Memorial Box Monday: The House

I haven't done a Memorial Box Monday in a long time. But the way God has provided for our housing needs has to be a MBM!! So, bear with me as I process.

As some of you know/remember/have endured... our housing situation has driven me nuts. We have a beautiful 3 bedroom home that is great, except that my children are at hard ages to share. So we have tried over the last few years to buy various houses. We have had our house listed for what feels like a million times. But nothing works. In fact, a little over a year ago, we had a buyer, moved out and it all fell apart, so we moved back in a few months later. We've talked about adding on, changing things... just about anything to try to make this house work. In the end, it doesn't work and it is very frustrating.

Moving forward, to early September, my parents asked us if we would be interested in purchasing their 4 bedroom house. We said yes, then not a week later my mom's dad had a stroke and died the following week. We put everything on hold. Then we found out from the bank that things would be much more difficult than we had imagined as Doug is now self-employed and this requires lots more paperwork for mortgages. So we took a step back. We considered other much more expensive, yet easier options working with a local builder that takes trade-in houses. No realtor, no listings, no showings....

We talked a lot about what we wanted in a house, what we needed and who we wanted to be. In the end, we really only had one true requirement on the house... 4 bedrooms. Lots of wishes, and some of those would be met with my parent's house. And the mortgage for my parent's house would be pretty close to what we were already paying, so it wouldn't stretch us. Those were all winners.

So we listed our house. Our realtor is doing a great job promoting it. It's been shown a number of times. No buyers yet... But I know that God will provide at the right time.

We closed on my parent's house (now our house) last Friday. We haven't moved yet. Hopefully we will the day after Christmas. Crazy timing. I haven't packed a box yet.

But I know that it will work out, because God provides for our crazy adventurous God-inspired spirits, and that can only be the label you would put on my parents.

In their retirement they have decided to give up the "easy" and do the "hard" stuff... like remodel houses and serve communities. My mom is still working at her church serving as their women's minister, but my dad is going to  use these "available years" as he calls them, to flip houses and serve others (as if his entire life has not been defined by serving others..) They have started a blog... Not Too Old For A New Adventure and their first house is a disaster.!

Thank goodness our house hasn't sold and they can move here for a few weeks while they make their new house habitable!!

And their you have it. God is providing my family with a house that we need and in doing so, providing my parent's with a way to finance their new adventure in serving Him. Crazy stuff.. God stuff. Good stuff.

House Hunters, small town Texas style!

We went looking at houses today.  I was going to post pictures of them with the direct link, but blogger and realtor.com don't like each other, so instead I'll just show you the pictures.  Too bad!

I don't know that any of the houses are "it", but there are some possibilities.  We had really wanted the next house to be the forever house, but as Doug pointed out,  we are probably putting too much pressure on ourselves and our now looking for a house that fits our family for the next chapter.  Don't really know what that means, but when we see the house we will know.  right? :)

The houses ran the gamut in size and price.  Dream house is 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 living, 2 eating that fits our price range and is move in ready, or is below our maximum and can be updated BEFORE we move in. None of the houses fit the dream description.  Some were closer than others.

House #1

4 bedroom/2.5 bath/2 car garage.

2860 square feet.

I liked this house.  The location with the driveway on a busy street is not ideal.  Lots and lots of updating would have to happen and the kitchen has a weird angled wall, but overall, I really liked the floor plan of the house.  The backyard currently has no yard.  The fence is tight on to the house, but it looks like the fence could be moved to where the rest of the fence lines are on the block.

House #2

3 bedroom/2.5 bath/2 car garage
2777 square feet.

Just 3 bedrooms, but two nice size living rooms.  Small kitchen, but it opens onto an eating area and den space with a fireplace that could be really nice.  The biggest problem with this house was that the electricity was turned off and it is hard to see inside interior rooms without a light. We would have to remodel and turn the dining room into a bedroom, which would work as there is a half bath across the hall.  Two good size bedrooms upstairs. Great street, and feels nice when you walk up to the door.

House #3

3 bedroom/ 2 bath/ 2 car garage
1545 square feet.

Obviously very small, would only work if you could add a master suite.  The yard is probably big enough, but then you end up with a small backyard.  The location is more than ideal, the reason we looked at a smaller house.  In fact, if anyone out there needs a really nice 3/2, this is a nice house.

 House #4

 4 bedroom/ 2 bath/ 2 car garage

2366 square feet

Move in ready. Top of the price point. Only one living area, but it is a good size.  Small backyard, but beautifully landscaped.  I think this was Doug's favorite as it is in perfect condition.  It's hard though, I really want a house with character and trees wouldn't be bad either.

House #5



4 bedroom/2 bath/2 car garage

2827 square feet

2.07 acres

We almost didn't see this house.  The owner wasn't ready for us, but we were kind enough to stand on the porch and wait for ten minutes.... interesting first impression. The house is huge.  It could really be called a 6 bedroom house.  We would have to do a lot of updating and since the house is at the max for us, we wouldn't have the funds to renovate.

House #6

4 bedroom/ 3 bath/2 car garage

2506 square feet

If we had to make a decision today, we would probably go with this one.  Two bedrooms with a shared bathroom are upstairs, which would be perfect for Maddie and Lexi. The house has one living area, but a nice size office that would function as a living space. The only real downside to this house is that the master bath is small and needs to be updated and the master closet is small.  It's funny, the rest of the bathrooms and closets are good, just not the master.  The kitchen is smallish, but not bad.  The backyard is nice.  Overall, the house has a really nice vibe.

House #7

4 bedroom/3.5 bath/3 car garage
3912 square feet
1 acre

This is a statement house.  It is an estate for a local "celebrity" and I really wanted to see it.  I have to say, this is truly a house you have to see to believe!  It is vintage everything!!  It is not a house we will be purchasing.  I can't imagine how much it would cost to renovate it for a family.  This house really is a 3/2.5 with  a 1 bedroom/1 bath guest/maid quarters accessed through the garage.  

I can so see this house made into a restaurant or taken over by the local arts council for office and gallery space. 

So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed the virtual house hunt!