Time to Collect Boxes

I got the condo. The last hurdle was the appraisal, and that went well. I have a friend who lives in a building that recently had a condo for sale. The bank sent up some appraiser from Richmond, where prices are very different. He appraised the place for less than my friend paid for her place 10 years ago -- a good $70,000 less than what it was really worth. The buyer had to back out since there was no way he could make up that amount. I was petrified something like that would happen. But it didn't! Yay!

Thanks to recent gifts from my father, I will be able to get through this process without spending my last red cent of savings. In fact, I'll have enough to finally get new mattresses, which I think I'll buy before I move.

I will continue to pay down the debt with the same amount for the next few months, until it's time to fork over the mortgage and condo fee. But by then the debt should be less than $3,000. So while I might not have the debt knocked out by October 10, it will get paid off. And it'll be a helluva lot easier to pay off $3,000 than $21,000. The trade-off is that I will be in my own home.

Next, I think I will talk to a professional. There's a financial adviser through my employer who offers a complimentary session. I've gone to a few of his seminars at our office, and I like him. I think that with all the changes this year, it's time to call for reinforcements. But that's for later this year.

For now, though, I am thisclose to being a homeowner. The condo docs are coming this week, and I close at the end of May. In 60 days, I could very well be typing blog posts from my balcony. That is, if I'm not too tired from unpacking. :-)