New tears.

I have had a teary, upsetting, disappointing road to home buying. I wasn't being picky: In fact, I was looking into buying the cheapest, one-bedroom condo in Livermore. It seemed reasonable. Despite generous parents and helpful "perks" for teachers, I realized that, at this point in my life, buying anything in Livermore was out of the realm of posibility. I just don't make enough money to purchase a home in the Bay Area.

I heard about the "Inclusionary Housing Program" sponsored by the City of Livermore. I heard it was "too good to be true" and that teachers were getting cheap homes left and right. I looked into the program and was disappointed once again. All the offerings were for families of "four or more." Then, I got an E-mail: New Condos! $444,000 homes being sold for $157,000 to qualified applicants! Apply now!

I applied, expecting disappointment. I did allow myself to get a little excited. I went to the models. I told my friends. I crossed my fingers.

Today, my tears were different from my former house-related tears. I went to a meeting today at the City Council Chambers. They picked me. I'm going to be a home buyer. If you go through the models, you might not be impressed. You might not think they're breathtakingly beautiful. To me, they're the most beautiful homes I've ever seen. One of them is going to be my home.

Update: If you're interested, click here for the website of the development. The Soho and the European models are the 2 bedrooms in the program.