Coming soon...new apartment!

After deciding to reside permanently here in Spain, Jose and I decided to take a leap of faith and purchase our first apartment together. We shopped around for a while and decided on a place that was still under construction but that just recently has been finished! We got a letter in the mail the other day saying that we could begin the mortgage (gaaa!) process with the bank. Since Spain´s economy is pretty terrible, Jose and I (with our two steady incomes) are pretty ideal candidates for a loan so we are not too worried about our financing. We are, however, concerned that this whole process will take a long time (like just about everything here in Spain) and that we will see the new year start without having signed on the dotted line. If this happens we are looking at a HUGE increase in the taxes we will have to pay for our new apartment. Here´s hoping that is a situation we won´t have to face.

Now that we know the project is finished, we are just waiting to be able to move into our brand new place. We have been creeping around the worksite for the past few months to check out the progress and have even considered becoming squatters in our new digs. It is in a complex with two apartment buildings that overlook a pool (necessary here in the summer) and a common area with a soccer field (of course). We are on the top floor and will only be sharing one wall with our neighbors (I am hoping for some peace and quiet). We will have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (one with a tub). Lately we have been going to get estimates for our kitchen. Being able to design it has been an interesting process. There are so many options out there, even for a galley kitchen like the one we will have.

With so much preparation (like buying furniture, scouring the internet for ideas, Pinteresting my heart out), we can´t wait to get the keys in our hands and begin painting. I do NOT look forward to the actual move since we will have to haul all of our stuff down 4 flights of stairs here. Luckily there is an elevator in our new place but still. I am hoping to recruit some friends and bribe them with beer to help us out. Check back for updates!

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