My husband Ryan and I decided to start looking for a home to buy about 5 months before the end of our lease.  I asked around for realtor recommendations, and we quickly found someone to work with.  Initially, our search was time-sensitive because we did not want to renew a lease.  We wanted to start putting our monthly payment towards an actual mortgage.  We wanted the money we spent each month on housing to stay ours.

Everyone hears that renting is "throwing money away."  We believe this to be true.  Even though my husband could potentially be required to relocate in a few years, if we at least start "buying and selling," instead of just renting, the monthly payments we make every month will be going towards equity and not towards someone else's mortgage payment.  When you rent, you get nothing in return.  Especially as we matured and started looking for rentals that were more expensive to begin with, the best time to become homeowners was clearly as soon as possible.

Charlotte has several historical, close-in neighborhoods and a few suburbs.  For our search, we wanted to stay in South Charlotte.  In addition to our ideal location we also considered schools, nearby amenities, and age of the home.

How did we decide new construction was right for us?

A Year in Review - Moving to Charlotte

Even though we are a week into 2014, I thought it would make sense to post a "year in review" of 2013 in order to kick-start the blog.  2013 was an eventful year for my little family (my husband, Ryan, and dog, Jack).  Near the end of 2013, my husband was offered a promotion that required a move to Charlotte, North Carolina.  The decision to move was long and hard as we loved our friends and family in Florida.  But, we decided to move from Tampa, FL to Charlotte in January 2013, excited for our new adventure.

January

Charlotte, NC: Southpark area townhome

My husband and I visited Charlotte to find a place to live (and rent).  We knew little to nothing about the area prior to our relocation, but thankfully Ryan's counterpart at the company was able to provide some suggestions on places to look.  We lucked out and found a beautiful townhome to rent in a great close-in location.  

February

Snow in Charlotte, NC

We move to Charlotte!  The second weekend we lived in Charlotte, Charlotte had its only snow of the season.  Everyone told us it snows once a year in Charlotte, and we were here for it.