Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

The excitement is building. We’re starting to look around at homes for sale. We sold our house in California two years ago. So, it already seems like we’ve done a lot of waiting. But we still have about 3-4 months left before we can make any offers. In some ways, I think these next few months will seem like the longest period of waiting!

We were seriously thinking about building a home because right now home builders are offering incredible incentives. But, before taking more steps in this direction, we decided to look at existing homes on the market. Our goal wasn’t to find a house just yet, since it’s still premature for us to buy, but to just compare existing homes with the new homes being offered.

We should have never done this. We found the most beautiful house, on the most perfect lot. I’ve never seen anything else like this come close to our price range. And, to make matters worse, it’s also in our favorite neighborhood. Ugh. Why does it have to be so perfect?

Now I’m sitting here, sick, absolutely sick, because of the fact that someone else will likely come waltzing by and snatch it up. Our realtor already found out that another family is seriously considering it but hasn’t made an offer yet.

This morning I had a conversation with Kevin about it. I called him at work and told him that I couldn’t help but obsess over it all morning. I tried not to think about it but it was impossible. It backs up to a horse farm and has a creek running next to it. It’s an amazing property. Kevin kept telling me, “Amy, don’t think about how beautiful it is. Instead, think that the creek probably has mosquitoes and it probably smells like barnyard waste in the summer because of the horses.”

I’d already tried that. It didn’t help. At all.

Kevin, although he fully sympathizes, also reminded me that, in heaven, it won’t matter what house we live in or what the backyard looks like. What will matter is that we were good stewards of our resources. If the house is still on the market in three months, then God will have taught us a lesson about patience and His provision. If it’s not available, then maybe God wants us to learn more about being content with what He gives. Either way, we have to be wise with our money. And, either way, God is sovereign and will take care of us.

Then I offered to give Kevin all my birthday money (which I still haven’t spent, although each dollar has definitely been earmarked) and I also offered to spend no money for the next ten years, except for basic groceries and gas. Then I questioned whether we really do have to use our tax refund to contribute to the Roth IRA. (How boring is that!)

Then … I apologized for putting all this pressure on my husband. He is right. We have to trust God’s timing. We have to wait.

But I hate waiting!!!

8 comments:

J said...

ROTFLOL! I know the feeling!

We've been watching for quite a while and I've been drooling over a couple of the ones I've seen come on the market as foreclosures or short-sales for a REALLY good price. I can't help but drool. Then it's back to reality when I start figuring out down payments, monthly payments, closing costs, budgets, and all that stuff.

Heather L. said...

Oh I'm sorry!!! That is so hard! I know the Lord will provide for you, but I also know it is hard to be patient. Just think, next year by this time (maybe) everything will be settled and you'll be the happy owners of a wonderful house! God was good to help us wait for the right house in the right location, even though we thought our first best option was it.

Monica said...

Buying a house is definitely a roller coaster ride. I'll have to tell you sometime about how we got our first house. I wouldn't want to go through that again, but I did learn so much.

Happy waiting?

Sarah M. said...

I'm totally with you. One thing I have learned... Sometimes a perfect item comes along and it's all I can do not to bend over backwards to make it work out... yeah and sometimes I do... and then it doesn't work out. But later on...something even more amazing works out. If this house is for you... it'll be ready and waiting in a few months. If not... well, God has something more amazing waiting. But I know you know that. Hang in there!

Jen said...

I would totally be doing what you are doing. :)

I am terrible at trusting AND waiting. Just terrible...

Debra said...

Amy, I can remember feeling just like you not too long ago. You sum it up so well! Hang in there! - Debra

Peter said...

What Debra did not mention is that after we found our dream house and waited for 4 months for someone to buy our house, we found out that someone else bought the other one. The good news is that God had a better one. The house was not "nicer", but it fit us better and I think the lot is better situated. And, it cost about 4/5 of what the other one did.

Angel said...

Amy, we can totally relate. Back when we were just "dreaming" of buying a house--probably about 3-4 months before we started to seriously shop--there was this *gorgeous*, roomy, sparkling clean Victorian-style colonial in a great neighborhood in Fair Oaks. We absolutely were in love with that house. Everything about it was perfect, the size, the colors, the yard, the kitchen. It was even the right price. But of course, by the time we were shopping, it had sold. Instead, we wound up buying our little cottage in East Sacramento . . . which turned out to be three blocks away from our new church. Before buying the house, we had searched for a church for over a year. Now, we can't imagine our life here in CA without our new church family. But we never would have found it if we had moved to Fair Oaks. So the moral of the story, which you already know of course, is that God denies us nothing except to give us something that is ultimately better for us. :) So hang in there!