Thursday, February 25, 2010

divine appointment

can i just say, "wow".

to buy a house or not to?

well we'd need someone to take over our apartment since our lease doesn't end til October:
       ANSWER: Andrew and Janae' have their lease ending in March and were already wanting to move into a two-bedroom but the prices they found were too expensive. So they will be moving in to take over our apartment at the same expense of rent per month as what they pay for their one bedroom.

we have to find a good real-estate agent; one who wont pressure us or be conniving :
       ANSWER: the Galloways referred us to the agent who helped them. His name is Joe Cuchiara and he goes to our church and he is the most wonderful agent a home-buyer/seller could ever have. He is honest, genuine, quick to return calls, and is very eager to meet our needs.

we need to get pre-approved by a good mortage broker:
       ANSWER: Joe referred us to Mike Gordon (with People's Mortgage) and he not only gave us great figures but he is a Christian and very kind

we have to find the perfect house in a good neighborhood:
       ANSWER: the moment we walked into 1137, Joe said to me, "i think you're really going to like this one" - and so we did. I felt more and more at home and comfortable as we explored the house. Its been kept up well, with paint and newer appliances - its in GREAT condition and needs very little changes. and the neighborhood is nice, very cute, and feels safe.

we need to close on the contract and move into the house starting March 26 since Andrew and Janae' need to be out of their apartment by March 31st:
       ANSWER: the husband (home-owner) is moving out of state at the end of March for his job and his wife and baby would have to stay in Colo Springs until the house was sold. She didn't want to be left behind for who-knows-how-long. and what if they didn't get another offer that was ready to move in a month...?

we won't make an offer more than $153,000 (plus the seller paying closing costs); and they really better not counter-offer us because we might walk away:
       ANSWER: the sellers saw that we are pre-approved and ready to go. Any less of an offer (say $152) and they would have countered with something higher ($155). And they might still have countered but they weren't willing to lose us if we didn't accept their counter offer.

if this is meant to be they will accept our offer the way it is:
       ANSWER: they signed it. we're in contract!

we want an interest rate of 5% at the HIGHEST. Preferably 4.875%
       ANSWER: we got an interest rate of 4.75%   HA!!!!

we need to get insurance for the house:
       ANSWER: insurance is less $ than we anticipated and calculated for payments


YET TO COME that could make or break the contract: the house inspection and the appraisal


stay tuned to see how wonderfully the Lord works...

:)


    

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

hoping for a home

If we are going to get a house we needed to figure out a tenant takeover for our apartment because our lease doesn't end until October. 'coincidentally' Andrew and Janae' were wanting to move into a two bedroom apartment and their lease is up at the end of March. So Jason and Andrew went down to the office on Saturday and got everything settled to plan for them to move in at the end of March. i was amazed out how easily it went. Everything was so easy and smooth and it made me really excited, thinking, okay Lord, now bring us a house to buy, everything is ready!  but ... about 30 minutes later, an unsettling feeling of panic crept in.

what if the Lord does want us in our apartment - which has a great rate for plenty of room within our budget to save up $ (to potentially have a down-payment in the future)

sigh

From the start of our quest for buying a home i was honest and sincere in my prayers that if the Lord didn't want us to purchase a home then i refused to go against His will and bear the consequences of being disobedient. we will not be where He doesn't want us to be.

Yesterday was Monday and Jason, Acacia and I went with our realtor, Joe, to look at some houses. Two of them were awful and the other two were very prospective properties! We were very thankful for our excursion because it showed us that the Lord could have a very good house for us! One is a HUD - its new, in a very nice neighborhood, but it needs quite a bit of TLC (cleaning, new carpet, and paint). The other one is quite a bit older, its in a nice neighborhood (but kinda south), and its wonderful. Beautiful hardwood floors,a fire place, nice carpet, cute bathrooms.... But its over-priced. We're waiting to hear back from our realtor today to see if the sellers can compromise - otherwise we'll have to just walk away and make the bid on the HUD. And if our bid isn't chosen then our quest will re-start. Basically, I love the older house. Walking around inside made me feel like i was home; where I belonged with my family. So we'll see. I hardly got any sleep last night just thinking about how much I love it and want it.

My final comment on the house-buying: from the beginning we prayed that if the Lord's will would be for us to  buy a house that everything would run easily and that all the details would fall in place as we wait on Him. So far.... so good.
Enough about the houses though.....

Acacia is growing up so quickly! I just saw her crawl about four steps on her hands and knees to get to car seat and now she has pulled herself up to standing with it. This weekend i got her to say "mama" - two weeks after calling Jason "dada." The funny thing is that she is just so tiny. She hasn't been weighed for a month and a half but I doubt she is much more than 15 lbs. At this rate, maybe when she is 2 yrs old she will finally be in a forward facing car seat!

She is such a joy and brings warmth to my heart. Many times I just sit and stare at her. Admiring and soaking in every precious moment, observing her every move and noise. I never thought that being a mother could be so wonderful.

Her first birthday is in 6 weeks. That makes me so very sad.

I have so many other thoughts i'd like to share. Frustrations, anxieties, etc.... but i don't want to be a fool today, venting all my feelings. 

Friday, February 19, 2010

cheers..... and sigh

here is to my first blog entry....

i always vowed that i would never make a blog.... but i suppose lots of things change over time.
as i sit here looking out the window to the dreary sky and sparse snowflakes drifting down lazily, i perhaps know why i've chosen to write this blog. loneliness...? and with that, a hope that people are listening - to me. my fears, my joys, my woes, and my excitements. i know my God is always with me, His ear ever open to hear my praise and cry. yet... i find no reason to not share those things [as i keep my heart guarded]

as for what i'd like to say for the moment, i've been on a mini-roller-coaster the past few months; whether it be because of things directly or indirectly affecting me. i'm sure some of things i will bring to light eventually. and today is no different. Jason and i are praying about purchasing a home. its a big decision and we have our budget limits and other criteria we want met. we know that if the Lord desires this for us that all the details will fall perfectly into place by His divine sovereignty and providence. i believe this. that doesn't mean that i don't allow anxiety and frustration to seep in.

so here i wait for Jason to get home from work and then we are going to go drive by two homes that our realtor e-mailed to us. its all so exciting. i just hate disappointment so i need to be careful. because when i like something, i'm passionate in those feelings.