Moving days

Rockstar, Me and his lovely sister

So there was a tiny hickup in my moving out plans which has now been resolved quite wonderfully.

Originally, as you may recall, I was to sell my apartment at about now, and then find a one-bedroom and den. Josh - who is still crashing on my couch at the moment - will then live in the den and pay me rent. In October, when Rockstar's lease is up at his place, Josh would move out of the den and Rockstar would move in with me and pay me rent. Huzzah, right?

Well unfortunately, I can't afford a one bedroom and den. I can only get approved for a $200,000 mortgage and even combined with the direct deposit of $50K, that's still only $250K and one-bedroom + dens go for about...I dunno, 310-350K. Yep, I live in one of the world's most desirable cities and in the most desirable section of that city (downtown, by the beach and park), so places aren't exactly cheap. But I love it here and after years of traveling around the world, I finally appreciate this place I've called home all my life.

Anyhoo, I'm $100K short of my dream apartment. Seems I am set to toil in my tiny studio until my dying day.

That was until the Rockstar and I figured something out. We want to move in together in October at any rate - not because it would save money but because it feels like the the right thing to do.

So we decided we would both buy the place together. He'll get a mortgage, we'll combine it with mine and tada - suddenly we can afford a one-bedroom and den and in the neighbourhod we want.

Now, I know if you read back years ago, I felt very strongly AGAINST cohabitation before marriage. I believed that if you lived together, the guy would NEVER propose because why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free. And while I still think that's a valid point, I also believe it differs according to relationship. In my last one, my ex was a huge believer in moving in together - I resisted because I thought that by being seperate, that would eventually convince him to take the next step. Naive, I know. He dumped me anyway, didn't matter how little I saw him. Funny thing is, the thought of living with him never made me happy. It's funny how you can be in love with someone but at the same time not really like them as a person.

The Rockstar and I (and both our parents) know that marriage is down the line for us - we've talked about it openly and have agreed on it. When that happens, who knows...I for one am no longer concerned about a timeline (OK, well, at least before I'm 30 please!) and am totally enjoying taking it one day at a time. After all, he is younger than me so he needs sometime to catch up, plus, we've only been together almost 11 months. So we both know that moving in together isn't where things end, but where they begin.

And of course, it's a big step. Not only moving in, but buying in. Luckily we are doing it for the right reasons - I would want to live with him whether he could get a mortgage or not. I just honestly love being in his company and because our relationship works so well and so easily, I know that this decision is a sound one, even though there will of course be trying times ahead.

But we both aren't stupid. A contract will be drawn up by a lawyer, stipulating what will happen to the place in the event that we split - same proceedings as in a divorce. Either the other party sells or offers to buy the other one out. No "The Break-Up Part Two" here. And thankfuly my rockstar is NOT Vince Vaughan in the slightest.


So, the new plan? My apartment will go up for sale in June, with a completion date of October 1st. I've already got a real estate agent who will both sell my place and find us a new one. Actually, she's the same lady who sold me MY place, so she knows exactly what she's selling!

Then in July, Rockstar and I will start looking for our perfect place, which will give us three months to find it. What are our demands? A large one-bedroom or one-bedroom and den (posibly even a two-bedroom if the price isn't that big of a jump). A place that allows pets (we will probably get a dog in the next few years). Has a dishwasher, possibly an in-suite laundry. Has a balcony. And will be located in the same neighbourhood I am in now - that way I can still walk to work, he can walk to his band rehearsel space and take the upcoming skytrain to his work.

Of course, until October, I am stuck in my studio. But let's look on the bright side, shall we? Yes my building sucks and I can't change that. But the location is still awesome, the ten-minute walk to work is amazing, Summer is COMING and the pool on the roof is now OPEN! Plus soon the beaches (2 min walk) will be prime for sunbathing, having picnics and wine (OMG I can't wait till I can drink again - see last post). And once Josh moves out with his friend (end of the month), I'll have my studio all to myself - plus, having to get the apartment ready for listings will mean making it very minimalist. I've already taken down a lot of art from the walls and I am amazed and how much bigger my place looks already! Not a bad place to spend the summer.

I, personally, am still extremely excited for the fall though. Yes, moving in together can be rough at first, but we aren't like your average couple. It took us 10 months to have an actual fight, and I actually enjoyed it! I'd never heard him raise his voice at me - it was a nice change, as silly as that sounds. In fact, my old job is developing a reality show about couples who are looking to take the next step, and we were going to be one of the couples. However, after they conducted interviews and seperate surveys with us, they changed their mind. They said we were way too healthy as a couple, didn't have any drama or things we wanted to change about the person or reoccuring fights. They said they wanted couples who at least had an issue or two and, according to them, we don't.

Which is a shame because I really wanted to be on this show, but I guess we still win anyway :)