Letting the Cat Out of the Bag...

Do you remember a while back, maybe a month or so ago, when I alluded to a big decision I had that I'd be mentioning soon? I remember it from either here or Facebook because my friend Karen commented that she didn't want to wait, but I can't find the post, so who knows WHERE I said it! :)

Well, in any event, *I* know I mentioned it, and I haven't forgotten. I have been back and forth since February of this year about whether or not to buy a house. I decided not to in the spring and felt settled with that. This summer, when hanging out with my best friend, we were talking about the tax credit from the government for first-time home buyers aimed at stimulating the housing market. I had known about it in February, but this conversation reintroduced my interest.

As a result, I've been looking for houses since probably the beginning-ish of June. I've seen 15-18 houses by now, I think. I actually made an offer on a house two weeks ago, but the contract was rejected - and not even COUNTERED, by the way! There were some little things that turned me off about the deal (not the least of which was that the seller's realtor wasn't even going to present my offer because he knew a better one was coming in.... um, unprofessional much? And my realtor saying she thought I'd need to go above asking price to get the house since there were other offers coming in). For these reasons, I opted to walk away and felt very confident about that decision.

Last weekend I came back home from being gone pretty much the entire summer and decided to see what open houses were being held. I opted to go to one in the town where I work, which is a really small town, and even though it was $20,000 above what I'm currently approved to purchase. Well, I liked the house, and at the time, I wasn't sure if I liked it because it was in town and literally ONE MILE from work or if I liked it on its own merits.

I mentioned that it's a small town. Here's some proof: the wife in the family who is selling works at the university as an adjunct professor. The husband's mother is the registrar. The next door neighbor works in the university's heating and cooling department, the man whose family lives across the street is the school photographer, the Dean of Women lives across the street, and the woman a couple of houses down in the associate registrar. Oh, and the realtor representing the sellers also works in the missions department and is a realtor part time!

The realtor contacted my agent to tell her I'd seen it, and I contacted my mortgage lender to see about increasing my approval. My realtor and I made an appointment to see the house again today, and all this week, I've been trying to be faithful in prayer because buying this particular house could really only happen if the Lord so willed. As my best friend puts it, "This leaves God a lot of room to work." I'd need to be approved for a greater loan amount (probably as big a step as getting an offer accepted), the sellers need to accept my offer, the house has to pass the inspection, and most of all, I have to be sure I like it! I'm fickle about things at times, so liking something from one day to next is never a certainty with me. ;)

Well, I'll spare you the boring little details about the money, but so far, the Lord has not closed doors. My realtor and lender are telling me I'll be approved for the increased loan. This is a no small feat - the Lord is already working, which may not necessarily mean I'll be buying this home, but it's evidence that I don't need to try to make it happen on my own.

Tonight we went to look at the house again, and I made an offer!!! I was grateful to have a chance to walk through again because..... (drumroll please)..... I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! With the last house, I actually felt less excited about it the second time I saw it (the day I made the offer, ironically enough) than the first time. Today, I liked it more - this is the feeling I've been missing from the other houses.

I'm not sure if my realtor is a believer, but she talks about praying, and I've certainly praised Jesus in front of her, most recently today when she told me I'd be approved for the increased loan amount. She keeps telling me if it's meant to be, it will be. Good advice, believer or non.

I covet your prayers about this situation. Again, there are lots of boring and complicated little details involved, but here's the short version: I may qualify for a program where I don't have to put any money down due to the home being in a rural area (called the rural housing program). This would be ideal for a variety of reasons. With another loan, I'd have to put money down, and my lender submitted the application to underwriting with both options so that they will tell me which way to buy the house.

PRAYER REQUEST ONE:

Please pray that I'm approved for the rural housing program.

The offer I made is lower than what they are asking, but the house has been on the market for two months. Also, knowing what I learned through Missy's sale of her house in Ashland, I know that when you start having open houses, that means you aren't getting a lot of hits or offers. The sellers were also trying to sell it on their own before they listed it, so it's been on the market for longer than 2 months.

PRAYER REQUEST TWO:

Please pray that they accept my offer as is. I can afford this home, but since it's a higher price, finances will be a bit tighter than they would have been otherwise. Having them accept it as is gives me more room in my budget, which is always a good thing!

I'll keep you updated. In the meantime, I told my mom I'm living by Philippians 4:4-7:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

This verse is powerful for me today. I AM presenting my petition to Him - sometimes several times an hour, in fact. ;) But I'm also remembering how this section starts: Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS! Not just when He helps me buy a house, but in all times, even when the answer is no and we don't understand why. Rejoicing it's just being "okay" in Jesus; it's celebrating because of Him and what He has done. House or no house, I have one coming someday, right? :) And it ends with another lesson - letting the peace of God guard my heart and mind. Don't fret about this. Don't try to rework the numbers 30 times between now and tomorrow. Don't plan or predict. Trust in Him, and find peace in His sovereignty. Maybe even avoid praying about it every 15 minutes, but instead, pray about ceasing for me to know HIM, not just what He wants to me do. The faith is about the relationship, not necessarily what I'm supposed to do. I think we too often equate the colloquialism "what God's will is for my life" with "telling me what He's going to do next." While that'd be super in some cases, I am pretty confident God cares more about being known to us, our commitment to deepening our intimacy with Him, and telling us what decisions to make or telling us what's next is pretty superficial with that in mind. So rejoicing is my chosen route today.

(But I'd still like to buy this house..... :) )