In 2013, I was able to do something I'd been waiting YEARS to do. It had been something on my "bucket list", if you will, and something I thought I'd have to wait a very long time before I was able to do it. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait as long as I thought I would, and in May of that year, we moved in to our dream home.
Buying a house is a big committment. And it was definitely something I didn't go about lightly. In fact, I started house hunting the summer before we found this house. We looked at, at least, a dozen houses over the course of the eight month house hunting period. But, I had given our realtor a very specific list of things our home had to have, and I wasn't going to give up until I found a house that had most of them.
My list of demands included four bedrooms, two bathrooms (at least), a large fenced in back yard, privacy, something that was move-in ready, and all for less than $130,000. I had a great realtor, but she told me that what I was looking for just wasn't going to be found. My demands were a little too high for the price range I was looking in to, and I'd have to negotiate on some things.
So, we looked at some three bedroomed houses, we looked at a four bedroom/ one bathed house, we found a house that had everything but a fenced in back yard, we looked at a couple of houses that had the four bedrooms, the two bathrooms, and a fenced in back yard but needed a lot of work before they could be moved in to. And, with each house we looked at, I just couldn't bring myself to "settle" on any of them.
Then, one cold day in February, 2013, my realtor took us to a house that even she couldn't believe was on the market for the price it was being sold for. A 2400 square foot house with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, sitting on an acre of land, a large fenced in back yard, renovated and move-in ready, with a bonus of a pool and a pool house, all for $125,000. When she told me about the house, I just knew that something just had to be too good to be true. I decided not to get my hopes up, but went ahead and set up the viewing of the house.
The minute I walked in the front door, I knew we'd found our home. And, after a tough negotiation, became our home in April. We finally moved in the first week of May, 2013.
Our house is my dream home. Each of my kids has their own good-sized bedroom, Hubby and I have an enormous master bedroom, we have a large living room, a dining room, a den, a country style kitchen, two bathrooms, a giant fenced in back yard, a large front yard with giant shade trees, a small side yard, a pool, a covered patio, and a pool house. Our home is in town, but sets back off the road far enough that we can't see in to our neighbors' houses and they can't see in to ours. Our property also backs up to our neighbor's land that features a large fishing pond and a field of horses, so we have no people living behind us. The floors are all laminate, except for the bedrooms that have new carpet. We even have a large fire place in our den.
The house is absolutely BEAUTIFUL.
Every single morning, I wake up thankful that we were able to find this house. Every day that I grab my cup of coffee and go and sit out in the covered patio, regardless of the weather. Every day that I sit in my living room and relax on the couch to watch some TV. Every day that I get to sit at my desk in the den and do some work. Each day during the summer when the kids and I can hop in to the pool for some fun and to cool down. Every day that the kids can go outside and play in the yard. There just isn't a day that goes by where I'm not thankful for something this home has given me.
A house is a material possession, and it shouldn't really matter on the size or the amenaties that it has to offer. But, I'm not just thankful for the beauty of the house or the size, I'm thankful for the comfort and happiness the house has brought to my family. I know that some people don't believe a house can or should be responsible for happiness, but I disagree. Before moving in to this house, we lived in a dump. A ramshackle double wide mobile home that was falling apart around us. The roof leaked, to the point where rain would run down the back walls INSIDE the house. The slightest storm would leave us without power. During the winter, we were stuck at home, with no power or heat, for days on end because we were snowed in. When it wasn't snowing, the pipes would freeze leaving us with no water. During the summer, the AC would constantly break down. We lived right in the middle of the woods, so there wasn't really anywhere for the kids to play and I wouldn't let them go wandering off in to the woods, because I would always hear gunshots from people that lived around us and didn't want to take the chance. Peanut and Jelly had to share a small bedroom, and that left them both unhappy that neither of them had a place they could enjoy some privacy. It was just a house that made me miserable.
That's why, our new house is our home. It's everything we've always wanted and then some.
The kids have their own space to enjoy some privacy. They have plenty of back yard to play in. They have the pool to enjoy during the summer. They can have friends over without feeling ashamed. And, I can relax knowing that we're safe, and comfortable.
So, today, I'm extremely thankful that we were able to find our dream house and that this house is now our home. This house truly is a blessing. I look forward to many years living here, enjoying the comforts it offers us. They say that Home is Where the Heart Is, and this home is where I keep mine.
Have a great Monday, everyone!
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