In less than two weeks, I will officially be a home-owner. First of all, HO.LY.SHIT. I can’t believe I’m saying that!

For all of you out there that are looking to buy a home of your own, here are a few tips that your realtor might not tell you:

1. Always carry your checkbook! Buying a home is hella expensive. There are ridiculous fees every which way you turn. Whether it’s the earnest money checks (yes, that’s more than 1!), home inspection, appraisal, loan origination, attorney, etc. etc. etc. you’re going to need to sign your John Hancock a whole lotta times on a check.
2. Have your bank and your credit card company’s apps on your phone! This way, you can transfer money from your savings to your checking, quickly pay off your credit cards, transfer from your Vacation Funds! account to your checking, etc.
3. Once you find the place that you want to buy, be ready for a whirlwind! The first month after I said “I do!” to my condo is a blur. It was a whole lot of confusion, stress, and money, so maybe I just blacked those 30 days of my memory out. So many checks being written. So many phone calls with my realtor, attorney, lender, underwriter, realtor, then attorney, and lender. Gah! I’m sorry to everyone in my life who I didn’t talk to or cried in front of in January.
4. Find a good realtor who doesn’t mind you asking 1 million questions! I’m fairly certain that whomever decided to make home-buying so difficult is burning in H-E-double-hockey-sticks right now. My agent has been so helpful and doesn’t seem to mind that I ask him a new or repeat question practically every day.
5. Turn off your Redfin app notifications and turn on your Pinterest searches! Buyers remorse is a real thing. So is jealousy. I really do like my place, but I often wallow in regret. Why am I moving to the suburbs? Why am I buying a place at all?? Shouldn’t  I be getting on a plane to a new country right now? And everyone keeps telling me I should be excited, and I swear that excitement is somewhere deep down inside. So, trust me, no need to make it all worse by getting an email every.single.time a great 2-bedroom condo WITH A COVERED PARKING SPACE AND IN-UNIT LAUNDRY comes on the market. Instead, let Craigslist, Home Depot, and Pinterest be your new obsessions.

I wrote this list within the first week of putting in an offer. Clearly, I was stressed, so I waited to actually post it until I was out of that black fog. Yet, it’s still all true. The one thing I would change in this blog post, though, is that I have no regrets. Oh, and yea, I’m a little more excited now that I’m about to own my own place in THIRTEEN DAYS!

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Don’t worry, friends, this isn’t the last edition of Adulting: Buying a Condo. I already have an idea brewing for Part V. Here’s Part I, Part II, and Part III if you want to catch up.