WHERE ARE WE GOING TO LIVE?

I get asked several times a week what our plan is in regards to where we're going to live. So, let me just tell everyone where things are at.

The lease for our apartment is up at the end of September. We really, really, really want to move out at that time. Staying here through another rainy season of mold does not appeal to us in the least.

We have two options for how to move - buying or renting.

Our buying budget is teeny tiny, which is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it's nice to not have to sift through 5.38 million houses we can afford. Efficiency always makes me happy, even when it means quickly looking at the handful of houses we can afford. On the other hand, most of the homes in our price range are short sales. Normally it wouldn't be a big deal to wait for a short sale to run its course, but we don't want to stay in this apartment into the fall.

Renting would cost us about the same per month as buying would. Yes, we could go for another cheap apartment to pay off school debt more quickly, but we're not willing to risk another mold situation. Evidently our place in Beaverton was a screamin' deal because I haven't seen any other homes and yards of that size anywhere near that price.

There are pros and cons beyond what I've mentioned for either option.

We also have two options for where to move - Salem or Portland-ish.

Tim has worked in Salem for five years and housing is far less expensive there. The downside is that we have absolutely no desire to leave our church and it would be at least a 30 minute drive twice a week and once December rolls around we'd have to drive the van, which gets worse mileage than the Toyota. Someone from our church has recently started a church in the Salem area, which would be another option, but all of us are really connected where we're at and leaving would be hard, especially for the four oldest Ws. It's not just about church services, but about the friendships we have with people there.

If we stay in the Portland area, then life goes on as usual. Tim doesn't mind commuting, though trying to keep his drive to 30 (ideally) or 45 (our max) minutes limits where we can look for homes.

Again, there are pros and cons either way and I obviously haven't listed all of them.

If we could buy a house in Salem through HUD's Good Neighbor Next Door program, then we'd do that in a heartbeat. A $50,000-ish house would be worth the move. We'd have to stay three years, but we could get the house and school debt paid off much more quickly than we could otherwise. (Sidenote: There's currently a little house in SE Portland that a teacher, police officer, paramedic, or firefighter working in that area could get for $43,000.)

All that to say right now we're looking at all options. We have to stay here through September, which means rentals that would be available when we're ready to move aren't listed yet because current tenants haven't given 30 days notice yet. I'm truly fine with either renting or buying. It's the deadlines and being in limbo that sometimes stresses me out, which I'm sure some of you can relate to.

So, if you know of a rental that's around 30 minutes from Salem and available at the end of September, then let us know. We lived five years in 1,017 sq. ft. and over a year in 1,067 (we gained a second bathroom). The space is totally adequate for us as long as there's a garage or shed to store bikes, camping gear, etc. and a yard. We don't need a ton of space, though 3 bedrooms are a must.

So, that's our housing update. Just pray that we'd have wisdom as we make housing decisions, that we wouldn't have to stay here past our lease (our rent will increase if we go to monthly rent), that Tim and I would be in agreement about whatever the next step should be, and that if we do have to stay past September, that we could still be out before the rain comes and/or I'm in labor.