Wednesday, January 25, 2012

News Flash Part 2

So, in part 1, I shared our happy news of being homeowner's again, and how we found our dream house.


Part 2 is how I believe God was working through the whole process. 


Way #1 - was, of course, our friend's prodding to look at this house, which had been empty for about a year. 


Way #2 -  the broker that our real estate agent (let's just call him MM) worked with knew the homeowner. And if memory serves me correctly, and that is a rarity, I believe he came into the office while MM was trying to find information on the house. MM was able to represent both us and him, and kept things moving.


Way #3 - In some "bizarre way" two different banks held the title to the house, and the wrong bank had started the foreclosure. Because it was the wrong bank, this stopped the proceedings and gave us a small window for a short sale. And because it was a short sale, we made an offer on a house we had not even walked through! 


Way #4 - If MM had not been our realtor, we may not have gotten to square one. His persistence and know-how kept the process from stalling. He had stacks and stacks of papers to fill out, and most of the time he had to send the same papers over and over again. (your government at work.)  Our case went from one person to another person to another person, each with a ridiculous title, and each required 7 - 14 days to make a decision, and they were in no hurry. (Again, your government at work. Think "health care".) Add to that the fact that we had to work around Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. 


Way #5 - Everytime we started to feel discouraged, we would pray for a tidbit of encouragement. Without fail, sometimes before the "amen" was said, we'd get a call from MM with an update. He would tell us that everything was still "a go", we just had to wait on the process. Hubby had no doubts that this was the house the Lord would bless us with. I remained cautiously hopeful, but still kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. It never dropped.


Way #6 - Finally, the time came for the appraisal. Our offer had to be 88% of the appraisal. While we were hoping for a really low appraisal due to all the work that needed to be done, it did work out to be in our price range.


Way #7 - In order to do the appraisal, MM had to leagally break-in because for some reason, no one had a key to the house. This gave us the opportunity to buy a lock and have a key.


Way #8 - A few days after the appraisal, an inspector came to inspect the property and when he left, he turned off all the electricity. This would not have been a problem except that the sump pump needed electricity. Shortly after that, we had a torrential downpour. This resulted in having three feet, literally, of water in "our" basement. Now, you may question me as to why this is showing how God was working. I was asking the same questions.


Hubby and I had gone to a wedding that weekend, but, as God would have it, MM had stopped to check on the house. He called to tell us we had a wet basement. He had a friend who had a pump, and we had a hose, so we mad arrangements to meet at the house the next day, which happened to be on a Sunday, to get the water pumped out.


Way #9 - Do we have an awesome realtor or what?


Way #10 - After the water was pumped out, Hubby took our dehumidifier over and plugged it in to dry up as much moisture as possible. We didn't need mold growing.


Way #11 - So now we're getting near to the end and I am confident that God will not bring us this far only to snatch it away.


Way #12 - We're  finally on the last leg of the journey which started in September. But now, suddenly, the case is turned over to H.U.D. More paperwork. More delay. And, let me just say, that during all this time, the weather has been absolutely beautiful and unseasonably warm. There was so much we wanted to be doing outside, but couldn't. Now, according the H.U.D. regulations, we had to have the electric put in out name, and we had to prove that we had taken occupancy! Ever hear of anything so crazy?? This had to done and proven BEFORE we could have confirmation on the house! Thank God for the flooded basement. We were in possession of the key and had the dehumidifier running.


Here's another crazy government regulation - There is some fee (I don't know what) that every bank always pays at the sale of a house. H.U.D. was not going to pay. They said they can only pay it if it's a tax. So, MM, our fantastic realtor, says, "So, if I re-word this to be a "tax" you can pay it?" Yep, you got it. The fee became a tax and they gladly paid it. Every "i" has to be dotted just so, and every "t" has to be crossed precisely, or you'll find yourself back to square one. 


Last week we signed the papers, and it officially became our house! It's been a wild ride with lots of ups and downs, and we can't wait to finally get settled!


So, do you want to see a picture or two, or three? 
It looks better at a distance

Our Dream House 

From the back, the dining room and living room

Ghosts? Or maybe just our reflections in the window,
while doing our Peeping Tom impersonations.
The office which Hubby has graciously offered to share.

