Monday, June 20, 2011

Expect the Unexpected

I really shouldn't be surprised when God brings things into my life that I've dreamed of. For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of owning a home of my own. That dream might be finally coming true! Last week started as any other week. David was on vacation, but we had no big plans. That is, until his dad called us early in the week. He knew a couple that was getting ready to list their home and said if we liked it, they would sell it to us instead of listing it. And the great part? David's parents are gifting us the money needed for the down payment as an advance on our inheritance, which helps us to get a better interest rate on our loan.

Well, we went to look at it and liked a lot of things about it, so we're working on the buying process right now. We've already signed a sales agreement, and barring anything major on the inspection, it looks like things will go through just fine. The inspection should happen sometime this week, and I'm trying to be patient :).

So, here are some great things about the home:
*It's only about 5 minutes from our current rental home.
*The price is right in our budget. In fact, it's looking like we'll come out $100 a month less than we're paying now, with our money going into our equity instead of somebody else's.
*It's a good size for our family at around 1200 square feet with 3 bedrooms, plus a large, partially finished basement (that we hope to finish in the future).
*Raised flower beds in the front and a huge fenced back yard with 2 small storage sheds, 3 fruit trees, and a great clothesline setup.
*Wood floors that look to be in fairly good shape.
*The bathroom has been updated with tile and a jet tub.
*A wood stove that heats the home well (plus a whole season's worth of wood that they're leaving here). Not only should this save us money on heating, but also on electricity during the cold months since I can easily cook in a dutch oven over the stove.

There are a few things we'll need to work on, but most of them are cosmetic. The kitchen is a bit rough, but we're going to try to do things ourselves. Such as new hardware for the cupboards, replacing the counter top (with something attractive, but not super fancy), and replacing the dishwasher (we saw some good deals on Craigslist). We'll also need to paint throughout the home, as the walls were painted over wallpaper. I'm thinking I'll learn how to apply some texture and then paint over that so we won't be able to see the wallpaper marks any more. I definitely see a lot of potential for a great home.

Also, being that we're going to need a bit of cash for home improvements, I'll be waiting on my hair for a bit. I hope to do it later, but right now we're investing in our family's future. So exciting!

9 comments:

Hannah said...

I'm excited for you! It's a cute house. :)

Watch our for Craig's List appliances though- I'm all for the good deals that can be found there, but when we bought our house, a lot of our appliances that we got good deals on bit the dust- all at the same time. If you can, I'd suggest finding a used appliance place where you can get a *free* 30-60 day warranty so that if something goes wrong, you can get a new one without dishing out any more moo-la.

If the counter top is laminate, and in ok condition, just ugly, you could look at the Rustolium counter top refinishing kit. I've seen good outcomes using that, but haven't used it myself as we have ugly tile counters.

Becci said...

The problem is that there are some cracks/holes along the front of it along the bottom, so I'd really like to replace it. I hear Ikea has a good price on counter tops.

RoseAnn said...

Another idea for painting over wallpaper is to use faux techniques: sponging, rag rolling, others will help camouflage the wallpaper.

Meg said...

How exciting!!! God is blessing is so many ways!!! Another option is watch for is a good sale over 4th of July for appliances. We got our stove & Jodi got a frig one weekend over the 4th that way. Plus you have a warranty. Ours was damaged so got even more off the sale price (dinged on the side when installed was not seen.)Hope it all works out for you.

Melanie said...

So happy for you :) Hope everything works out!

Johnlyn said...

Hope everything works out for you. I love love love Ikea! I wish we had one hear.

Funny how in one post you write you are so grateful for your rental house where you can garden and then God blesses you even more.

I think the more we focus on our blessings, the more we receive from Him.

Johnlyn said...

oops - meant wish we had an Ikea here.

Becci said...

Johnlyn, that is so true... when I least expected it!

Amanda said...

I pray everything works out!