Week in Review

I guess you could say a few things have happened in our lives over the last week...

Last Saturday night, Chris returned from a week in Cork, Ireland on business. It was really nice to have him home!

Sunday, we drove around looking for houses for sale. A few weeks prior, we had called our friend and realtor from our first home purchase and she took us through a house in Rendon that Chris had found online and wanted to see. We really liked it and went back for a second look. By the time we were really interacting with the selling agent, the house was under contract. Then Chris went to Ireland, and here we were, bitten by the bug, I guess you could say. We weren't seeing much in our desired area at our comfortable price range, and Chris suggested I call the listing agent of that house in Rendon, just to learn the status. Unbelievably, and maybe providentially, the agent told me that the buyers had just opted out the night before because they had decided to build instead. Excitedly, we called our realtor and she said she would talk to the agent and we could draw up an offer! Then she said we would put our house on the market the next day. 

Monday, we submitted our offer and did the necessary signing and such to get our house on the market. Oh, and Audrey had a relapse of the stomach bug, plus I began to feel ill as well. Still, I cleaned and organized as much as I could, and my realtor listed our house and told me someone in her office wanted to come preview it for his client Tuesday morning. I also wrote a letter to accompany our offer on the Rendon house. Noah came home from school and got sick, so not only would our house begin showing the next day, but he also wouldn't be going to school.

Our beautiful first house :)

The improvements and hard work paid off!

Tuesday I left the house early and the showings starting piling on. People were coming all afternoon, sometimes at the same time as others. We camped out at Jamie's house and helped her make dinner, since people were traipsing through our home until after 7 p.m. We also received a counteroffer from the seller of the Rendon house on Tuesday, and a photographer came to take pictures that afternoon (up until that evening, there were not even interior pictures posted online). My neighbor told me she thought we were having an open house!

Wednesday morning we had already received three offers! The morning filled up with showings until about 2 p.m., then I came home and waited for Noah to get home from school. My realtor told us she was informing all the showing agents that we would be meeting at 5 p.m. to review all the offers, so they should submit their best offers. She called me at 4 p.m. and said, "Good grief! You have eight offers now." We were worried that we would have a hard time deciding which offer to accept, but it was easier than we anticipated. Although we didn't accept the highest offer, we chose one that was over listing price, didn't ask us to pay any closing costs or home warranty reimbursement, and most importantly, was a good fit for our beloved home. 

Thursday afternoon I had to leave the house again so our buyers could have a second look, but I returned home to meet Noah at the bus stop and met the buyers. They were excited and complimentary of our home, which is nice to hear when you take pride in the work and improvements you've done over eight years. They have a young child and I know they'll love the house like we do--and reap the benefits of all the work we've done to make it stand out! I believe this was also the day we countered again with the Rendon house--asking for some minor things like the refrigerator and a storage building. The contract on our house was executed Thursday, including our small changes such as closing dates and leaseback. Yay!

Friday we learned that the Rendon house contract was executed with no more changes! So excited--and to think, five days ago, we called the realtor on a whim. We had been praying about these big decisions and asked other friends and family to pray for the smooth sale of our house and that we might be blessed with a house that's just what we've talked about, dreamed about, and hoped for. I thank God for the way everything proceeded, the peace He gave me about such a major decision, and the wisdom of those we consulted to make so much happen in such a short time. Not to mention, our house weathered the strong winds, severe storms and tornado warning that occurred Friday evening... just before the inspection!

Today we took the kiddos to Six Flags while our house was inspected. We returned home in time to meet the inspector, who was very friendly and indicated that our house was one of the better ones he's done, so we look forward to seeing his report. Next week commences with making appointments concerning the new house--inspection, septic inspection, etc. And we are starting to pack!

We close at the end of May, and I'm a bit superstitious about these things so I don't want to give too many details. I can't wait to share lots of pictures and plans with you after we close the deal(s)!

Prayers for God's continued blessings on us during this transition are so appreciated!