In the beginning... well, almost!

I have owned my house for just on a month now, but it still doesn't feel real. Probably because I still haven't even spent an hour in the house yet.

You see, the person who used to own the house until about 2 years ago is still there as a tenant - and will be for another month yet. It is a weird situation, but almost everything about the way I bought the house was a bit weird.

I have been trying to find a way to buy a home of my own for years now, decades in fact, but I never seemed to be able to put it all together. I had been trying to convince my boyfriend to buy a house with me for years - but he has a house of his own that he didn't want to sell. My sister came up with a couple of schemes for us to buy a house together (she is the one with all the money smarts), but her husband was very reluctant - and I didn't want to be seen as the family burden. So finally I summoned up the courage to walk into a RAMS office to ask for some advice.

It was a total surprise to me, especially as the economic crunch was just beginning, but I already qualified for a loan. And after taking a huge deep breath, I decided to take the plunge all on my own.

I geared up the house search, and started making bids, only to find myself outbid every time - and the prices started to skyrocket. Then I got a call from RAMS that the pre-approval I had was about to expire - and the loan I was eligible for was about to be withdrawn.

I had just about given up when I happened to stray onto Domain (not my usual search place) and found a house that was being advertised directly by the owner, only advertised on the Domain site. Although open times were listed, the address wasn't advertised and the tenant was mentioned and the pictures looked a bit rough, so I'm not sure that they got many calls. And when I went to the open it was horrible weather - pouring rain and freezing, even for people who are used to the hills. It seems like the only one desperate enough to turn up was me!

The place obviously needs a lot of work, but my bf is very handy and the location is fantastic - and the house just felt right. So I put in a low bid - and after a few days I suddenly had a "YES".

I agreed to let the tenant stay for a couple of months - the owner wanted a short settlement and I still had a few months on my lease. But I have to admit I am getting pretty restless now. I keep trying to picture each room and start lists of work to be done - but I know I can't remember all the details. I even went to a sale at the Tradelink store and got some bathroom fittings (the main bathroom is half renovated and needs finishing pretty quickly) - but I have no idea whether the stuff I bought is right. I even have nightmares when it has been raining all night that the roof has caved in - or if I hear the CFA sirens that I will turn up when I am ready to move and find a pile of charred rubble.

So at the moment I sit here staring at the photos of the house I own but can't visit, hoping that I can turn my nightmares into my dreams. Wish me luck!!