dennis.ca

If you've never bought (or attempted) to buy a house before, there are piles of experiences you've likely never encountered. For example, prior to looking for a house, I --

• Thought 2:00pm through 4:00pm on Sunday was for sitting on the couch. What I didn't understand was that the time is actually meant for jamming as many open house visits into two hours as possible. If you can get your geographical planning in order, I think it'd possible to visit six places. Our record was four.

• Didn't think much about the state of wall moldings, crown moldings, paint or flooring. I thought a 'sconce' was a pastry one might enjoy alongside coffee.

• Didn't rank neighbourhoods based on high-speed Internet availability and proximity to Bell Canada's central offices.

• Had never considered the need for a rake, lawnmower, or shovel.

• Was never exposed to the unsavoury lot that are Real Estate agents. 'Nice' agents aren't effective. Furthermore -- and this is a tip for any prospective real estate professionals out there -- being lectured on the finer points of deal making by a guy who wears sport socks with his dress shoes doesn't go over well.

• Didn't know what the hell a chattel was.

That being said, I think I've got a grasp on things now... Startlingly, the Government of Canada came through on these points with some very good documentation for home buyers and home owners.

I was originally considering only single houses. Then building a new semi-detached house became a possibility. Then it was building a single. During the next phase we were back to used single houses exclusively.

So, my girlfriend and I visited open houses for the past two months and have sifted through dozens more online listings. If there's a perfect house out there we've yet to find it. On a whim we checked out a place last Sunday that was a bit low on the price scale but looked decent enough for a visit.

As it turns out, it was very decent. Very large, very well-equipped, and very well decorated. It suits both of our tastes and it's been a bit too easy to imagine how everything would slide into place. I've come to understand that compromises are going to be the order of the day no matter what, and there are some drawbacks with this place:

1. Location (bad for me, good for her);
2. A way-too-distant closing date; and
3. It's a townhouse, not a single house.

Having said that, I've got a draft offer form written up. Now I need to decide if the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. In typical 'Dennis' fashion I'll make a whirlwind decision tomorrow afternoon and beckon my lawyer (Christ, I used the term "my lawyer"...)

...Or not. Stay tuned.