Say Goodbye South Portland and Hello Cape Elizabeth

It’s the last day of the month and the last day of renting an apartment. As I get ready to finish the last bit of cleaning before I had over the keys, I can’t help but reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going. It’s been 8 years in this Apartment and tomorrow starts a new chapter in my life.

Earlier this year my landlord requested to do a walk through of the building, because they hadn’t been in the building since they purchased it. So that meant I had to do some serious cleaning. And I was proud of the amount of junk I cleared out of the apartment. It was the best feeling tossing old unwanted items in the dumpster. I let out a huge sigh of relief on the way back from the dump. Just getting rid of items that have been in my way for years sparked a fire in me and it was time to continue to get rid of anything I no longer needed.

When the walkthrough finally came, I could see the landlords eyes widening as I was showing them all the issues I had in the apartment. Nobody had done any maintenance since I moved into the apartment, and there were some major things that needed to be done. When they finished, I peaked out the window and saw them talking to the property manager in the driveway. They looked overwhelmed, and I wouldn’t blame them.

After a couple weeks I got an email from the property manager saying the owners made the decision to sell the building. This was the second time living in that apartment where the building was listed on the market. The first time was nerve-racking because I didn’t know what to expect. I just remember all the people walking in and out of my apartment. Let’s just say I wasn’t looking forward to going through that again.

The same afternoon I got that email I went over to my parents house and told my Dad about it. His first reaction was, you don’t want to buy the building do you? That was a hard no. But we started talking about connecting with one of his realtor friends to see what my options would be for buying a home. That night I got in touch with a realtor and she put me in touch with a mortgage broker.

The following week I got approved for a loan, started looking at listings, went to a viewing and put in an offer on a house. After years of not thinking I’d ever get approved for a loan or be able to afford a house I had done it. Went through the entire process. The seller accepted another offer but I was glad to get the experience of that part of the process.

After looking at some other listings and realizing how competitive the market is right I decided to move back in with my parents. Just long enough to save a down payment and open some additional options for listings I qualify for. Thankfully after the next few months I’ll have a good downpayment and will be able to look at additional listings to find something.

I’m excited for the future and where I will end up. For now I just need to concentrate on saving money and getting ready for the house hunt this fall.