What happens next?

Yesterday we made an offer on a house and it was accepted. That's exciting, but there are many fragile junctures along the way where things might fall apart. Our mortgage application might get turned down. The survey might uncover something that means the house is not a good choice for us, or that requires specialist reports. The solicitor searches could reveal information that throws a spanner in the works. The seller might decide to pull out of the arrangement to accept a higher offer. Okay, that's four things.

1. What will be the outcome of the mortgage application? 10 of Cups
No problems. We'll get a mortgage.

2. What will be the outcome of the survey? 4 of Pentacles
The survey will help us to feel financially secure. Safe investment. Or it might bring out extremes of risk aversion. Could be both!

3. What will be the outcome of the solicitor searches? The Devil
They say the Devil is in the details. What can get more detailed than solicitor's searches and the resulting mountain of paperwork? The Devil card is the mirror image of the Lovers card, showing it in its most unflattering light. The solicitor's searches will take all the feeling out of 'home' buying and make it about the mundane aspects of ownership of a building and piece of land. There is nothing pretty or enjoyable about dealing with the conveyancing aspects of buying a house. The solicitor's searches reveal the dark reflection of the property. Every property has snags, and seeing them can be scary.

4. What can we do to prevent being gazumped? 4 of Cups, clarified by 7 of Pentacles
There's not much you can do but sit and wait and see what happens. Not content with that answer, I drew again, and got 7 of Pentacles. Okay, then, 'stand and wait and see what comes to fruition'. Like that any better? (Seriously, my tarot deck has an attitude problem.)

Edited to add: I asked for clarification on the Devil card and drew 3 of Swords. Fantastic! Everyone loves getting that card combination, let me tell you. I've interpreted Devil + 3 of Swords as bipolar or mental illness before. So I asked 'What can I do to prevent this making me feel nuts?' and I got Ace of Pentacles. Be prepared to hand over more money. Interesting. Or it could be, be down to earth about the whole thing.

It's a good thing I believe I am the captain of my fate and master of my soul!

Time to reshuffle the cards and ask something a bit more empowering:

What can I do to make sure that this house is a sound investment? 
What can I do to ensure that the buying process goes off smoothly? 
What should I NOT do? 

I can weigh the pros and cons and decide for myself. It's going to be a balancing act of goods and bads. I can be as informed as I can and also put some stock into advice given to me by impartial experts. And I should NOT think there's a way to 'win' this. The whole process is fraught with risk and compromise. Don't try to be the triumphant warrior, it ain't going to happen and will only hurt me in the long run. 

Okay, time to think about something else. Have a great weekend!