auctions and such

i have to say the home buying process is stressful. this is not a buyers market, it is not a sellers market. it is a patient market and i am not a patient person. in case you haven't heard already, we put a bid in on a small cape cod in the south burbs. we've been waiting for about two days now for a response and it's killing us. we don't want to call as to seem over-eager and at the same time we just want to know if they will accept, counter, or give us the finger.

buying a home is an auction in its simplest terms. a BIG one. the seller has a reserve price and if others are interested, a bidding war ensues. however, unlike ebay, sellers generally don't have a buy-it-now price. i'm pretty sure we'd be willing pay a little more to have the process streamlined. as of now, negotiations, inspections and closing take about a month! how old school is that? i'm just saying, if i can cook a potato in the microwave in 5 minutes, shouldn't i be able to get a damn house in like a week?