Approved!

Financing is a GO! Thanks USAA! I'm not yet sure if this is the loan I'll end up using (terms & conditions), but it sure is a great feeling to know that I'm a good candidate to get the benjamins I'm after.

So let the shopping begin! My realtor has started feeding me listings for the price range and features I'm looking for, so I'll have plenty to start watching & comparing over the next couple of months. I'm pretty excited...

Currently, I'm looking in the Northeast Minneapolis & even Uptown areas. My brother first recommended looking in Northeast, and I've heard good things from several other people now too, so I'm starting there. We'll see how it goes.

That would mean that I'm not as close to the great mountain bike trails here closer to my current location, but location is all a give & take. Compromise is the key to success in many areas of life, and I want to be smart about it with this rather huge investment.

And, I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be doing more running than biking this summer anyway. I have some catching up to do :-)
----------------
Now playing: the flying lizards - money