sometimes, God says yes (aka, we bought a farmhouse)

Just heard back from the bank. This baby is ours.
Built in 1890, this house sits 1.6 acres of land. It also puts us a few miles closer to the big boys’ mom and keeps our kids in the same school district. It’s the house I wrote about here.

When I say “God opened all of the doors,” I mean… ALL OF THE DOORS.

Vacant and foreclosed, the bank dropped its price like crazy over the last several weeks. When it passed a certain threshold, it came onto my radar. I look at properties once a month or so, to get an idea of what the market is doing… I drove over to check this house out the day I found it online. I literally stood in the front yard and took deep breaths after I pulled up. The way it made me feel – good gracious. I brought Chris back the next day, and a realtor was showing it to another couple. He let us join in on the tour and we fell in love. For all of its obvious issues, it has everything on my dream home checklist. Even the tiniest of wishlist details are there – like a window over the kitchen sink, a mud room, and a formal entryway.

I sent the link to a realtor friend early last week, just to get the scoop. But I gave myself a pep talk and stayed reasonable. We aren’t even in a position to buy, and we’re really starting to love our house. My friend let me know an offer had already been submitted, but she promised to follow up in a few days if anything had changed. Done.

Mid-week, I hear from our realtor. The offer has not yet been accepted. Do I want to make an offer? It’d need to be tonight, and it shouldn’t be contingent on our house selling. Bank-owned properties usually go to the easiest offer agreement. No thank you. We can’t find a renter that fast, and we sure as heck can’t sell our house in a day. I place my phone on my desk and take a deep breath. Only then do I look down to a message on my phone from a friend.

“Just so you know, if God says yes and you guys move on up into your dream house, we’d rent your current one for a year at least. FYI.”

Um. Hello? After this, the details get a bit fuzzy. There were discussions with mortgage brokers, another walk-through, finances shifted, support & blessings received from family, an offer submitted, a check written, and a few prayers thrown heavenwards – all in one day. We kept it quiet, in case nothing came of it. We’d look back and laugh in secret, about the time we almost bought a farmhouse. Our dream home.

Today, we got the call. Our offer has been accepted, and the bank wants to close mid-October. If all goes well according to the home inspectors and mortgage lenders, we’ll be in the new house for Christmas. I’m feeling a bit nauseous as I type this.

I’ve decided to call this an act of faith, even though it ends in something materialistic – something I’ve always wanted. I’m learning that living by faith doesn’t have to always involve pain or discomfort or doing without, although it always involves uncertainty.

And that’s where we are now. In the uncertain. Of owning two homes and passing inspection and becoming landlords. Of giving up granite countertops for uneven floors, and energy star utility bills for cracked windows. Of most likely moving into what could be our forever home.

If this is You saying yes, God… we just want to be present to hear You say it.