Saturday, March 27, 2010

"Home is where your heart is"...okay heart, show us where our home is.

House shopping is one of the strangest things we've had to do since getting married. There are so many details that you need to think about. Two years ago I was apartment shopping...and let me tell you, there's a world of difference between shopping for an apartment and for a house. Gah. Last Saturday we went on a tour of 6 houses that we were interested in (from the pictures and info that we were able to glean from MLS.com). I wish there was a way to morph 3 houses together, coming up with our "perfect" house. There were definitely some houses that stood out to us (one especially)...but non were perfect. I was hoping that that would be the case...a sense of peace. Today we saw an additional 4 houses. There was one that stood out to us (nice neighborhood, nice layout), but it's a short sale which could end up being a long process...without any promises (whoever thought up the term: "Short Sale" apparently didn't know the definition for "short" - haha). We're kind of in a time crunch if we want to take advantage of the $8,000 credit as well as getting our apartment deposit back (making it so we would have to move out of our current residence by the first of June...the time where our current lease will be up).

Location is a big deal to me. I love Saint Paul, but to me the area that we want to live is: 1) to expensive and 2) too far away from family (who graciously babysit Simon on a weekly basis while Peter and I attend our churche's small group and go on a date every now and then).

Price is obviously a big deal as well.

The layout to me as a semi-organized women is huge. It doesn't make sense not to have a bathroom on the second floor where all of the bedrooms are (I shudder at the thought of my potty-trainee toddler going down the stairs in the middle of the night to use the bathroom - Hmm, the words "chamber pot" comes to mind as a possible solution - lol...eww!). Also, having no closets in the bedrooms is just.so.very.wrong. lol. Sadly those were the houses that I liked the most last week. An unfinished basement isn't ideal and yet...that's how most of them were. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty with fixing up a house. I'm okay with making one of the three bedrooms a communal closet if that has to be the case.

House hunting is such a strange and stressful process. I know the stress will go up a level once we put in an offer (not to mention the numerous questions that come with that action...how much do you offer and how long will it take before you know that you actually have won the offer war...). You would think purchasing a house would be easier as almost everyone has to go through this crazy confusing process. Thank goodness for friends who are Realtors (someone you can trust and feel comfortable asking "silly" questions - haha).

Anyway, if you think about it, pray for us as we go though this process. I won't lie, I do yearn for a place to call my own. A yard to plant flowers and vegetables in, and a yard for my child to play in. A house to entertain and have guests over (a guest room for friends and family). And selfishly, a craft room to house all of my accumulated "stuff" (sewing machine, scrapbooking accessories, yarn - you know, crafty stuff) ;). But more importantly, a place where people feel welcome and feel the love of Jesus pouring out upon them. I know the Lord is using this opportunity to stretch us and make us rely on Him and for that I'm grateful. I do love watching God work as we step aside and fully rely on Him. I pray that we remember to do that more often as we go through this process. :)

Romans 8:28 & 31

2 comments:

  1. We've been there. It is tough but is sooooo worth it in the end. Praying you guys find something that is *perfect*, I'm sure you will and it'll just hit ya :). If you ever have any sort of questions of recent BTDT we're here with our experience.

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  2. Thanks Christine! We're blessed to have so many friends and family members who have gone ahead of us and paved the way. I'm really excited about this little adventure. Right now we're going back and forth between two very different houses that are located in two very different locations. There are pros and cons about both places (especially concerning location). Also the time crunch that we're in is pretty nerve wracking. I know it'll be worth it in the end, even if we have to forfeit our deposit (we have until the first of April to put in our 2 month notice - just a few short days away - ahh!) and the $8,000 credit. It would be nice to have that extra spending money though. ;)

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