To buy or not to buy? That IS the question . . .

I interrupt my chronological account of of our family's comings and goings for a current update. It seems like all my posts from the last year have included something about being so far behind- - but I guess that is my busy life! I don't think it will ever change- at least not for awhile.

Anyway, our most recent update about our move to WA has to do with whether or not we should buy a house. Up until last week, we were still waiting on Jon's medical license to FINALLY be issued in the state of Washington so we would know his job is 100 percent a go- that was the final piece. It took about 11 weeks to finally get approved (a whole other story involving the state of WA loosing his paperwork and CWFM taking over two months to turn in their portion of the paperwork)- a long time to wait, but it did finally go through! Yippeeeeeee- that was a happy day.

As soon as that license was issued, we started the process of contacting a realtor, banks and trying to figure out the best way to going about buying a house. Within the first few phone calls, I was severely disappointed and realized that banks don't really like new doctors out of residency, and that we may not BE ABLE to buy at this time. I had always planned on using the Bank of America's Doctor loan (which we were pre-approved for in 2008 when we were buying then- - but then ended up going with an FHA loan because the house is a "manufactured" home and didn't qualify for the doctor loan). Up until just last year, it was a zero down payment loan, with no PMI and competetive rates. Best of all, we could actually qualify for it even though Jon's income isn't good YET, and he hasn't started his position yet. The loan is designed for doctor's unique situations, whether out of residencey or not. Well, Bank of America was my first phone call, and yes, we would qualify, but we need a 5% down payment. My heart sank as I heard this- we really are close to being able to do this (with Jon's signing bonus), BUT it would uncomfortably make things pretty tight. With all of our other immediate financial concerns (some credit card debt, needing to buy a car for Jon after we move, 6 weeks of no pay during the interim, etc), we just can't do 5% down right now.

So I started contacting bank after bank and found that really our options are limited at this time. Another FHA loan would work (though each bank undestood the terms differently- one said Jon would have to have started working for at least 30 days, another said we just had to close within 60 days of him starting if he has a contract, and another said we couldn't do it because we already HAVE an FHA loan on another house, and the other said it was OK if the move was for relocation of jobs). An FHA loan is 3 1/2 % down- which is much more comfortable, but caps at right in our price range. We finally did find a bank that could possibly do some creative financing (including an unsecured loan) to help with their 5% down payment- though I didn't find that out until four or five days after starting all the phone calls, and I still am not sure if it is financially wise.

Jon and I spent most of the week talking about and trying to find the best course of action- - should we do an FHA loan with 3 1/2 percent down, or the creative financing, and possibly make things a bit financially challenging at first? Or do we wait and rent for a year and get our financial ducks in a row before buying? Because we have had to move so many times, and certain members of the family don't handle transition well, I was really hoping to find our modest dream home and stay put for the rest of our lives. No more changing schools, no more uprooting our family and the emotional things that go along with that . . this was my dream. At the same time, renting isn't such a bad thing- we would still be in the AREA at least- we could try out Deer Park and see if we even like living in a small town like that, and most of all, make sure JON likes his job at Deer Park and will be able to make a good career there. Sigh- what to do? Even if we buy- is it best to buy IN Deer Park so JOn has a very small commute, or do we buy in North Spokane where he would be commuting 15-25 minutes on a semi treacherous (in the winter)highway? Do we opt for the awesome Mead school disctrict- one of the best in the state- but also HUGE, and the North Spokane Stake? Or do we go for the small town life with a really small (but still good) school district of four schools-the high school having only 600-ish students, and a Stake that spans from the border of Spokane to Canada- the beautiful northern wilderness of Eastern Washington? We have been looking at listings online for all the different areas, and we have a lot of wonderful options of houses- it really is a buyer's market.

So many decisions to make! Jon and I have planned a trip to go check it all out the beginning of December, and I have to say that I am super excited. Which house will I walk into and know it is mine? Or will none feel right? Maybe we will find a house that we can rent first and THEN buy- so we don't even have to move? Even though this week my mind has been obsessed with these, my spirit feels calm, like everything is going to work out the way it should. I want so much to have and follow the quidance of the Holy Ghost in these life changing decisions, without my human emotions impeding our decisions- and that is what I am praying for. I don't want us to make a choice based on what SEEMS to be the best at the time, but what IS right for us in the long run. I pray that we will be led as to what is right. I have to remind myself that in the end, our life is going to take a wonderful turn for the better, and I am so grateful that we are finally there. What an amazing road (the bad AND the good) our family has been on.