and then it began.....

i've thought about owning a home for MANY years now. definitely a dream i've always had. about 3 years ago, i started to look but only out of interest. at that time, the real estate market was way out of control. it is only with this sub-prime debacle that housing prices are finally pulled back down to "normalcy." for the first time in a very long time, first time home buyers are able to buy a house in l.a. no less (i know there are many arguments out there speculating if prices have bottomed out yet. if you are interested in knowing my viewpoint, let's have coffee. i can talk non stop about this shit).

i started looking and actually touring homes in february. i've seen TONS of property (all within my price range-ish) though all of varying savoriness. and here's one thing people don't tell you on these articles about plummeting prices. yes, properties are getting relatively cheaper, but people are also leaving these houses in a shitty way. you might get a good deal on the location and the size of the house, but some of these houses are pretty jacked. messed up foundations or other types of tlc required which would cost tens of thousand of dollars or so for you to fix. i guess it makes sense right? just cuz it's cheap doesn't mean it's a steal. especially in the area i want, there were few deals and no steals. and many are still out of my price range.

anyways, good guidance from my friend potsticker brought me to look into first homeowner's programs and loans for teachers as offered by our government. this in turn lead me to a really awesome lender named helen and who in turn lead me to an awesome real estate agent named dara. i was truly blessed in this journey. all the nuts and bolts were in place. i just had to find a house and i finally did. thank god for all the nuts and bolts that were at my side to help me realize this wee little dream of mine.

and potsticker, if you are reading this (um, yeah, of course you are), THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP. IT WAS INSANE TO SAY THE LEAST. THANK YOU!!!!

my real estate agent. she was a godsend after the crappy one i ried to work with through ziprealty. if you need someone, tell her, i sent yah! she's great and i still talk to her from time to time.