Feeling Overwhelmed

Oh, where do I start? Since we found out a couple of weeks ago that we'd be picking up our family and moving 1500 miles away, Randy and I have been going forward "full force" in obtaining moving quotes from moving companies, vehicle transport companies, and "move-it-yourself" companies, looking up houses for sale as well as for rent, and researching flights to get us from here to there. Can you sense my anxiety?

Not only are we trying to figure out the best WAY to move, but the best PLACE to move into. So I'm posing the most commonly asked question in our house today.....

Do we RENT or BUY?

In contacting some property managment companies, we have discovered that rent for a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom house, close to the hospital, is about $1100. With that information, it's quick for us to say, "for that amount for rent, we should buy". However, knowing that we'd want to probably sell it in 3 years and thinking that the housing market may not be any better, we've slowed down in moving in that direction and thought more about renting. But the thought of putting $36,000 towards something that we would never own, kills me. There are benefits of renting, and we are thankful that we are not in the position of many of our friends who have to worry about selling their houses...what stress. I don't want to have to worry that in 3 years when we can really afford to purchase our own home that we won't be approved for a loan because we already have a mortgage. Oh, what to do!?

So I welcome any and all comments regarding your thoughts/experiences about renting vs. buying for such a short period of time. :-)

And then there is all that is needed to prepare for a new little one. I've been successful in getting the bowflex disassembled (anyone looking to purchase a VERY gently used Bowflex Extreme 2, please let me know), now we just have to move the boxed up equipment back downstairs so that I can rearrange the furniture to make room for the crib. I've hesitated in purchasing any "gear" for the little one until after we've moved....I refuse to move more than I need to. And we should have enough gender neutral sleepers, etc to last us for a couple of months; however, with the HUGE difference in climate, I'll definitely have to purchase some more summer clothes...but, again, not until AFTER we move. So I'm thankful that aside from making sure that there is a place for s/he to sleep, clean clothes and diapers to wear, there is very little that I'm going to need to get ready for this baby in just a few short 3-4 weeks.