Ice, Ice, Babies!

On the Hunt

I closed the back door of the car once my sisters were all settled in. They had their headphones and snacks for the hour-plus ride up north. I was so glad to have someone to go house-hunting with. My dad was busy packing at home, Bethy was back in the great state of Minnesota, Hannah was on a cruise with her family, and Opal was spending the summer at their cabin in Allistar Lake.

Oh, and my baby daddy was off in Connecticut playing in the semi-finals or whatever it was called in hockey. It was the set of games before the championship, if the Anacondas came out victorious.

I didn't really want to lug my two opinionated, preeteen sisters along, but I was happy to have some time to spend with them before they were taken away from me. I'd literally never seen them once they'd be away in the big city.

I got on the highway and drove high into the Adirondack Mountains to the down of Kingsburg, which was a half hour south of Adirondack U. It was the town over from Allistar Lake, where Hannah lived, and where Opal was soaking up the summer with her "lake friends."

"Okay, kiddos, headphones off! We're at the first house!" I said, pulling in the driveway of a long, navy blue house.

I turned the car off and got out with the girls, taking in the smell of all the pine trees. A lady walked out from the inside and shook my hand when she came over to me.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Lynn. Lucy, of course," she said.

"Same here. I brought my sisters. This is Anna...and Elsa," I said, lowering my voice and waiting for the—

"Oh, like from Frozen! That's so cute!" Lucy said. Both my sisters let out long, agitated sighs. "So, first thoughts from the outside?"

"I love the color, and I really like the neighborhood. It's nice and quiet. Not loving this big yard to mow, though," I said.

"Hey, ride-on mowers will change your life, girlfriend," she said. "Let's go on inside."

The house was cute, but a little small and a little dated. The kitchen was the only room that looked like it had been touched in the past thirty years, and it was a good size. My favorite part of the house was the backyard. It had a really big deck, a firepit, and a creek. The girls weren't crazy about it, but I told Lucy it was definitely a contender.

Since Kingsburg was such a far drive from Oak Falls, Lucy was going to have us do three house showings in a row. The next one was a condo that was relatively new. It was only on the market for a few days so far. 

I didn't love that we'd be living attached to people and sharing a driveway, but the inside was really pretty. There were wood floors in all the rooms. Not dated at all, since it was only a few years old, of course. The girls really loved it.

"So there really is a maintenance group that plows the driveway and mows the lawn so I don't have to?" I asked.

"Yup, it's part of your HOA fee, which is three-hundred dollars a month," Lucy said.

"Okay, so does that just get taken out of my property taxes or..."

Lucy stifled a laugh, then caught herself, realizing I was a naive twenty-year-old who didn't know anything about Homeowners Associations. Or homes in general. Or anything in general because I was barely a legal adult.

"That's paid separately from your mortgage. Your property taxes will be paid with your mortgage, and then you'd pay three-hundred a month on top of that for your HOA fee," Lucy said.

"Aww, that's...a lot. I think we'll have to cross this one off the list. I'm not even working right now. I definitely can't afford an extra three-hundred on top of a mortgage and all my other bills for the house, plus my tuition, and babies," I said.

"I understand a hundred-percent. How about we move onto the next one?" Lucy asked.

"Let's," I said.

On the way to the last house, the girls literally lost their minds because we passed the local trampoline park, which was right down the street. When I pulled into the driveway, I was in love. It looked even better than the photos online.

This house was a nice, light gray, with part of the exterior as cobblestone design. There was a shady, covered porch in the front. I saw myself sitting there and rocking the babies in one of the rocking chairs.

I felt like I was sold as soon as I walked in. Wood floors, everything new and redone. Plus, it had four bedrooms. Bethy could stay with us for as long as she wanted, and the kids would have their own rooms. Or when the babies were still in one nursery, my family could come up from the city and stay in the spare room.

"Love this. You gotta get it," Annie said to me.

"Yeah, it's perfect. No cap!" Elsie said.

"I know it's a great choice, but keep in mind, the asking price is higher than what you've been approved for in terms of your loan. I just don't want you to be disappointed," Lucy said.

I sighed. She suggested not looking at this house, but I was stubborn because I loved it so much. After my deposit of my mom's 100k life insurance check, I was approved for a loan of 185k, which would be what I owed after the down payment. This house was listed for 290k, which meant I was approved for a loan that was five-grand under the asking price, which would have to be my maximum offer. I could only offer 285k for it. 

Homeownership really tied my brain in knots, especially since everything made me feel so unprepared. I always imagined myself getting married and moving into a dilapidated apartment with my husband, then upgrading to my house. I imagined my mom seeing it for the first time, bringing me a cake or some kind of box full of treats when she walked through the doorway.

"Mom, you didn't have to bring all this!" I'd say.

"What do you mean? This is your first house! I've got even more stuff in the car!" she'd say.

"Lynn?" I snapped out of my trance and looked over at Lucy. "What do you think? Would you like to make an offer anyway? I can't promise the outcome will be good, though."

"You should try anyway," said Elsie, a soft smile coming across her face.

I looked into those dark brown eyes of hers. She looked just like my mom. Annie looked more like my dad. I always felt that I didn't look like either of them because of my condition, but my mom always told me otherwise, since I looked a bit like both my parents. She said I was "the best of both worlds, plus something a little extra special."

"Let's do it," I said. "It's been a rough year for all of us, but maybe luck will be on my side this time." 

*** 

Book fact: the images of the houses are from actual listings in the town Kingsburg is based off of!