When Ben and I first started looking at houses it was never quite in the mindset of becoming homeowners. It was fun to scope the market, receive Hot Home reminders in our daily inboxes, watch bidding wars play out, and dream about the unfolding of life in each place. Bantering about our children playing in the nearby park and biking to elementary school and throwing the ball around in the yard was often met with discouraged sighs once the home went Pending - usually within 24 hours. Fantasy House World was an exciting rollercoaster to ride for about 5 months. Until we met with a Realtor. Then got pre-approved. Then started attending Open Houses. All of a sudden we exited the ride and stepped into a world of number crunching interest rates and 30-year mortgages. We now had an agent who sent us fancy MLS listings and st-up times to view homes in-person. We were quick to dismiss anything old that remotely resembled a "fixer-upper" - after all, who doesn't enjoy stepping into a home that's new & beautiful.
Sitting next to some new friends at church one day prior to viewing Open Houses, they encouraged us to check out The Mount Streets of Clairemont. Clairemont?! No... we wanted to live in Bay Park - with its sweeping views and oceanic breezes, its prized school district and happy families. Bay Park was the place for The Kniselys... until we began to drive around. Stepping into a dilapidated 2br-1ba for almost a million dollars quickly diluted our BP dreams, so we drove across the canyon heading east - for the Mount Streets.
Though it was a quaint and quiet community, we found it was also native to the flipped homes of new construction that was either not our style, lacked charm, or felt just slightly too perfect. Long gone were the homes showcasing the intersection of character and updates; maintaining the unique feel of the year it was built, while simultaneously boasting newer upgrades. Plus, everything was out of our price range - and the ones that were lower were the houses we knew we didn't want to live in. With long heavy sighs, we wondered if Fantasy House World was perhaps a better place to live - or at least for right now.
The next day, a home popped up on the market featuring canyon views, a landscaped yard, and freshly painted exterior. But when there are only 8 pictures posted of the exterior without a single interior pic, there is most likely a reason why. Regardless, the location was perfect - the heart of the Mount Streets overlooking a sunset on the canyon, a quiet street, and even an orange tree in the backyard. We hounded our realtor for pictures of the inside, prepping our hearts for the familiar feeling of dismay we experienced watching our former dreams slip away to other offers. Even without the photos, there was a renewed excitement towards this home after my googlemap's view revealed the tip of a brick chimney in the back. As a Midwesterner at heart, a home doesn't feel complete without a fireplace - even here in the 70-and-sunny-San Diego, I will find every opportunity possible for a cozy fire. Afraid to say it out loud, I whispered to Ben "I don't care what the inside looks like, I want it."
Finally viewing an email of pictures, our excitement started to build. Peering past the stained carpet, pink bathroom tub, funky hallway pantry, and aged window treatments was a house with lofted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, large patio space, a white brick fireplace, and a ton of potential. Rain is starting to become a symbol for us after our wedding day; and on a rainy Thursday we entered the home and fell in love. We excitedly rushed from room to room spilling out vision of demo'ing walls and white paint and new floors. With a little work, this home would give us everything we were hoping for in the next stage of our life together. As we peeked over the backyard fence towards the canyon, we imagined backyard BBQ's and family game nights, we swapped dreams of building a treehouse for our son and meeting the neighbors.
Just at this moment, our Realtor alerted us to another home around the corner, added to the market only minutes ago. This home was approximately the same price and near perfection. The contrast of this home after our little fixer-upper felt like a breath of fresh air - we could step into that place and it would require nothing of us. Perhaps it was the smaller-framed layout or that it just felt too predictable, but something about the home didn't feel as exciting. Our logic told us that it made more sense - it felt safe and easy. But through a process of prayer and surrender, we realized that we actually don't want to choose the comfortable. What we are craving right now is an adventure; the opportunity to make a home together and have it feel like Us seems like a journey of growth and transformation - both literally and metaphorically.
Attending the Open House on Sunday, I was offended that so many people were "viewing Our Home," because it already felt like Ours. It was the home we just couldn't shake - we laid in bed at night exchanging fragments of "and if we took out that one wall..." and "if we just coated it white..." "those canyon views..." - but there was also the thickness of fear and risk in the air, almost convincing us to just run away. Since there were already 3 offers on the table, we knew the house would go within the day. At the last hour, we decided we would rather have a chance at getting the house than being left with the regret of no chance at all. Having no idea what it even means to "put in an offer," we called our Realtor and he helped walk us through the steps. We were restored with the confidence in knowing that an offer doesn't mean you're buying the house... we can take one small step forward at a time.
But our offer was accepted, so now we are buying the house!
We know our timeline feels tight - I am 7 months pregnant and besides general moving stress, the house needs a lot of work. But that's what adventures are all about. They are never easy and they often require sacrifice. When we want to run back to our world that was comfortable, it is in those moments that character is built. And creating our first owned home together is something I cannot wait to do alongside Ben. He is the best spreasheeter, Project Manager, hardworker that I know - and with him it feels a lot less risky because we are a team.
