GOD BLESSED US WITH A HOUSE

 

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well wherever you are as you read this! This is my first post and it's a praise report. God blessed us with a house; our first house. 

We had always talked about buying a house, but that was it, just talk. In my mind, we weren't ready for such a big commitment. So whenever my husband brought it up, I politely brushed it off with excuses. The pandemic came along with very low interest rates, the subject came up again about but we  ended up renewing our lease. 

I really liked our apartment home. It was a gated complex; in a safe neighborhood; and overall well maintained. The unit itself was very spacious for a one bedroom apartment, with very attractive features. A tall ceiling with both crown and wall molding; a fireplace, stone countertops; a deep single bowl sink; white tall cabinets; stainless steel appliances; walk-in closet; Jack and Jill bathroom with a garden tub and a double sink vanity; a laundry room with a washer and dryer. Overall, it was a nice place, so I settled. 

We moved in winter/spring of 2019 and surely made so many memories in that house. But like they say; all good things (except for heaven) come to an end. We had an incident with the property management which reminded me that we weren't in our house. I knew it was time for us to spread our wings. So this time, before we signed the lease agreement for 2023, we prayed to God that it would be the last lease we signed. We're so thankful to God that indeed it was, actually we broke it!

Today's housing market didn't make it a walk in the park! High interest rates; high prices; low supply vs demand; all work against first time home buyers. But there we were; believing God to make a way for us. 

We chose to use the Zillow app, and when I saw the prices vs the houses, the reality of how this project was not going to be that easy as I thought set in. I couldn't believe that a house built in 1900 could be listed for $300k! A house with 1000Sqft listed for $290k. And all these were not in what would be considered nice neighborhoods. I was intimidated! I know if it was just me pursuing this, I would have chosen to wait. Thanks to my husband who was determined to get us out of renting that year and by God's grace, he did it.

Eleven tours; with three serious disappointments down the road, we found our house. It was like the house was waiting for us! The seller's agent told us they had not got any offers since being listed which is unheard of nowadays. Homes that fall in the "starter house" category often have multiple offers and taken very quickly. Not this one! Which is why we call it a miracle house. 

We'd seen it on the app when it came on market three weeks earlier. It is in our priority zip code, but we didn't pay it much attention since it is an older house. However, we quickly realized that most of the "young" homes that we'd liked where out of our price range. Stretching the budget was not an option, so we revise our game plan. With a new search criteria, we had a few extra homes to look at which included this house. 

On our way to tour the house, I felt like we were going somewhere I'd been before even though I'd never been to that neighborhood or used the nearby roads. I was so calm, and at peace. It was like I was going home, and I mentioned it!

Suddenly I had a light bulb moment. I realized how perfect the location is! Anything about a house can be changed, except for it's location. Located seven minutes from our son's school and twenty minutes from his grandparents meant that nothing in our day-to-day route schedule was going to change if we took the house.

As we turned onto the the driveway, I said to myself "I am home"! 

First thing I checked out was the backyard. It was on top of my list. I prayed for a house with a backyard. I refused to settle for nice townhomes just because they didn't have a backyard. The backyard was on point. I could definitely see my children running around and playing ball with their dad. I could see were I could start a vegetable garden and where I could place a cloth drying line. I was very pleased. 

On the inside, like most older homes, there was nothing fancy but it was definitely move-in ready. It was freshly painted, had a new carpet, a new range, and lot; I mean a lot of potential!

That very afternoon, we made and offer and it was accepted, thus we went under contract. The appraisal was great, and a few cosmetic nicks found during the inspection. Our realtor displayed her negotiating skills and was able to get us the maximum allowed seller credits which all went to the closing costs. 

Thirty seven days later (from the tour date) we closed on our house. God has surely been good to us. We prayed for a single family house, with a backyard, in our preferred location and the Lord heard us and answered our prayers. He led us to the right lender who connected us with an amazing realtor. We thought we'd use a downpayment assistance program, but when we discovered it came with strings attached, we passed. But the Lord provided the finances; without any handouts. The seller covered the closing costs. What can I say? We truly saw the Hand of God every step of the way. 

We moved in in September 2023. The moving process was harder than I expected! I thought we'd be settled in at least one month after moving in! That wasn't the case! I fell sick soon after which even dragged us. And beside,  we had too much stuff! I did sort through them while packing which obviously wasn't enough. I still had to go through everything; making numerous trips to the donation center. It was a great time to declutter and minimize as I found a home for everything. 

Almost two years in, we are thriving! Whether this is the "forever" or not; only God knows; we are just thankful to God for blessing us with a house to make a home for us in this foreign land.