I have been waiting to write this post for about four years. Seriously, just a few months shy of four years ago, David and I put our house that sits in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains on the market. When we bought the house in March 2010, we thought we'd be in that little 1952 ranch for twenty years, but in February 2012, he accepted his dream job which just so happened to be 75 miles away from our home. So, we decided to sell the house.
With a baby on the way, we quickly listed in March 2012, hoping to sell before HDawg came along in August. That didn't happen. Due to the craziness of having our first newborn, we took the house off the market in August, took a few months off, and relisted in November. All this time, David was making the 150 mile per day commute (through grueling Atlanta traffic... think 4+ hours in the car each day) with a new baby at home. It was time to make a change, we were pretty miserable. In December, my best friend came to visit and suggested we just rent a small house closer to David's new job while we continued to try and sell this house. Genius.
So in February 2013, we packed up our house and headed to a small rental in the city. The house stayed empty and on the market until August, when a family put in a lease purchase offer. It wasn't our ideal state- we wanted to sell that house before we bought another, which tied us into renting ourselves for awhile- but we desperately needed someone in that house to help us maintain it, pay for utilities and the mortgage while we were living so far away! We had been paying for two houses (our house and the rental) for six months, it was time for some help. In August 2013, the family moved in for a two year lease purchase term.
You can imagine how excited we got earlier this summer (2015, two years later) when we knew that the closing with these folks was so close. Their two year term was coming to a close and they had given us every indication they were planning to buy the house; we thought we'd be selling the house in August and then have the ability to buy ourselves this fall. We had been waiting so patiently! It was our time! Spoiler alert: they didn't buy the house. We got a call in May from the lease purchase tenants that they were terminating their lease purchase contract. The house went back on the market, for the third time.
In August, we met at the house with our realtor and some potential buyers. The sweetest, kindest, most endearing missionary family who had clearly fallen in love with our beloved house. We left that meeting with hugs, some new friends and a contract on the house. Fast forward to last Thursday, when we finally closed and David and I signed away our ownership of the house to this sweet family. When we purchased in 2010, we never thought we'd only be truly living there for two years before we'd begin this four year whirlwind process of trying to sell. We never imagined that the market in our little town would be so slow (particularly the market for older homes) and that it would take so long to sell. We never thought we'd have to patiently sit and wait for almost four years to make any other kind of long-term moves in our life. We never thought we'd find such a great family to buy the house who truly loves that house as much as we do. Such a crazy process.
Instead of being bitter or resentful about how the past four years have gone (although, trust me, I woke up almost every day of those past four years stressed and with a pit in my stomach about selling, about making double mortgage/rent payments, about maintaining a house 100 miles away), David and I are really grateful. Truly. In that time, we've birthed two beautiful, healthy babies. David still loves and is thriving at his job. I've restablished my law practice in our new town. So many wonderful things have happened, all according to His plan. And, honestly, if we had the ability to buy back in 2012 when we first started this journey, there's a good chance we would have ended up somewhere else in metro Atlanta. Maybe it wouldn't have been a wrong path, but it would have been a much different path. And we're so madly in love with our little life now, I can't imagine it differently. Everything happened the way it was supposed to, I'm sure.
For those of you who are also in an in-between phase of life or can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, flip to Psalm 46:10, which says "be still, and know that I am God." That verse brings me so much peace. It reminds me to trust in His plan, to follow his path. To know he's got my back.
I'll be back soon to share some of my favorite highlights from that house for those of you who weren't here four years ago when I was blogging about it. If you can't wait, you can check out the full house tour on your own right here. But today, I just wanted to share our journey and, more importantly, our big news: the house has finally sold!
Congrats on the sale! Such a nervous, stressful time. We know from experience :( Ours just went under contract and it was only 4 months. Can't imagine 4 years... You did good!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the sale! I can't believe it has been four years (I remember reading it real time and saying noon!!) but I am so glad it is over for you. I couldn't imagine having to worry about a house so far away, but high fives all around! Hooray for the next chapter
ReplyDeletePraise God, so glad it sold! I remember when you first listed it and thought for sure it would sell in a heartbeat. I mean, come on, that master bath! :) So glad things worked out and you're free from the stress of two homes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a happy ending! I can't imagine the roller coaster of emotions you've been through the past four years. So glad your former home found the right new owners and that you are in a more stable and certain phase of life. Onto the next chapter!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Michelle! God's timing is always perfect, even though it might not feel that way while we're in the trenches. So happy for you AND for that sweet family that bought your house. Wishing them years of happiness and you and yours joy in your new-found freedom!
ReplyDeletexo Heidi
So happy for y'all Michelle! It has been quite a journey, but so glad you can now see all the blessings that went along with it.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on selling your house! :-D Your post was quite an encouragement to me, as we are 3-1/2 years into an "in-between phase of our life." It's seems like this phase will never end, but I know that in the end it will be worth it. Thank you for reminding me to be still and let God be God. <3
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the sale! What a journey. So happy for you!
ReplyDeleteLove this! We currently own 2 homes as we got stuck with our first purchase when the recession hit, but realized that paying rent for a 2 bedroom apartment was more expensive than buying our 3 bedroom 2k sq ft townhome when we had to relocate for my husbands job. The equity alone in 2 years will allow for a hefty down payment once we sell both homes. I can so relate though. Our rental needs an Ac unit and I wake up everyday thinking about it. Ugh. But I know someday there will be an end with the 2 mortgage worry.
ReplyDeleteI am dying (creeper status) to know where you are ;) we are also metro Atlanta and own our other home 90 miles away.