From Good to Better

At the end of September or beginning of October we found a foreclosed house that was a great price.  We weren't planning on house hunting till November so when Tony started showing me how good the numbers looked I let myself dream. 

We visited the house.  We love it. And found out it need a $10,000 repair.  Believe it or not, that still made a good price on the house.  The next day Tony and I sat down and decided that we wanted our dads to see the house.  We set up the appointment.  They went.  They loved it.  Tony and I talked about it and both of us came to the conclusion that we didn't want to make an offer till after the first of the year.  It was now the end of October, so we would have to wait over 2 months.

December came and Tony began discussing financing with our bank.  The bank we've had our accounts with since we were married.  During this time we found out the house had dropped by $1,300.  They eventually said "yes".  The day after we found this out and four days before we were going to make an offer we found out the house had sold. 

Crushed, sad, disappointment.  But Tony and I stood by the what we felt God had led us to do, wait to make an offer. 

New Year's weekend we began the online house hunt yet again.  Monday I called to schedule an appointment for a house (foreclosure) and found out it dropped by $10,000 (yes, over night).  I also found another house (also a foreclosure) that we were interested.  By that Saturday (the day of both our appointments) house 1 had sold.  We went and saw just house 2. 

All I could say was wow.  It was beyond perfect.

Then the wait began.  Because we were no longer getting a construction loan every thing changed and we could no longer afford what our bank was asking us to do.  We applied for a free pre-approval from First Mid Illinois.  David (our loan officer who we found out grew up in our current church and is an adoptive dad) was great about explaining why we were having trouble getting our requested percentage down even though our credit scores were great.  (Apparently two little debt can be bad for you...who knew).  But he saw potential in us and so he decided to find a non-traditional way to get us the loan.

A week and a half ago the price of the house plummeted.  After about 20 days on the market the house was brought down $8,400.  Below the original house (plus the major repair) and below what we were willing and even what we were hoping to pay for it.  Then the phone tag began, desperate to get our approval before this house disappeared. 

Friday we got it.  Sunday we signed papers to put in our offer.  Monday morning (first thing) it was submitted.  Then we waited knowing our offer was only good till the end of Tuesday.  Tuesday came and we heard nothing.  After contacting the realtor we found out she had heard nothing.

Wednesday mid morning we got a call.  The house was OURS.  It needs to pass a home inspection and a home appraisal but our offer was accepted!

I think I have looked at the property listing a million times since I found out it was ours.  I still can't believe it!

Upstairs hall way.  Don't you love the stain glass on that window?  The hard wood floors need stripped in the whole house but they are going to be awesome!  Standing in the upstairs bath.  Bedrooms to the right and left and straight ahead to the right and left.

Half the upstairs attic.  Potential, potential, potential.  Master suite or two bedrooms or a family den....

Part of the other half of the upstairs.

Love this stair case.  Hoping to make the landing into a reading nook.

Landing.....future reading nook?!

Stairs would be directly to the left.  Door to the outside (from the porch) directly to the right.  Love the fire place.  Kitchen to the left ahead, living room to the right ahead.  Love the arch door.

Living room.  Dinning room ahead.  Love the window seat in the dinning room.  It has two openings.  One for a few of Addilece's toys and the other probably for blankets.

Breakfast nook.  Maybe future cabinet space and/or exit onto a deck (which we would have to build).  Bathroom through the door way to the right.  Love the window, love the arch.

Kitchen.

Kitchen.  Not a lot of cabinets but their is room to grow.  Entry way with fireplace/stairs to the left.  Behind me is the dinning room.  To the right is a breakfast nook and bathroom. 

Outside.  Addilece and I are going to have a LOT of fun degrowthing the yard.  Two car garage to the back.  Swing set is being left.  You are looking at a side door (up to the house and down to the  full basement) and the landing.

This house has so much of what we need and want....

The other house:
1. Cheap price but MAJOR repair (no money left for much fix up).
2. Three bedrooms
3. Huge porch.
4. Beautiful floors and woodwork (but it was painted so that would be a lot of work).
5. Two very small full baths.
6. Huge yard
7. One car garage
8. Storage shed (with a two seat outhouse....YES)
9. Small deck
10. Awkward but full basement
11. Close to Tony's family and closer to mine
12. Decent schools.

The house:
1.  Cheap price (quite a bit lower then the other one when you included the repair) meaning money to fix up.
2. Four bedrooms with the potential of more.
3. Porch (not huge but still there.
4. Beautiful hard word floors and woodwork.
5. Two full baths.
6. Big yard.
7. Two car garage
8. Swing set is being left and is in great shape.
9. Bigger town with a gas station, hardware store, and small grocery store.
10. Full basement, in good shape.
11.  Still close to Tony's family and closer to mine but also 10 minutes closer to town for work and church.
12.  Same school district but actually in the same town as the school.

We wanted good.  God gave us great.  We were rather happy with the other house.  God blessed us beyond where I could ever imagine.  It has been a major faith journey.  I have learned so much about my God and the bigger picture that he sees.  We get alot more square feet and a lot more growing space. 

A family of three will not be able to fill this house up.  Tony and I keep talking how this is a perfect house for a big family (with so much ability to expand the bedrooms, kitchen, a big dinning room to eat in).  We are excited and scared to see how God is going to fill this house!  May what He wants to be done, be done here!