The House God Gave Us
It’s taken me forever to write down the God-story of how we got our house! I tried to fit this all in one IG caption and it just wasn’t happening. So here I am, blogging after a year or so of no blogs!
Anyway! So, Sam and I had been looking for a new-build home in North Idaho since July 2020, just before we decided to move. Most of the existing homes up here haven’t been renovated and need new flooring, cabinets, paint, etc., so we believed a new build was the best way to go. When we learned that the builder we loved would not accept contingent offers, we made the decision to sell our home so we could be ready to pounce once new lots became available for purchase. Fast forward to mid November when they FINALLY released new lots... only they had made the recent decision to allow multiple people to bid on each lot AND allowed everyone to bid as high as they wanted. Very unfair for those who’ve been waiting patiently for months on end who simply don’t have the type of cash that talks in a situation like that. Well, we still offered crazy amounts over asking price on 3 different lots, we offered everything we had. and we still did not get picked. We were pretty upset. It seemed so unfair that we had waited all those months for a home by this builder and yet the people with the most money who possibly came in at the last minute, won out.
So, after a few days of bumming pretty hard, we decided that there was no way we would ever get a house in a market like this where homes are going for all cash and/or well above asking price. Especially after the toll 2020 had taken on our business. So, we began to pray for a miracle, and specifically that God would give us a home in an *unconventional* way.
Over the next week we checked out a couple fixer-uppers that just weren’t gonna cut it for one reason or another.
Quick rewind to October when we had been living in North Idaho for 3 days. We had decided that day to take a break from unpacking and take the kids to one of the more popular parks out here. I ended up meeting two mamas who had littles Oliver’s age and we exchanged information. My now-friend Cass reached out on Facebook to invite me to her mom’s group that met weekly. I knew the mama’s were Christians and was ready to jump at any chance of community I could get!
Fast forward a couple months into meeting regularly with now some of my dear mama friends. I was lamenting to one of my friends about how hard of a time we were having trying to buy a home. She remembered that one of her friends had recently shared about listing her home about a week after that point, which was nearly Thanksgiving. She got the specs of the home for me: 4 bed, 2.5 bath, 2500 sq ft (!!), in the city we wanted. My hopes started rising. She connected me with the seller, Christie who I then began texting later that day. She graciously agreed to show us the house before she listed! I quickly thought, “God could this be that unconventional thing we’ve been asking you for?” As we were texting, I mentioned that I was just a few minutes up the road in some townhomes. She knew the exact ones and said she and her family had been trying to get in one of the townhomes but they were completely full! I was floored when she said that. I thought… no way is the seller of this home we might want to buy trying to figure out a way to live in the home I have now!! WHAT?! Our little family came to Christie’s house the next day and we were just in love. Not only did we totally click with Christie, but we LOVED the house! It was only 2 years old with some beautiful upgrades and personal touches her husband (a carpenter) had added to the home. I knew the price she was wanting to list it for, but in a market like this… with a house like this, she could have easily made many thousands more than what we were able to offer. I shared with her that her list price was our ceiling and that we didn’t expect any special treatment! That we completely understood if she wanted to list it and see what other offers came in. I shared with her how I had been praying to get a home in an unconventional way, and she smiled and said she didn’t believe in chance. Sparks were flying. HAHAH!
As we left, we let her know how much we loved it and if she was in, we were ready to jump in, too. She text me 15 minutes later after I left that they were willing to offer the home at list price to us (!!!) and they wanted to open escrow right away. GAH! I am still reeling. The best part is, God didn’t just take care of our family through this totally divine appointment - he took care of their family, too. They now currently reside in the townhome we used to live in! WE LITERALLY SWITCHED HOUSES. With 3 children and many pets, apartment life would have been so tough on them! I am so grateful God worked this out for both of us in truly a story only He could write.
Docs signed January 7th, 2021! Lived in Idaho only 3 months and moved into our beautiful new home.
A few other sweet blessings: her husband (a carpenter of many years) had handmade a beautiful wood + concrete dining table that they ended up leaving for us, and since we no longer needed ours and it fit perfectly in the townhome, we left ours for them. We switched houses and dining tables, too. Ha! AND, we hired her husband to put up our board and batten in the entryway of the home just before they moved out. I know I’m missing other stuff too. ANDDD since they gave the house to us at list price and we didn’t have to “sweeten” an offer by offering a large down payment, we got to put 5% down, put in new carpet, paint most of the interior AND pay off our second car which means we are officially debt-free (outside of the home). WHAT AGAIN?!! See why this wouldn’t fit in an IG caption? :P
Took this photo before we moved in, but this is the gorgeous concrete table Christie’s husband built that now belongs to us. (:
The board and batten put in. He did such a fabulous job! We are currently trying to decide on decor but this was shot right as we moved in.
Guys, there is a God and he cares deeply and intimately for our needs. He chose to answer this prayer so fast. Christie even said they had JUST decided to list the home, so everything happened super fast for them! When God moves like this, my faith grows leaps and bounds. And when I hear other God-stories, it grows my faith leaps and bounds more! So, I just had to share this with you all! And if you somehow made it to the end, go treat yourself to something yummy. Lol.
Thanks for reading my friends!