Deeeeevine.
(Before I resume our regularly scheduled programming of nonsense here on Marriage Confessions this morning, I wanted to take a minute to thank you all for your outpouring of kindness, encouragement, and support last week. Your comments and emails were incredibly uplifting and just what I needed to hear in my blogging slump. Fear not. I will continue to rattle on about the mundane until you all stop coming back and commiserating with me. So, thanks for the encouragement. You made my heart happy.)
I’ve mentioned it before, but we are in the process of buying a house. I love how simple it sounds when you say “buying a house.” As if it’s just something you can pick up on your lunch break at Target, instead of it being one of the most nerve-wracking processes you can go through.
First, there’s coming to the decision that you’re ready to buy. How do you know? You sit at home with your spouse making up numbers and budgets as if you know what you’re doing, but when it comes down to it, you’re really just crossing your fingers that you haven’t missed a few zeroes in the numbers somewhere. What I really want to do is call my mom and ask her permission. I feel like buying a house requires parental permission for some reason. Incidentally, I feel the same way when I watch a rated R movie. Like I need to call my mom and ask her first.
So, you decide through budgets and paycheck calculations (and a parental phone call, if necessary) that you’re ready to buy. Then things get even tougher. You have to decide what it is you want to buy. For Chris and I, it was really different this time around than the first time we bought. When we bought in Connecticut, we didn’t have a family so we weren’t so concerned with schools or community recreation centers or even the size of the other bedrooms. Which explains why Bean’s first bedroom was roughly the size of a walk-in closet. This time, we knew right away that the area we lived in was just as important, if not more important, than the house itself. That was a given. What was tough on us was deciding if we wanted to buy a smaller house that was more affordable, but that we would probably outgrow in 5-10 years as the kids got bigger, or if we wanted to stretch ourselves and find something bigger where we could plant ourselves while our kids grew up.
The first house we put an offer in on about a month ago was a beautiful, immaculate little house. It had three bedrooms and two baths, a huge screened in pool, and an open-floor layout like the house we have now, which is really great for little kids but would be a challenge as Bean and Gracie grew up and we all needed more independent space. But it was in the area we wanted and the price was exactly what we had budgeted for. Unfortunately, the seller was a little nutty and ended up taking his house off the market right after we made an offer. We were disappointed, but we moved on pretty quickly.
After seeing several other houses, Chris and I kept going back to this one house. It wasn’t our first pick. In fact, it wasn’t even in the top three. But the more we thought about it, the more appealing it became. This house has over 2,500 square feet. In terms of what we thought we could afford, it is massive. It has four bedrooms and three full baths. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are all open, just like what we have now, but the difference is that this house has an entire finished basement that will be used as a playroom and office. So, while right now the kids might be in the living room area where we can see them all the time, as they get older and bigger, there’s a whole other part of the house for them to use. It has a yard that is twice the size of the first house we saw, which includes an enormous deck and a nice big pool.
The catch? This house was $20,000 more than the first house.
In the grand scheme of things, $20,000 in a mortgage payment isn’t really that big of a deal. It comes out to a little over $100 more a month in our mortgage payment. But with two kids in daycare, student loan debt, and two minimally paying jobs, ever dollar counts in our budget. After much debating and praying and worrying, we finally bit the bullet and decided it was worth it. We’d tighten our bootstraps even more than they already are (though I didn’t know where else we could cut in our budgeting) and then just hope that in five years when we didn’t have to pay daycare anymore, we could finally have the flexibility in our finances that we wanted to have.
The night that we made the offer, I was a wreck. My nerves were wound so tight. I had buyers remorse and we hadn’t even bought it yet! But as I rocked Gracie to sleep that night, I prayed over the situation (am I the only one who does most of her praying while rocking her babies?). I told God that I knew I hadn’t had a lot of faith in him over the past year given everything that we had gone through, but that I was ready to give this over to him 100%. No holding back. If it was his will, then I would go forward, knowing that somehow he would provide. And the amazing part was that I was actually able to do that. I really didn’t worry about the house at all. If it worked out, wonderful. If it didn’t, then God would show us where he wanted us to be instead. After that initial freak out, I laid it all down and moved on.
Let go and let God. Isn’t that what the saying is?
For the past few weeks, we have been going through the steps of buying the house. We’ve had the home inspection, we’re getting our mortgage paperwork together, we’re comparing homeowners insurance rates, and, of course, the bank came out and did the appraisal. And that’s when our realtor called this weekend. He told us that the appraisal on the house came in at exactly $20,000 less than what we offered and since our contract had a clause in there which allowed us to alter our buying price after the appraisal, that meant that we would be renegotiating the buying price on the house for $20,000 less than what we were originally going to buy it for.
Have I confused you yet? Well, let me put it simply:
We found a small house in our price range. God said no and the house came off the market. We found a bigger house out of our price range and prayed. God said yes and lowered the price of the house to exactly what we had budgeted. Amen. The End.
