So we are in the attorney review period on a house. Last week was wild. House on market Monday, wife sees it after work that night, I see it with her Tuesday, offer in on Thursday, contract signed as of Saturday. Still have to sweat out a few showings that they weren't going to shut down in case of a higher offer, but we'll have an opportunity to match—which, we are calm enough in general that we are prepared to walk away (one benefit of us not getting that "OMG HAVE TO HAVE IT" feeling). But I'm glad last week is over. I was more or less a useless puddle of goo for a couple days.
The financial commitment is daunting of course, but it's a big house on a decent property in a beautiful town. It's just so hard to shift into long-term thinking mode when this thing is staring you in the face right now. Like, I'm in a steady job with annual raises, bonus, great retirement benefits, and advancement opportunities. My wife already out-earns me by a bit, is on the verge of a promotion and, in general, is on a trajectory that can be pretty lucrative at higher levels. Meanwhile the mortgage won't change. It's just easy to forget all that when you think about the hefty financial stuff that's happening in real time.