Mike is off to DC for a few days to try and secure his appointment for next year, although he is also looking for “real jobs” because if he doesn’t get the placement that he wants within this two year fellowship, he doesn’t see the point of doing it (I agree). So we still don’t really know if we are going to DC or somewhere else (Cambridge Mass, Seattle, Maryland, Philadelphia are other options) should know something by the time graduation rolls around, so I am trying to just go with the flow. Good news is we don’t have to worry about the house (we go to settlement April 15) so all I really have to work on figuring out what we will be doing this summer (probably taking a cross country trip) and then decluttering, packing and finding a mover who will come pack and store our stuff for a few months or until we are settled in our new place.

Presidential Management Fellow

Mike's made the cut and now he is getting ready for his Presidential Management Fellow Job Fair. He looks so handsome in that nice new suit! And it fits him like a glove!

So t it looks like Mike and I may be moving to DC in the next few months and staying for about two years we think…. We were thinking about either renting or buying, but once we started lookign at the market, we realized that there was no way that we could buy in DC. The rental market sucks too. We would definitely want to be in the city and not dependent on a car and I don’t mind “kind of sketchy” or up-and-coming neighborhoods, but I would like to stay away from “totally sketchy” – basically, I want to feel comfortable walking by myself at night if I had to.

We have to be out of the house on June 1^st, so we either have to get an apartment in DC in the next two months, or do something else. We are thinking about just packing up our stuff, getting a storage until for June/ July and taking a cross-country trip. With rents in DC, we figure we will save $4000-5000 doing that, which leaves plenty of $$ for traveling.

Selling it ourselves....

Job fair is around the 27th. My guess is that Mike will have something tied up by early May, but wont have to start working until early September, so we'll have the summer off and will probably take a cross country trip or something to celebrate.

I talked to my Uncle Mike this morning (he's a real estate attorney) and he helped me understand the ins and outs of selling ourselves. Its going to cost us about 1500 I think all said and done. We called our attorney here this morning, and we are ready to go as soon as they hand us an offer. He also said that we should make sure that any offer we get has some inspection specific things in it (like the inspection has to happen within 10 days, etc...) and that we should continue to show the house until we have earnest money and a signed contract. He also said not to offer to repair anything until the inspection report comes back, - and then, the only thing you should agree to repair are "Defects" - which basically include roof, electrical, plumbing, structural issues. In fact, he said, make sure there is a clause in the contract that lets you out of the contract if the inspection reveals a defect that will be very costly to repair (like if the electrical system needs to be replaced but we don’t want to do that). He also said, the inspection report will inevitably find a laundry list of cosmetic and maintenance issues (Cracked window panes, lack of GFI outlets, stains on carpet, etc...) but that because those are cosmetic, you are under no obligation to do anything about those - that's the price of buying an old house and that the only things you should worry about are major defects. I thought that was good to know.

Sold the house and Got the PMF!

We just found out tonight (After months of waiting) that Mike has been accepted as a Presidential Management Fellow. So now that he made the final cut, he has to go to a job fair and actually secure a position for the first 8 months – so the final process is not actually over until he has signed a contract with a government agency. Now he has to find someone willing to hire him. He is looking in both DC and Philadelphia. My only consolation with DC is that DC is way way closer than Charlottesville, and I know DC isn’t forever, that we would probably go back to Philly after the fellowship ended. I of course am hoping he gets something in Philly, because I would much rather be back in Philly. But if we go to DC, no big deal – 2 years goes fast.

And so then our friends Jill and Jeff called about three hours after we found out about the PMF selection and offered us a godo price for our house. They had been looking for months, and when we told them that we were selling, they took us seriously. There's another family interested, but I definitely would prefer Jill to be the buyer for so many reasons. The other family is coming on Saturday but Jill and Jeff are going to draw up a formal offer and bring it over. - then we’ll look it over and accept it (I hope) and then I Can put an end to the other people. Then we will start the whole inspection and contracting process. This is really good news, saves us a lot of time, money and hassle and we are thrilled with the price.

Guess its been a banner day!