Living the Dream?

Josh and I (and Alex too) have decided. We are going to bid on our dream home in Kensington at the Di Jones auction which is being held in the restaurant at Centennial Park this week.

Josh's bonus at work was announced last week. After the upset of the Global Financial Crisis, Josh and I were very happy that he had a job at all. A few of his colleagues had been let go, but Josh had stayed at the bank. We weren't expecting big things from the bonus, but to our relief it was pretty generous. We were so happy. We opened a bottle of real French champagne to celebrate with our pizza from Christos' at Five Ways, Paddington. Alex had two scoops of ice cream to celebrate – strawberry and vanilla.

Josh is a whizz at maths (which is handy, considering he works in the bank's finance department). Over dinner he borrowed my MAC lip liner and did some quick additions on a paper napkin. Josh said we might be able to buy the Kensington house, if we are very careful.

Well – what a week that followed. We talked to Jamie Markou from Foundation Broking regarding arranging a mortgage in double quick time. He was a magician and worked with Josh to arrange financing at rates that seemed very competitive. We hadn't bought before and didn't know how to arrange a mortgage. Luckily we chatted with Gary Sands from Di Jones Real Estate during Saturday's open for inspection and he gave us Jamie's number. So that's all in place now for tomorrow night. It is really nerve racking. I am a bit of a wreck to be honest, and so excited at the same time.

Our family is out in force to offer support of course. Mum and dad have come up from Bowral and are staying in a divine fully furnished flat in Elizabeth Bay that they leased for a week through Di Jones short term executive leasing. It's a home away from home for them and Alex is going to have a sleep over on Friday night. Josh's mum and dad are flying in from Melbourne this afternoon and are staying in Alex's room (I must remember to put out the Di Jones short term leasing brochure beside the Aero Bed that I'll inflate for them tonight).

I think we are ready for the auction. Luckily we followed Gary Sand's and Jane Schumann's great advice and went to the previous auction that Di Jones held two weeks ago at Centennial Park to get an idea about just how an auction works. I could tell it was nerve wracking for the people bidding, but the clear advice from their auctioneer definitely made it easier to understand what was going on. This has been so quick. It's amazing how finding the right home can change your direction overnight. We could be shifting from tenants to home owners tomorrow night.

During my lunch break at Sorted! Event Management I had a manicure in Nars Fire Engine Red so that the auctioneer would definitely notice me (or my nails) if/when I put in a bid on the house. Josh and I decided that I would be doing the actual bidding as it will keep me busy and distract me from my nerves. But how I should dress for the auction? Corporate woman or Eastern suburbs mum? Mum says you should always dress to impress, so I think I'll wear my Scanlan and Theodore navy skirt and blush coloured Willow silk shirt. I'll definitely look the winner, and hopefully Josh and I will have the winning bid.

Still, it is in the lap of the Gods at this point. We've done our homework and have everything ready. If the Pavilion Paradise does fall to us, it will be absolutely magical. If not, back to the drawing board.

So, inspected the home a couple of times; check. Had solicitor check through the contract for sale; check. Arranged pre-approved finance; check. Had building and pest inspection done on the home; check. Nails painted brightly to ensure noticed by auctioneer in crowd; check; Ensured that we have cheque book ready with enough money in account for deposit if successful bidders; check. Outfit for auction selected; nearly. . . .