How we won the bidding war

In case you haven't read the past few posts, I'll give you a quick little catch up so you won't be completely clueless. Last week, we were divinely led to a house in Dallas that we quickly made an offer on. Unfortunately, 2 other buyers also put in offers. This market is insane, I tell ya!

We knew we had to pull out all the stops if this house was going to be in our future so here's what we did...the kids wrote letters. The only direction I gave them was to tell the owner how much they liked the house and why they'd like to live there. They ran with it!

"Matt" was showing us the house and at the time Reed began writing we didn't know his parents (the owners) names, hence "Dear Matt's parents." Cute, right? I'm so grateful that "everything changed" like  Reed wrote. It was almost instant upon seeing the house that he suddenly became ready and even excited to move. Remember how he was telling me daily that he didn't want to move? Whew, what a relief!

Bryn's my little writer and the second I told her this was to be persuasive letter, her eyes lit up and she dove right in. She asked me to edit it, but I didn't want to touch it...it was perfect as is, misspellings and all.

I particularly love the part about her not enjoying "looking at houses 24/7 so this is our ticket out of looking."

I wrote a letter too, but I'll spare you because it completely lacks the cute factor of these two. So, friends, file this idea away for a future date in case you ever find yourself in a bidding war. Adding a personal touch and sharing thoughts from your heart just may give you a leg up on the competition too. That and a lot of prayer, of course.

Surprising words...

Have you ever had one of those moments when you think your child is wiser than you? I had one of those last night when I was sharing with Bryn the last couple days of house hunting events. She quietly listened to me tell her how frustrating things have been then said, "Mom, Don't give up because God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers."

It was a surreal moment as I paused in the moment and realized my 10 year old was offering me support that was far beyond her years. I told her how much I appreciated that thought and asked where she had heard the quote. She told me she saved it as one of her itouch wallpapers. Ummm, maybe those things are good for something. ;)

To make things even better, as I sat down to write this post this morning I searched my pinterest boards for a quote to share and the image above was staring me in the face. Coincidence? Nah, that's just how God works. He's cool like that!

So, to fill you in on our house hunting adventures I'll give you the short and skinny. Closed doors. That's exactly what I faced time after time. From houses that "just didn't feel right" to visiting 2 schools who informed me they wouldn't have room for my kids next year and would have to bus them to different locations. I was a bit taken back when I ran into this roadblock. These are public schools I'm visiting, not private! I didn't even know it was possible to be turned away from a public school.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I even found myself knocking on a complete stranger's door and asking if he had any plans on moving soon! You hear fun stories like that all the time, but sadly my story didn't have one of those crazy, cool endings where he says, "Well, as a matter of fact..." Instead, he said, "No, not anytime soon. Maybe in a year or so."

Okay, so what's Plan B? Your guess is as good as mine. Did I mention we're closing on our house in 2 days? Tick, tick, tick...

John and I realized it was time to reassess our priorities. There's an area of town that we've been avoiding for multiple reasons, but there were 2 houses I had run across that stuck in my brain. This area is not even remotely close to John's work and it comes with quite the reputation for wealth and excess. I even found myself passing some of those superficial judgements until I took the time to actually drive through the town and see things first hand.

We visited the 2 houses and I was shocked when I walked into the second one and the words, "I like it. I like it a lot." came out of my mouth. Could it be?...

We're praying about it. Did you catch the part about it not being close to John's work? Yeah, something to the tune of an hour commute. That's hefty.

So, friends, you may not be facing a house hunting saga like my own, but if you find yourself in troubled times where you wonder what the heck God has planned for you, remember the wise words of my 10 year old... "Don't give up, because God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers."

House hunting with Senior Citizens???

Just a quick update on our house hunting adventures. I wish there were lots to tell, but there's not. John's in Dallas today and running by the two houses below. They're outside of Dallas. We're trying to factor in if a commute is worth it or not.

We got kind of excited when we saw this listing. Just enough funk to catch my attention.

Lots of windows always get my vote.

I feel like this house could lend itself to a contemporary look fairly easily. Besides, look out the window...TREES!

Think this homeowner is a fan of brown?

And now you see exactly why we like this house!!!

But, wait, there's more. Mr. Google view shows what appears to be nursing home just beyond the trees. Humm, is that my view in the winter? Guess we wouldn't have to worry about the noise though. ;)

This house needs far less updating...

It looks like a single story...

But I see stairs. Where did those come from?

If you stretch it, one might even say it has lake views. Pretty sure I like trees better. What do you think?

Slim pickins', friends.

Somebody shoot me, please!

The housing market in Texas is C.R.A.Z.Y!!!! John and I drove up to Dallas with high hopes of seeing some great houses yesterday. We had our eye on 6 to be exact. Guess how many we looked at?

Go ahead...guess. 

Zero. Yes, that's a big fat goose egg. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Every single one went pending before we made it to town. Wow!

Here's a little peek at homes that other people are now the proud owners' of...

Nice remodel. I went ahead and drove by it since I didn't have anything else to do. I made myself feel better when I shamelessly looked through the windows and saw teeny tiny bedrooms.

Interesting bathrooms in this house. Nothing else had been updated though.

This house had herringbone floors in almost every room. Amazing when done in small quantities, but I was curious to see what I thought about having them in all the bedrooms too? Just from the pictures it seemed a little overwhelming. Trying to make myself feel better here...can ya tell?

