Purchased a House

Our subterranean days our numbered. We had been house hunting since last week. Actually, we really were not looking for a free-standing house, as most that we could afford were located out in the sticks. Most people who pay under 3 million nok live in an apartment, a row house, or a side-by-side house. We really did not want a row house, as they often had monthly association fees- up to $1000US. We looked at a few free-standing homes, but they really didn't fit our criteria. Here is what we wanted: a view (this is Norway, after all), a garage (maybe half the homes even have them), 3 bedrooms (for room to grow as a family), and near a bus line for at least one of us. Car-free living is a dream. At least we can hope to be a single-car family. Fuel is so expensive that we chose to factor total cost of car ownership into the purchase price. The economy of vehicles is simple: homes appreciate, cars depreciate. We would much rather even half the amount of owning a second vehicle toward owning a more expensive home in the right neighborhood.

Speaking of neighborhoods, we love the neighborhood we are in. If we were not underground, we would love it even more. For some odd reason, this area wasn't developed until relatively recently- perhaps because this hill is located near NATO headquarters. Our present side of the hill is populated with every expensive homes, such as the one we rent an apartment in, and apartments. Apartments in Norway are actually units that people buy. There is almost no rental property to speak of, which is why we live underground in a firetrap.

Anway, we found this side-by-side on the other side of the hill. It had everything we were looking for. The floors could be redone- they were cheap laminate in several rooms, but aside from that it was in excellent shape. Actually, we both wanted to buy it before we even saw it in person- assuming the photos did it justice and it wasn't inhabited by a chain smoker. We toured it yesterday. It even had a room to store bikes. It is located on a dead end street at the top of the hill. To me, it seems more like a mountain- since my heartrate almost redlines when I climb halfway up on the side we currently live. The back yard is undeveloped park and walking trails. There is no through traffic. I don't know how we will make it in heavy snow or ice, but now isn't the time to worry about such things. The house is even positioned well for good sunlight.

We both liked the house. We left the showing and prepared our offer in the car. My plan was to bid above the asking price to psyche out any other potential bidders. We already knew how much the house across the street sold for last weekend, and we priced our bid accordingly. Lise's friend suggested we set the expiration time a few hours away, rather than 24 hours as the form stipulates. I submitted the bid to the realtor, who balked at the timeframe. I reminded him that it was above the asking price. He told me he would check with the owners later. We received a call saying the owners would not accept our 8pm timeline, but would extend it to 2pm today. I accepted those terms. I almost felt we should lower the offer, since it was contingent upon that timeline, but let it stand. We still had to work with these people.

We knew today was going to be a long day. Our offer was 9% over the asking price. Fifteen minutes before the final bids were due, I received a call that our offer had been met. It was now running at 10% over, with one more hour to go. Lise and I discussed it and planned to wait until 10 minutes before offers were due with a very slight increase. Lise handled the phone as I sat on my email at work. Lise took care of the bid, and the next ten minutes slipped by. We were later informed we had the house. I think we could live there the rest of our lives- which is a strange feeling. We will move sometime in late June. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.