We prayed from the beginning that our search would reflect the glory of God - that we would be brought to Only-God moments over and over again, which strengthens our faith and teaches us to trust. With 8 other offers on the table, 3 of them higher than ours, and a hot San Diego housing market, we are still in shock that we are the chosen stewards of this home. We can only say Yes to the next thing God calls us to, knowing that it will be Good no matter what.
**I can't end without saying that we are deeply thankful and forever blessed by the faithfulness, selflessness, and love of my mom to make this all possible. Without her, we wouldn't be in a position to enter the market at all - and a lifetime of saying Thank You will still never be enough.**
Sitting next to some new friends at church one day prior to viewing Open Houses, they encouraged us to check out The Mount Streets of Clairemont. Clairemont?! No... we wanted to live in Bay Park - with its sweeping views and oceanic breezes, its prized school district and happy families. Bay Park was the place for The Kniselys... until we began to drive around. Stepping into a dilapidated 2br-1ba for almost a million dollars quickly diluted our BP dreams, so we drove across the canyon heading east - for the Mount Streets.
Though it was a quaint and quiet community, we found it was also native to the flipped homes of new construction that was either not our style, lacked charm, or felt just slightly too perfect. Long gone were the homes showcasing the intersection of character and updates; maintaining the unique feel of the year it was built, while simultaneously boasting newer upgrades. Plus, everything was out of our price range - and the ones that were lower were the houses we knew we didn't want to live in. With long heavy sighs, we wondered if Fantasy House World was perhaps a better place to live - or at least for right now.
The next day, a home popped up on the market featuring canyon views, a landscaped yard, and freshly painted exterior. But when there are only 8 pictures posted of the exterior without a single interior pic, there is most likely a reason why. Regardless, the location was perfect - the heart of the Mount Streets overlooking a sunset on the canyon, a quiet street, and even an orange tree in the backyard. We hounded our realtor for pictures of the inside, prepping our hearts for the familiar feeling of dismay we experienced watching our former dreams slip away to other offers. Even without the photos, there was a renewed excitement towards this home after my googlemap's view revealed the tip of a brick chimney in the back. As a Midwesterner at heart, a home doesn't feel complete without a fireplace - even here in the 70-and-sunny-San Diego, I will find every opportunity possible for a cozy fire. Afraid to say it out loud, I whispered to Ben "I don't care what the inside looks like, I want it."
Finally viewing an email of pictures, our excitement started to build. Peering past the stained carpet, pink bathroom tub, funky hallway pantry, and aged window treatments was a house with lofted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, large patio space, a white brick fireplace, and a ton of potential. Rain is starting to become a symbol for us after our wedding day; and on a rainy Thursday we entered the home and fell in love. We excitedly rushed from room to room spilling out vision of demo'ing walls and white paint and new floors. With a little work, this home would give us everything we were hoping for in the next stage of our life together. As we peeked over the backyard fence towards the canyon, we imagined backyard BBQ's and family game nights, we swapped dreams of building a treehouse for our son and meeting the neighbors.
Just at this moment, our Realtor alerted us to another home around the corner, added to the market only minutes ago. This home was approximately the same price and near perfection. The contrast of this home after our little fixer-upper felt like a breath of fresh air - we could step into that place and it would require nothing of us. Perhaps it was the smaller-framed layout or that it just felt too predictable, but something about the home didn't feel as exciting. Our logic told us that it made more sense - it felt safe and easy. But through a process of prayer and surrender, we realized that we actually don't want to choose the comfortable. What we are craving right now is an adventure; the opportunity to make a home together and have it feel like Us seems like a journey of growth and transformation - both literally and metaphorically.
Attending the Open House on Sunday, I was offended that so many people were "viewing Our Home," because it already felt like Ours. It was the home we just couldn't shake - we laid in bed at night exchanging fragments of "and if we took out that one wall..." and "if we just coated it white..." "those canyon views..." - but there was also the thickness of fear and risk in the air, almost convincing us to just run away. Since there were already 3 offers on the table, we knew the house would go within the day. At the last hour, we decided we would rather have a chance at getting the house than being left with the regret of no chance at all. Having no idea what it even means to "put in an offer," we called our Realtor and he helped walk us through the steps. We were restored with the confidence in knowing that an offer doesn't mean you're buying the house... we can take one small step forward at a time.
But our offer was accepted, so now we are buying the house!
We know our timeline feels tight - I am 7 months pregnant and besides general moving stress, the house needs a lot of work. But that's what adventures are all about. They are never easy and they often require sacrifice. When we want to run back to our world that was comfortable, it is in those moments that character is built. And creating our first owned home together is something I cannot wait to do alongside Ben. He is the best spreasheeter, Project Manager, hardworker that I know - and with him it feels a lot less risky because we are a team.
We prayed from the beginning that our search would reflect the glory of God - that we would be brought to Only-God moments over and over again, which strengthens our faith and teaches us to trust. With 8 other offers on the table, 3 of them higher than ours, and a hot San Diego housing market, we are still in shock that we are the chosen stewards of this home. We can only say Yes to the next thing God calls us to, knowing that it will be Good no matter what.
**I can't end without saying that we are deeply thankful and forever blessed by the faithfulness, selflessness, and love of my mom to make this all possible. Without her, we wouldn't be in a position to enter the market at all - and a lifetime of saying Thank You will still never be enough.**
