It was never our plan to have three children.
Much as I admire those to whom motherhood and the ability to wrangle babies comes easily, I am not one of them. I am selfish. I need me-time, and lots of it. Three children has always seemed like one more child than I could handle. And then there's my theory that the world is built for families of four: Four fit easily in a booth. Four can go on vacation together and share a room with two double beds. Four means no minivan requirement. I could go on and on.
Just as it wasn't in the plan to have more than two children, it was also not in the plan to move, or at least not for awhile. We love our house. Although it is small (1,500 square feet), it has enough space for a family of four. It has three bedrooms and one bath (which is upstairs, and which is a minor inconvenience, but has been tolerable). It was built in 1925 and is loaded with character. It has a wood-burning fireplace, leaded glass windows, beautiful crown moulding, arched doorways, gorgeous hardwood floors, a screened in back porch, and even a small, in-ground swimming pool in the backyard.
It's not a perfect house. The kitchen is too small for my liking. The bedrooms are small, Isabella's especially. Closet space, as it is in almost all homes built in the 1920s, is lacking. But when we saw this house nine years ago, when I was 24 years old, we knew it was the one. The competition for homes in my area was fierce then. We were outbid twice on two other homes by people bidding way over asking price. We saw our house the first day it was on the market, and wrote an offer that night.
But we realized that our circumstances had changed as soon as Luci and Nicholas came home. We are constantly side-stepping baby gear, toys, books, furniture, and each other. What once seemed like more than enough room for three people and three cats immediately became not enough. In the past nine months, it's only gotten worse. And it couldn't become more clear to me that Luci and Nicholas need their own rooms to solve their sleeping issues. They wake each other up constantly.
We have been half-heartedly looking for a house for almost six months now. We've been to numerous open houses and have had a very difficult time finding a suitable house in our price range in the area in which we want to buy. While the three-bedroom homes in our area are affordable for us, the four-bedroom homes are not.
And then last week we came upon a gorgeous four-bedroom house. It has a huge kitchen. 2.5 bathrooms. A gorgeous and enormous family room for the kids to play in. A large backyard. A screened in porch. A deck and a patio.
We went to the open house and then saw it again with our realtor later in the week. This was the first house we had seen that had everything we wanted. The problem was the price. It was more than we could spend. On Saturday, we decided to write an offer anyway, offering much less than the asking price.
Expecting a hefty counter, we weren't hopeful. Then, on Sunday, while at a picnic at my grandma's, we got the call from our realtor. The sellers had accepted our offer. No counter.
And now we have our house to sell. Our house isn't even in the neighborhood of ready to sell. We are in full-on decluttering, packing, and cleaning mode. My house looks as if a bomb detonated right in the center of it. We are listing it on Monday. We have to get an offer on our house in less than two weeks, or we will more than likely lose the house on which we had our offer accepted, since our offer is contingent upon the sale of our house.
If you're the praying type, please pray we can sell our house quickly. If you're the candle-lighting type, please set an inferno for us. If you're the vibe-sending type, please send good karma our way.
Our awesome realtor, who is also our friend, says that it's providential. If this house is meant to be ours, then it will be.
And as much as I'm really, really trying not to get attached to this house that is not yet ours and may never be ours, I'm also really, really hoping it becomes ours one day very soon.
Much as I admire those to whom motherhood and the ability to wrangle babies comes easily, I am not one of them. I am selfish. I need me-time, and lots of it. Three children has always seemed like one more child than I could handle. And then there's my theory that the world is built for families of four: Four fit easily in a booth. Four can go on vacation together and share a room with two double beds. Four means no minivan requirement. I could go on and on.
Just as it wasn't in the plan to have more than two children, it was also not in the plan to move, or at least not for awhile. We love our house. Although it is small (1,500 square feet), it has enough space for a family of four. It has three bedrooms and one bath (which is upstairs, and which is a minor inconvenience, but has been tolerable). It was built in 1925 and is loaded with character. It has a wood-burning fireplace, leaded glass windows, beautiful crown moulding, arched doorways, gorgeous hardwood floors, a screened in back porch, and even a small, in-ground swimming pool in the backyard.
