is one of my 3 readers! Anyway, I can't wait to begin the next stage of our lives together, and that will involve moving in together for real (we live together now, but I'm still on the lease for the Saint Paul apartment too - most of my stuff is still there).

We started the process by looking at houses online, and then today we drove around and checked out some places too. We want to buy in Saint Louis Park or Minneapolis, and we spent most of today in SLP. We saw tons of places, many in our price range, but we only went to two open houses (both not the houses for us). We don't want to close until mid-June, so it's probably a little too early to be looking really seriously, but we wanted to get an idea of what kind of house we can afford, where we want to live, etc. My mom, a former realtor, said many more houses should be coming on the market next month, so that's also great news! I'm super excited for the whole process, and I can't wait to get started!

As I noted above, we are looking at SLP. That's right, we are considering a suburb. I never thought that would happen, and I will be SAD to leave the city if we decide to do so. However, there are good reasons to choose SLP - proximity to B's family and job, proximity to downtown, the schools, the JCC (I love, love, love belonging there - so much so that B says I should be in their next promotional piece), the nicer houses, etc. Still, I've been a city girl for a long time now, and it will be hard to leave that behind. Plus, I have to leave my beloved LRT as well...I guess I will have to bus it if we move out there. Definitely doable, but not ideal. Anyway, we haven't decided for sure where we will wind up, but there is definitely a chance I'll be going back to my suburban roots. Gasp! Let the mocking begin!

As we begin this process, B and I are open to your tips, advice, suggestions, etc. Specifically, we need a good exclusive buyer's agent, so if you have any recommendations for someone, please pass them on. We also need an attorney who does GLBT partnership work, so if you know someone for that, please share as well (unfortunately, my law degree will not help me in that area, and it's too important to screw up). Also, please know that we will be talking about houses, realtors, and everything related for the next six months. I apologize in advance, but that's just how it will be. :) Thanks for your support and patience as we begin this amazing journey together. Woo hoo - that's the best I can capture how excited we truly are, at least for tonight, as I'm quite tired. WOO HOOOOOO! :)

PS - thank you to my parents for all their support and help through this process! I am truly blessed.