So, Zack was right; escrow is soul-destroying. The sheer number of things that have to get done, and in order, is overwhelming.

Income verification. Tax records. Account statements. Home inspection. A second home inspection by someone who just does chimneys. Termite report. Injunction to invalidate the termite report and force a new one because the first one didn’t note wood rot that the home inspector found. Request for repairs. Resubmitting the income verification, tax records, and account statements because our broker found a better rate with a new lender. Hazard insurance. Title records. Title insurance. Whiskey. And that’s just week one.

When we signed our offer, we asked for a 30-day escrow. We felt ready to move quickly, and wanted to make the offer as attractive as possible. Now, 30 days feels like an impossible deadline. Neither of us is sleeping at night. Our kids have keyed in on our frustration, and they are running on full overdrive all the time. We’re both taking on a ton of extra work right now to earn as much as possible before it comes time to pay for closing costs.

All that to say, buying a house sucks. I hope owning a house is worth it.