2020 is finally behind us… and so is our old house. Yes, we bought a new home!
I am quite bad at setting up the stage for a big reveal. But here it is: we bought a house! To be honest, my contribution to the entire process is that of being an advisor… and well, a little record-keeper of sorts. And needless to say, now a little more than a novice at buying a house in the U.S. of A.
The global pandemic deeply affected the housing market, and numerous residential areas in the US responded to the changing situation. The house prices fell, and we started looking for something that could potentially suit our budget. It was now that we could finally think of making an offer in the current atmosphere of dipping housing prices. Although the prices fell, we did not wish to compromise on the value. A place nestled in the countryside, close to sprawling greens, was indeed tempting, but we wanted our buck to work for us once the market rises again! And in case we were to move somewhere else, we wanted to have our house in an area where we could easily sell it – or aspire to get offers relatively easily. Our parameters were this set: a place with newer amenities, within the city (or close to public transport), in an area which would attract tenants or buyers in the near future.
We started peeping at the listings online between our work-from-home schedules, laughing off some options, and thinking of some others as too good to be true… Finally, four months ago, we gave our house-hunting some serious thought. And then launched into house showing appointments. COVID-19 and all the restrictions made a not-so-easy process look more complicated. In addition to the showings, there were finances, paperwork, and other considerations looming heavy overhead. We took a deep breath and carried on – like the rest of the year. And it was finally around Thanksgiving that Kuro, Ro and I found a cozy condo to call our own.
And as the bright beginning of 2021 while remaining indoors, we settled in our new home!
As I write this, it is the New Year’s Day and we watch the empty Times Square on our screen. The world hasn’t gotten back to how it was pre-January 2020. Ro and I will continue to work from home for a good part of 2021, and we are chiseling out our office spaces in new home. With so many small and big steps in buying and owning the house, I have a lot to talk about. So more, real soon. In the meantime, we will get on with the private indoor, socially distanced party!!
D.
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