I’m writing this post from the living room of my condo! That I moved into! And own! (Why did anyone let me buy a condo?!) This month has been crazy (which you’ll hear about in my monthly recap) but I wanted to do a post about my condo experience!

So back in May, I officially got the signed contract for my condo, which was the second one I ever looked at in person. (The first one wasn’t the best by any means but I was shown it as more of an example of what a condo’s like since there weren’t many on the market at the time.) I looked at the condo I ending up buying on a Wednesday, and by that Saturday, I had the contract—3 days before my 27th birthday.

I had to go through the process of scheduling a home inspection, starting my mortgage application (which I actually did on my birthday), calling a closing attorney, getting condo insurance, and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few other things. It’s safe to say, though, that I spent a lot of time on the phone with people. I also got some furniture and spent a lot of time trying to figure out packing logistics.

I’m still living in the same town as I was with my parents; I just moved across town. So thankfully I didn’t have to change my SUV plates—like I would have done if I moved to a different state—and I can still go to the same library (!!!). I’m about 15 minutes away from my parents now, which isn’t too bad. It’s just far enough away that I feel independent but could go back to see them whenever. It adds about 10-15 minutes to my commute to work, which isn’t terrible.

My closing date was Friday, July 9, and I only spent about 15 minutes signing all of the papers. Everyone was saying it’d take forever, but it wasn’t too bad. It was kind of intimidating to see each monthly payment for my mortgage broken down over the next 30 years. Because someone let me get a mortgage?

The afternoon of my closing, my parents and I came over to change the locks on my front door and do a bit of cleaning. And then we spent every day after that for the next week over here, cleaning or bringing over my things. As I was bringing more stuff over, it started to really feel like my own place. I got the carpets professionally cleaned before we brought over the big stuff, and after that I was able to start putting things away.

The condo is 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, and just under 1,200 square feet. The kitchen is a galley-style, the dining and living rooms are one big space, I’m using the second bedroom as an office (because it doesn’t have any doors), the washer and dryer are in the hallway to my bedroom (yes, laundry inside the unit was my #1 priority), and the half bath is off of my bedroom. There’s also a balcony off the living room, and I’m on the second floor, so I have a nice view of the trees behind my condo. Oh, and it has central air and a garage too.

It’s in a residential area across from an elementary school and just down the street from a fire department. The cluster of condos I’m living in is back enough off the main road that it’s super quiet, and there are a ton of trees around. Being in a residential area was also important to me because 1. I wanted to feel safe going out running/walking, and 2. I wanted some place quiet and not in the middle of downtown. And I’m in a great area now.

I’d include pictures with this post but the condo is still a work in progress. Like I don’t have my sofa and loveseat yet; they’re being delivered Saturday, August 14. So for now, I’m using a butterfly chair from college and an air mattress in the living room. I do have all of my other furniture, though. I brought over all of my bedroom furniture (from the makeover I did last December) and my desk. I bought my dining room set (well, the chairs are from my IKEA trip, and there was an issue with actually getting the matching table that I ordered online—they tried delivering it to my house 3 times before just cancelling the order on me—so I ordered a different one from Walmart that looks just as good), and I have a simple TV stand for my TV. So once I have all of my furniture and random boxes still aren’t in my office, I’ll do a post with pictures.

My co-workers helped me and my parents move all of my big furniture last Sunday, which was such a big help. They also helped assemble furniture and help me put things away. I treated them to beer after for their hard work. My parents were such a big help too last week with cleaning and minor repairs/maintenance. And for answering my random phone calls now, like when I called my mom yesterday to ask how to use the dryer. Throughout this whole process, everyone has been super helpful, supportive, and excited, and I’m grateful to have such great people in my life.

Sleeping here the first few nights was weird; it felt like the first few weeks at college when you have to get used to sleeping in a new place with new sounds. After being here officially a week today, I’m sleeping a lot better. And I don’t mind living by myself. It’s nice to be able to do whatever I want whenever I want. I’m still working out a few kinks with things, but I kind of have a routine going. The only thing that sucks is I have to go back in to the office next Monday full time. I worked from home Wednesday through Friday of last week, and this upcoming week will be my last full week of WFH. So I don’t even get to really use my office for that. But it is what it is. I’m still glad to have the office space because I have my books in there and will use it for a craft space, too.

This time last year, I’d never expect in a year I’d be living on my own in a condo. It’s just crazy how things have happened this year and how lucky I am to have gotten this condo because the market is still insane. I can see myself here for the next 3-5 years because it’s in a great location and has everything I was looking for.

So yeah, that’s why I’ve been MIA this month, among other things. I’m excited to share more of the condo with you guys once it’s more of a home and looks less sad haha. But it’s coming together. I knew it wouldn’t be done over night, and this way I’m really able to make it my own.