Pool...oh yeah, we did promise one of those, didn't we?!

Yesterday wasn't a complete bust though. I visited/toured a few schools and got a great feeling about both. I have to stay focused on the positives because they're few and far between. I also found a house that had a "coming soon" sign in the yard. I stalked called the listing agent. She didn't return my call. I had my realtor stalk call the listing agent. She returned his. Humph! She said at least 10 people have asked to see it already but she's not letting anyone view it until it's "show ready" on Wednesday. I'm returning home today, people!!

My realtor called her back and shared our tragically sad story of traveling all this way and not being able to see a single house. He begged and pleaded...it worked! Heading to see it in around lunchtime. But, I just looked at the satellite image and noticed train tracks one street over. 

Somebody shoot me, please! ;)

Life/House Hunting Update

I run out of necessity. If my world is turned upside down, I can quickly refocus by going for a run. Sometimes I'm physically exhausted and the absolute last thing I want to do is take that first step out the door, but every single time I do, it's worth it. When I'm really wrestling with something, I'm super focused and it's head down. This is literally my view...

But holy smokes, if I lift my head this is what I see...

Is anyone catching the symbolism here? Sometimes I get so bogged down with life that all I can see is the ugly. But, the second I decide to turn my focus upward, i.e. to God, the view is suddenly much more attractive.

I'm currently bogged down with the ugly. Life seems very overwhelming. We're moving to a place we're not overly excited about. My kids remind me daily that they "don't want to move." And, finding a house right now is like finding a needle in a haystack. Whew!

Before you start feeling sorry for me, let me tell you that there are certainly blessings going on around here. That's why I can easily pray this prayer... 

We listed our house and received a contract from the first person who looked at it. Good news, right?! If you've ever sold a house you know it's not officially sold until the papers are signed and keys are exchanged. In fact, I received a call yesterday that gave me a mild heart attack. The buyer needs an extension due to funding purposes. Yes, that's one more week of turning potential buyers away and praying my buyer's bank approves his loan.

Other good news and displays of God's awesomeness...John called me after a day of working in Dallas in his new position and said, "I feel fulfilled!" This, my friends, is reason enough for us to make this move. I have no doubt that God created John for this role and to hear him verbalize a feeling of contentment and happiness is amazing.

So, God clearly knows I can only handle so much stress, i.e. not a lot. He took the selling part off my plate early but the buying part remains unanswered. Hence, this prayer...

Sometimes my prayers get wordy. It's like I think God needs all my explanations/justifications. But, really, all I need to do is ask him for his help. I "hit the wall" emotionally last Saturday and had several hours in the car alone as I drove to meet John in San Antonio for the concert. A good cry was in order and I did it no shame. Well, there was a little bit of shame when I showed up to the concert with a red nose and blotchy face. Why, oh why, couldn't I have been made to be a "pretty" cryer?

In between sets, a speaker offered a short lesson. Guess what the theme was?...Reset and Recharge. Um, yes. God? Are you trying to tell me something? Hence, my next prayer...

Plain and simple. I trust you, God. My world is whirling right now. Decisions about what area of town to live in, what school is right for the kids, should we entertain private school? Why am I so picky when it comes to finding a house? Is it too much to expect to like the house we're going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on? These are all questions that I struggle with as my head is down and I'm staring at the dirt. But, if I lift my head up towards heaven and stare at the "unknown big picture," I have faith and trust that God has these minute little details already worked out and it's my job to trust in His plan.

And, one last thing..."Hey God, you know that silly lesson in patience you're trying to teach me? Well, I'm good now. The patience boxed is checked and I'm ready to move on!"

Come along on my house hunt...

It's time to get serious, people. No more looking and just thinking. We're to the point where the trigger needs to be pulled sooner than later.

Want to see what's on our plate in the next few days?

Option #1: Mid-century modern with lots of open space.

Cool house but not so sure about the quality of schools. Still need to do some research. The yard looks a little rough, but my brother owns a landscaping company so we'll have that sucker fixed up in no time.

I'm kinda digging these front doors.

Option #2: Our realtor spent several hours in this house last weekend. He was really excited about it. He kept telling me "this is the one." I kept telling him, "I hope it looks better in person, because I kinda think you're crazy!"

Love the big windows. Can't wait to slap some paint on that paneling!

Option #3: Cute entry, but let me warn you...they made this a close-up shot for a reason.

Nice, angled ceilings. Am I wrong to think someone could get lost in that fireplace?! White floors...hummm, love them but how livable are they?

Option #4: Really great curb appeal. Ahh, look at those trees! Do I want to go the traditional route?

Good bones. I'm seeing a new backsplash with new uppers. The rest is doable though.

Option #5: You know it's bad when there's only an exterior picture shown in the listing. Am I up for a challenge?

Option #6: Just found this one last night and FELL IN LOVE! I didn't even know something like this existed in Dallas. The downside? Super far commute for John, it's only 1600 sq. ft. and it just went under contract. Tears.

Pretty sure I could have had a hay day with this one.

Holy browness!

Hello, sweeties, I certainly wouldn't mind having my coffee with you every morning. 

Okay, friends, here's where you can help. This is the first time we're taking the kids house hunting with us. Please pray that something sparks some excitement in them and that they begin to look forward to the move instead of dreading it.

Check back next week for a recap of how these houses measured up in person. Wish us luck!