home at first sight

some places we've visited so far

maui, hawaii
The day we got home, we started saving for our next trip. See my blog entry
antalya, turkey
I miss hearing the call to prayer before sunrise every morning, the sunshine and the small winding roads in the old city. But I don't miss the olives for breakfast. See my blog entry
helsinki
The cruise from Stockholm was the highlight. Breathtaking, really. We found Helsinki to be down-to-earth, friendly and a just-right size. See my blog entry
london
Why on Earth did it take me so long to visit London?! Rivals Paris for best city in Europe. Avoid Oxford Street and Covent Garden, and head to Chelsea and Holborn. See my blog entry
paris
It was my third trip to Paris, but our first while living in Sweden. And, more significantly, our first with a baby in tow. Metro ≠ baby friendly. Centre Pompidou = 10x more fun with a little one. See my blog entry.
bergen and oslo, norway
Think Colorado. Flooded. Oslo is a refreshing little city and the fjords offered beautiful views in all directions. Not love, love. But definitely like, like. See my blog entry.
prague, czech republic
Yes, it has beautiful architecture. But no soul. Skip it and go to Budapest instead.
berlin, germany
We only spent a night here, but I could tell immediately that this was a city I could live in. Hope we can get back there sometime soon. Loved the new architecture, friendly people and the gigantic, wooded park.
tavira, portugal
A great place to relax, see endless fields of daisies, drink sangria and be surrounded by the smell of orange blossoms. See my blog entry.
amsterdam and delft
Amsterdam was one of our favorite European cities and Delft is a little gem you wish you could fit in your pocket and take home. Loved the individual style and easy-going nature of the people. See my blog entry.
budapest
Hurry, it's already been discovered. Wonderful cheap food and an outdoorsy mentality. See my blog entry.
dalarna, sweden
Reminds us of home. Really relaxing and laid back. See my blog entry.
hong kong and tai pei
Super friendly people and so romantic. See my blog entry.
nice
Loved Villefranche and the whole area east of Nice. See my blog entry.
barcelona
Loved the tapas and eating paella on the beach. See my blog entry.

December 04, 2010

home at first sight

Buying a house in Sweden: Bid via SMS and then sign one paper on one line.

Buying a house in the U.S.: Make a written offer that is several pages long, signed or initialed on every page, and write a check for $5,000.

Then once the offer is accepted, there are a gazillion bank forms to sign, numerous inspections to line up (sewer, radon, oil tank decommisioning, house), calls to homeowner's insurance companies for estimates, extra addendums to sign, and then thousands of dollars in closing costs to pay... sigh... life was so much simpler in Sweden.

But all this hassle will be well worth it (we hope!) when we call the beauty of a bungalow pictured above our new home. The last hurdle is the appraisal by the bank, which will happen this week. If all goes well (please cross your fingers for us), we'll move in on Dec. 28.

The funny story about this home is that it's one of the first open houses I went to when I got to Portland. Sophie had fallen asleep in the car, so I went in to scope it out while Lewis stayed outside. I came running back to the car with wide eyes, and told Lewis, "YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS HOUSE!" But when he found out the asking price, he decided not to torture himself and skipped it. Fast-forward 6 weeks, and the price range of homes we were looking at had started to inch toward this one. I convinced him to take a look. When he fell in love as well, we made an offer that was $40,000 below their asking price. Proving that you never know until you ask, they accepted. :)