$$$$$

I just made a bank transfer to pay my lawyers fees, my portion of the rates that the current owner has paid, the rest of the money for my deposit on the house and the kitchen sink. It was a fair amount of money, and it feels really bizarre to be typing in dollar values in the thousands.

I can't help but think how different it must have been before the current technology- going to the bank, getting a big huge cheque written out, carefully delivering it to the lawyer. And that's just the deposit and fees! I'm really, really relieved that on Friday all that's going to happen is a momentary blip as several hundred thousand dollars are deposited into my account, and then immediately taken out again and delivered to where they need to go. If I had to make that transfer myself, I think I'd faint!

All in all, things are going well- I'm home early today to a) carry on packing and b) wait for the rental agent to come to show people around. I guess I'm weird that I like to be here when strangers walk through the place- and yet I found it weird when the owners of the places for sale were around. I guess for me it's that dynamic of renting vs buying. I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to have a landlord anymore- and hopefully never again!

It's both exhilarating and terrifying- I won't be able to call someone if the roof leaks- it's up to me to fix it! But it's going to be great to not have to worry about damaging walls or anything accidentally, or pets making a mess- and I can finally have pets other than our darling budgies. That's exciting! Plus painting the walls will be fun.

I really thought I'd be losing sleep over this Friday- finally getting the keys and getting into my house. My House. It's funny to say out loud. I really can't wait to start posting photos on here and finally making a place mine. I've never had that before- I've lived in rented accomodation or halls of residence since 2002, and before that it was always with my parents, who never even let me paint my walls or have too much free reign with what wallpaper I chose. This place can be 100% me, and I love it!

I was very grown-up this week and bought a washing machine. I didn't mean to- I was planning on waiting until we actually got in the place (since we can live without that and even without a fridge for a few days if needed) but that had a great sale and the washer I saw that looked best (most energy efficient, which is a big deal to me) was out of stock and they were taking orders at the sale price. They said it'd be a week and a half to two weeks for delivery and at that price (almost half off!) I couldn't resist. Now to find a dryer (which unfortunately won't be as energy efficient- all of the good-for-the-earth ones are more than $3000 it seems!) and a fridge- once I figure out how much space I have to work with. Exciting!

T minus 3 days and counting!

T-seven days

1 week to go, and the house is filled with half packed boxes. I'm still sorting out a moving company, I need to transfer money around and double check the insurances are all sorted and a zillion other things.

I'm also starting to wonder how long it'll be until the house feels like it's mine.

And I'm also looking forward to finally getting to take some pictures and posting them!

It's going to be an awfully, awfully long week, I suspect. 

28 days later...

In one month's time, I will be sitting in my new house.

It really hit home for me today. You can tell by my sporadic posting here that, while I know I'm buying a house, and it's super exciting and all, it's not quite real.

Today I woke up and thought- this time next month, I'll be a home owner.

I looked around the house we're renting, and thought about all the things I'd change if it were mine (well, to be honest, I'd knock it down and start again, it's been so neglected in the years before we got here, that there was nothing we could do to rescue it even if we'd wanted or been allowed to!). And I realised that in a month, if I walked down the hallway and thought the skirting boards needed a paint, well, I could do it!

My list of things I need to do to the house, or get for the house, is growing ever longer, but in a good way. The living area and office are beginning to take shape in my mind, and I've started to think what furniture I want in there, what colour schemes.

In one month, expect posting to go from once a month, to several times a week. I've had a long and frank conversation with myself about how my days of lazing on the sofa in front of the TV are over- at the very least, each week I'll be tackling something new at the house- whether it's painting fences or recovering furniture or hanging pictures, I'm going to be busy. And I plan to blog about it every step of the way.

Right now I'm in the glorious position of having to keep in mind things like whiteware. Who would have thought I'd get excited about buying a fridge and a washing machine and dryer? And who would have thought there'd be so many options!

Soon I will have to get my head out of my daydreams and my nose out of the home and garden magazines that are forming in stacks around my bedroom, and into the reality of it all. And I can't wait! I know I'm talking into a void right now, but hopefully along the way, some of you will become readers who follow through my progress with me, and help keep me on track when I complain that I'd rather spend the weekend watching trashy TV than sanding table legs!

Here's to the future!