Could this be coincidental? Yes. Of course. In fact, if you don’t believe in God, then this blog post is probably no more than a wonderful stroke of luck or, even more simply, just a sign of the times right now in the housing market. And that’s okay if that’s what you believe. I don’t blame you. I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind here.
But in my heart and after the past year that I’ve had losing my footing in my faith and trying so hard to get back on my spiritual feet, this was God putting his arm around me like a good friend, squeezing me, and saying, “Did I not tell you I had your back?”
We are scheduled to close on the house July 15. Our lease isn’t up here until September 1, so we’ll be using that month and a half to pack and make some repairs on the new house. It needs to be painted and have the carpets replaced, things like that. Good thing I’ve got such a handy husband. And, of course, Bean. Chris showed him how to use a screwdriver this weekend and so Bean tried to take every door off its hinges. I admire that commitment. And I hope it lasts until we move in. Child labor laws don’t count if it’s your own child, right?
“He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves and it was completely calm.” Matthew 8:26
60 Comments
Emma
Great post friend who I haven’t met yet 😉
Meggan
Amen. It’s really a daunting task to completely let go and let his will be done, but when you do, magnificent things happen!
laurenbtrain
The Lord is so so so sweet!
Meredith J
This is exactly what I always say! Everything happens for a reason. That’s all you really have to know. If something doesn’t work out the way you thought it would, it worked out that way for a reason we may not understand now, but might in the future. This has come true in my life so many times I don’t even remember. My husband and I met and fell in love for so many different reasons. Life could be so much different if things didn’t happen the way they did, and it all happened for a reason.
Thank you for your post! We are about to JUST starting the think about buying a house and it is scary to just try and decide where we want to do it!! 🙂
Waiting for Bulgaria
I think that was God 110%. That is so exciting. And all that space will be wonderful. Can’t wait to see pictures. And as for Bean removing the doors, he’ll probably only remove the bottom hinges. So they’ll swing. 🙂
victoria67
God is great! 🙂
love the little helper/worker Bean
Shelley
Wow – did that work out for you! Congrats, it sounds like you got a good deal, although you might have more of an open floor plan than you intended if Bean starts removing doors. LOL
Sarah H.
That is amazing! I love stories like that. God is great! And yes I’ve done a lot of praying while rocking my baby.
Mary@My Life in Scotland
congrats! that is fantastic news! I can’t wait to see pictures!
Ashley @ A Recipe for Sanity
That is Jesus right there, in my opinion! No doubt. I’m so glad for the both of you. Congratulations!
rachael Hardin
Katie this was a beautiful post.
Nate's Mom @ Nate is Great
Now I understand your FB status update — that is awesome! I seem to recall that in CT, an appraisal of $20K less would have called off the deal and the seller could have reconsidered — or the mortgage company could have said forget about it. That is AWESOME!!! 2,500 square feet. We’ll be over tomorrow.
Brtt@knewlywifed
Don’t you just get chills when you can literally ‘see’ God working in your life? Congrats on the house 🙂
Betty
I feel the need to put on a choir robe, start clapping and singing “AAAAmen, AAAAmen, amen, amen.” Can’t wait to hear all about the fixing up/moving process!!
Meredith
Congratulations! And you’re experience sounds eerily similar to my parents experience when we moved when I was 4. They did the same as you, stretched their budget for a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house, with a full finished basement that we used A TON when we were in middle and high school (I have 2 older brothers). Everyone LOVED that basement. And my parents still live there, 20 years later.
So excited for you! Congratulations again! And go Bean! start them young. I was soldering pipes and using drills and saws when I was 12. It. was. Awesome.
Tara @ Married With Child
So glad you were able to let go! And how wonderful the appraisal was lower and the sellers agreed to the new terms. God had a hand in it and he also decided to remind you of that faith you once had! Now you and Chris will have a daily reminder! Congrats closing is only a few weeks away. 😉
Sarah
That’s awesome news! Does this mean that Chris has room for a new man cave to share with Bean!?
Amy
Ahhh, chills! This was absolutely the work of the divine — Praise Him! So thankful & happy for your blessings 🙂
Leah
Katie what a wonderful testimony!! It seems like every where I turn lately God is working miracles in people’s lives in an obvious way (my Dad recently went through a major job change where God provided before he even knew he needed it ). I’m so glad you’re able to give Him all the glory!