The back view

The poor, pitiful front "porch"


It ours all the way back to the trees
Well, there you have it. We have our work cut out for us. If you don't hear from me for a little while, you know where I'll be, slappin' paint on the walls. I can't wait for the "after" pictures!


15 comments:

  1. What an incredible story! and whats more your trust in God and his Blessings on you!Congrats and I can't wait to see more pictures.
    Blessings, Joanne

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  2. Wow, how many leadings that this house was the one meant just for you!!!! It is a lovely and roomy house, my front porch is even smaller! What an amazing story, now you know that you are really home!!! Keep us updated with all the fixing up and decorating!!!

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  3. He loves you so much. Look at all that room! I'd be spending more time out than in. Good luck sweetie. I'm so happy for you!

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  4. Oh, goodness, Darlene! I am so happy for you! CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND!!!!! It is a beautiful home, with nice big rooms and a big beautiful piece of property. The Lord works in mysterious ways, doesn't He? :)
    And I know you will be pressed for money, fixing up the house, AND I know your realtor gets his commission, but you really should put aside a little $$ when you can and save it up to give him and his family a nice gift certificate to a nice restaurant or something. That guy went BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY!! Like what realtor would come out to help clean out water from a basement? Yeah, you'd get one who'd come in the first five minutes, say they have to show another house or some excuse to leave, and then come back for the last five minutes. So you were REALLY blessed with that guy too. You don't find people with integrity like that, or a great work ethic like that these days. God bless that man. He really came through for you! As did, of course, the good Lord! Again, CONGRATS and blessings to you on your new home!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see more pics.
    Best,
    Gloria xxoo

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  5. Yep but working on your OWN house is so fun! You can do it however you want. I'm so happy for you. What an exciting year you have ahead of you.

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  6. CONGRATULATIONS! That is fabulous news. The property is huge and the house has a lot of good qualities about it. One step at a time and one project at a time. Very happy for you!

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  7. That's brilliant news, Darlene! You'll be able to swank up that drive all dressed up in your pink feather boa!! It looks a lovely place and look at all that land. I bet you're just so excited, you and hubby. Goodness me, how brilliant was that M.M?! It was obviously meant to be your house, and I can't wait to see the pictures once you have turned it into a home! Congratulations.

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  8. I'm so excited for y'all! And I see so much potential there! You get to make it what you want it to be!!! Looking forward to all the pictures to come!

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  9. That is so exciting! It is amazing how the Lord works in His own timing, in His own awesome way!
    You are going to have so much fun fixing it up and putting all your own touches to it!
    Congratulations!

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  10. I'm sorry it was such a long process, but so glad it all worked out. It sounds like the Lord really does want you to be in that house. Fixing it up is going to be fun!

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  11. I forgot about a few of those but clearly everything worked out. I too, am really excited for the AFTER photos.

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  12. That was such a great story and one that shows how truly blessed you two are. It looks like such a wonderful house that will soon be turned into a loving home. Yes, I too agree that we hope you will keep us posted on what changes you are making. Do as many as you can before you actually move in. Once you have moved in it is harder and more stressful to make the changes. After the house is done then you can move on to the outside which will be a lot of work but nothing like doing the inside.

    Oh and you also now get the joy of going through all your stuff, oh how I dread the thought of moving my tons of stuff. Maybe you will find Papa Smurf.

    And that porch looks very welcoming and I like it.

    I am wishing all the joy and love that will come with your new house. May your house be blessed with many new memories of happiness and love.

    God bless.

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  13. Well Darlene, they do say god works in mysterious ways...or was that U2? Anyway good luck with the new place.

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  14. I have missed several posts, I see and stupidly, have started reading the latest first, then been going back through past posts. Now of course everything is starting to make sense! So, please IGNORE my comment on the post following on from THIS one! I now know you have bought a house that needs fixing up! What a lot of work you have ahead of you, but how great that you can jump right in and tackle it yourselves. I can't wait to see your AFTER pictures!!! This is exciting (from a distance...I know I'd be a wreck). We built our house 29 years ago and have added on to it and done renovations over the years while living in the house. I don't wish to go that route again, but the AFTERS certainly did make the pain of going through it all, worthwhile in the end.

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