FI and I are officially homeowners, and it actually went very smoothly after a really rocky start.
I now know of an awesome lender (mortgage broker) and a horrible real estate agent. And I held in my hands a check for more money than I will probably ever have again for another decade or more.
I love it (though I admit my stomach feels a little knotted and sick) and our 3 dogs will LOVE that back yard and we will love the deck.
"They say there's no such place... as Paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there. No matter how far you walk, it's always the same road. It just goes on and on. But, in spite of that... Why am I so driven to find it? A voice calls to me... It says, 'Search for Paradise.' " - Kiba, Wolf's Rain