Jenn
First, I feel the same way you do about asking permission for things. I was just remarking this past weekend with one of my girl friends that I really can’t believe I’m 28, married and own my own house. I feel like any minute now my mom is going to come home from work, make dinner and tell me to do my chores. Add that to the fact that I am now the grown-up with a full time job and bills to pay? wowie. Also, we lucked out the same way you did with a closing date about a month before our lease was up. And since we closed at the end of May which meant our first mortgage payment wasn’t until July, we didn’t have to double pay for a mortgage and rent. It was so fabulous having a whole month to clean, bring over a few items like all our wedding gifts that had been sitting in boxes in our basement, and just not stress as much about the whole moving process. God is awesome Katie, so very happy everything has worked out. Can’t wait to see the pictures when it’s all spruced up!
Christy
A basement? What’s that? Are you moving out of state? Other than how confused I am, that is amazing!
Casey
That God of ours is pretty awesome, huh?! Can’t wait to see pictures of your new pad!
Cindy In Owensboro, KY
That is AWESOME Katie– everything worked out just like it was suppose to:)
Erica
Amen my friend! We’re in a similar housing conundrum (a bit different). I’m 38 weeks pregnant and spending a lot of time praying for God to help me turn it over. I hope your story will help ease my anxieties 🙂
Candice
I’m not a praying person, really… but there’s something about rocking an infant that makes it happen. When my son was an infant, we lived in a place that was very, very quickly growing way too small for us. I would rock and cry and pray every day that we could somehow find a new place we could afford that would take dogs, etc… and just like your house, exactly what we needed came through, with us barely having to search for it. It’s really… amazing.
Laura B
That is SO cool! God can really surprise us when we fully trust Him! Yay for you and congrats on the house!
Michelle
How wonderful that this has worked out just the way you needed it to! Sometimes it’s difficult to keep the faith but He shows his hand when we least expect it at times.
I’m so glad for you and your family and I’m also glad that you’re not letting the hater from last week keep you down. Vent and move on- sometimes it’s needed and very theraputic.
I would say God bless, but I know that He already has in so many ways and I know He’ll continue to do so in the future!
Jen @ Caved In
I don’t pray while I’m rocking my little man, mostly because I’m trying to focus on him not swatting my glasses off of my face. But as soon as i put him down, I stare at him for a minute and thank God for such a blessing. I’m very much a believer in you make your own destiny…to a point. Sometimes you just have to hand your life over to the Big Guy and know that He’s there for you. So happy this worked out for you! Buying a house is crazy stressful and then there’s moving (shudder) but you deserve this happiness. Can’t wait to see pics of your new place! ps i have a graphic designer/painter hubby I’d be willing to lend you for a few weeks. He’s driving me crazy and it’s either loan him out or start throwing things at him. Let me know if you’re interested
Kimberly @ The Sparks Life
God is so good! Such a wonderful story!
Amy
Fairly new reader here- I loved this post. That feeling of absolutely being taken care of by God is amazing, isn’t it? We can’t even dream of what He might have in store for us. Thanks for writing.
Lori @ I Can Grow People
Wait, wait, wait…did I read that correctly? Your new house in Florida will have a basement?! I thought that was unheard of in Florida! At least, that is what my husband said. We certainly didn’t have a basement in Tallahassee (though I wish we did!) That was one thing I wasn’t expecting when looking for a house down there–lack of basements/cellars.
Jenna
How exciting! I can’t wait to see pics! And decorating is going to be so much fun! Make sure you hit up Etsy (I know you will!) Also, I don’t believe in coincidences. There are only God-incidents. So happy for you and your family!!
Dessi
That sounds like the greatest turn of events! So happy for you!! I know house buying makes you want to pull your hair out! Hubby and I made offers from Jan of 2009 until Nov before we finally got one!! Good luck with the rest of the process! And yea…how in the world is there a basement in fl??? I’m a fl girl born and raised and I’ve never seen a basement here!
Kat
Coincidentally, our Sunday service was about this. I’m so happy it all worked out so perfect- you guys deserve a break and a fresh start! And yay for the continuationg of blogging. On a different note, I’d like my parents’ permission in all major life decisions.
Suzanne
Katie, that is so wonderful! I love to see God’s hand so clearly in the works. I have a friend who recently moved back to Tallahassee and God orchestrated that entire move down to small details such as closing dates on both houses (new and old) of June 30th. That is not coincidence€¦that is our awesome God at work! He’s leading you guys to where you need to be 🙂
Jessica W.
Amen!! I love how Jenna put it too, this was completely a God-incident!
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
🙂
We too have a finished basement. The best feature on it? The door. As in, when the kids were down there playing and screaming their heads off, I could shut that door. Make sure your basement has one of those.
Melissa @ Just Another Day
Exciting! Congrats and Amen!
jillbinmd
Congrats!! That’s an amazing story! My husband and I were just married in may and have started having some serious discussions about our housing future. We currently rent, but are hoping to buy in our area. We have no idea what we are doing, its not something amyone really educates ppl about! So we are doing alot of research and saving our pennies! Love reading about your journey to a new home with your family!
Krystal
I’ve been mostly a silent reader on your blog. I think maybe once I have commented.
