My wife and I are currently in the process of getting financials sorted for the purchase of our first home.

Our lease isn’t up until May 2020, but considering how difficult the pre-approval and mortgage underwriting process can be for a self-employed freelancer (as well as this being our first home), we figured we should start the process sooner than later.

In reality, we’ve been planning for this — financially and otherwise — for nearly three years, but the entire operation is easily one of the most nerve-wracking things we’ve ever done. It doesn’t matter how well-sorted you think your finances are or how well-prepared you are, nerves always find a way to seep through.