I had to leave a comment on this post. My husband and I have recently started looking at homes. We are on step 2. We decided it was time and now we are looking. It’s hard! Each house has it’s good things and bad things!
Thanks for the post though. I now know a little about my up coming stresses and then hopefully the peaceful calm that will come after that. Let’s hope anyway!
DeAnna
Congrats!
We are awaiting our closing date on our first house, so I completely get the stress, frazzledness & nerves! It is insane how stressful things can get in such a short time!
So glad all I have to do now is sign paperwork, pay the lawyer and enjoy the next two months of packing & summer until we move!!
Isn’t prayer a wonderful thing?!?! I knew from the moment we saw our house that it was “the house”. We had looked at waaayyy too many that were in rough shape and I just kept prayin we would find that “house” and we did! And we got it for the price we wanted and close to our kid’s school like we wanted. And it is literally a block away from several of my kid’s good friends!
Sarah
amazing! so happy for you guys. thx for another encouraging post.
PJ
Now that tweet makes so much more sense! I was really confused as to why you would be so excited that you over-offered on a house. Congrats, it really is amazing how things work out sometimes.
Lindsey
Amazing news!!!! I love your perspective and how you so clearly hears what God had said to you! And I LOVE the verse at the end, it’s so suiting to your situation!!!
Katie B
Love it!! This post goes into the top 5 for me. I love when you can look back and see how God is working. Can’t wait to see pics of the new place. 🙂
Sonya
That’s awesome! He definitely has you covered!
Jessica
Congratulations! What an amazing thing to happen. Now what are you doing with the spare room? More cute babies 😉
Alaina
An amazing post! It couldn’t be more true. It’s so tough to just let go and let God, but it always seems to work in the end. I am so happy for you guys – congratulations!
RJ (Kids and Cast Iron)
That is wonderful! Congrats, hope all goes smoothly! The house sounds just wonderful!!
jennie
so excited for you guys! can’t wait to see PICTURES!
Carolyn
Great post!
Abby
God is so good Katie! Thanks for this encouraging post. My husband and I are in the beginning stages of buying our first house and SO often I have to remember that things will work out better if I just pray. And not one of those prayers that says “God, here’s how I’ve figured out this will work, can You make that happen?” but instead to truly pray and give it to Him and trust in His goodness and ability to provide! Looking forward to reading more about this exciting development in your life.
Katie Clements
This is a awesome post!!! Congrats!!! God is so good, ALL the time!!!
Amy @ Serve at Once
What a wonderful praise to our Creator. 🙂 I’m so EXCITED for you, Katie! It’s been nerve-racking and stressful enough just renting; I can’t imagine buying. You’re such a champ!
Rebecca @ The Reluctant Housewife
That is SO LIKE GOD! So awesome! I hope the closing and all the rest of the paperwork goes smoothly and you find even more miracles in the process!
Amy L Butler
Another great post! I love this site sooo much. You teach me so much about life. The issues that you cover almost always coincide with things that are currently going on in my life. I am so grateful to have found this site. I recommend it to my family amd friends all the time. Thank you for sharing so much!
Barbara Manatee
Congrats!!! What a blessing! I can’t even imagine packing up right now – we’ve been here 10 years and have 3 lil ones. I Love almost everything about our house…except the location. I wish it was closer to family. 🙁
Good luck!
Kay @ Bluespeckledpup
Congratulations on your new house, Katie! May this be the first of many blessings that come to your family in your new home. Wishing you peace as you prepare for the changes ahead.
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
Amen and congratulations! I think the mantra of my last year has been about the same: God always provides! Thanks for that bit of Scripture at the end–it’s just what I need before I turn in tonight 🙂
sarah
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO US LAST FALL! We had a conditional offer on a smaller home. We would have had to buy additional land around it and build a shed for my hubby’s work, but it was in a great neighborhood. We waited for the conditional offer on our existing house to firm up.
Nothing.
Three months of nothing.
My sister says “You aren’t going to sell your house until you try to buy the right one.”
I prayed – told God, if we are meant to stay in this house, we’ll stay.
One afternoon we drive by the “new” house and find another house with a For Sale sign. It went on the market that morning. We were stunned – it was PERFECT. 2.5 acres, 2,100 sq ft. Needing TLC which we were ready to provide.
Again, I prayed. Told God that we would accept whatever he had in store, but if our house sold before the offer we made on the first house expired, we’d HAVE to buy the first house, and spend years looking across the road at our dream home. 🙁
Within 2 hours of our offer expiring, we placed a new offer. The offer on our place expired as well. WITHIN 2 DAYS WE HAD THREE OFFERS ON OUR HOUSE! Hubby was thrilled – he had his bidding war. Not only did we get EXACTLY what we wanted for our old house. We got the EXACT house we wanted. GOD IS GOOD!!!
Can’t wait to read more on your move!