It's not a perfect house. The kitchen is too small for my liking. The bedrooms are small, Isabella's especially. Closet space, as it is in almost all homes built in the 1920s, is lacking. But when we saw this house nine years ago, when I was 24 years old, we knew it was the one. The competition for homes in my area was fierce then. We were outbid twice on two other homes by people bidding way over asking price. We saw our house the first day it was on the market, and wrote an offer that night.
But we realized that our circumstances had changed as soon as Luci and Nicholas came home. We are constantly side-stepping baby gear, toys, books, furniture, and each other. What once seemed like more than enough room for three people and three cats immediately became not enough. In the past nine months, it's only gotten worse. And it couldn't become more clear to me that Luci and Nicholas need their own rooms to solve their sleeping issues. They wake each other up constantly.
We have been half-heartedly looking for a house for almost six months now. We've been to numerous open houses and have had a very difficult time finding a suitable house in our price range in the area in which we want to buy. While the three-bedroom homes in our area are affordable for us, the four-bedroom homes are not.
And then last week we came upon a gorgeous four-bedroom house. It has a huge kitchen. 2.5 bathrooms. A gorgeous and enormous family room for the kids to play in. A large backyard. A screened in porch. A deck and a patio.
We went to the open house and then saw it again with our realtor later in the week. This was the first house we had seen that had everything we wanted. The problem was the price. It was more than we could spend. On Saturday, we decided to write an offer anyway, offering much less than the asking price.
Expecting a hefty counter, we weren't hopeful. Then, on Sunday, while at a picnic at my grandma's, we got the call from our realtor. The sellers had accepted our offer. No counter.
And now we have our house to sell. Our house isn't even in the neighborhood of ready to sell. We are in full-on decluttering, packing, and cleaning mode. My house looks as if a bomb detonated right in the center of it. We are listing it on Monday. We have to get an offer on our house in less than two weeks, or we will more than likely lose the house on which we had our offer accepted, since our offer is contingent upon the sale of our house.
If you're the praying type, please pray we can sell our house quickly. If you're the candle-lighting type, please set an inferno for us. If you're the vibe-sending type, please send good karma our way.
Our awesome realtor, who is also our friend, says that it's providential. If this house is meant to be ours, then it will be.
And as much as I'm really, really trying not to get attached to this house that is not yet ours and may never be ours, I'm also really, really hoping it becomes ours one day very soon.
Sending hugs and many prayers! Good vibes and karma, too...
that house sounds perfect for your needs. Fingers, toes, arms and eyes- all crossed!
annie
I so know where you're at!! Fingers crossed for you. Hope it becomes yours.
Wow, good luck! What an amazing opportunity.
(I've been reading your feed, and now that I came to your blog, I have to say that I love your new banner.)
Squee! I'm so excited for you! Oh, this just has to work out for you.
I'm crossing my fingers for you too. Lots of karma and good energy that your house sells in two weeks.
I agree with your realtor -- if it will be, it will be. And if it's not this house, it will be another one that has what you need.
Fingers crossed!!!
I hope you get it.
FYI, Don't forget to list your house on Craigslist with pictures. It's free.
The house sounds wonderful, I will be hoping for a quick sale for your current home.
I'm the fingers & toes crossing type person, so I'm crossing all my fingers and toes for you!!!
I really hope this all works out for you. I saw the listing sheet when I was at your house the other day and it seems just right for your clan. I know you would really love that big kitchen and all the extra space for the kids. G and I have included your family in our nightly prayers.
Sending lots of house sale vibes your way! The house sounds perfect, and I hope everything works out!
I'm so excited for you Kristi. Deep breaths, it will all fall into place. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Stranger things have happened, remember, we put our house on the market almost two years ago (when things started to go bust) and it sold in 36 hours with two offers. Never expected that. I'm sure everything will work out just fine. Wish I lived closer, I'd come over and help!
Good luck!!! This is exciting! I know exactly why you need some extra room. We started finishing our basement during my pregnancy and didn't finish until March of this year. The extra space has been SO nice!
Hoping, hoping, hoping!
This is where something like the secret comes in handy.
Just believe in your heart, without any doubts that your house HAS ALREADY SOLD. Don't ask my why this works, but it does.
Thinking of you - and sending positive house SOLD thoughts.
Sending good thoughts and vibes your way! Good luck with everything. :)
oh hunny i will be praying a lot for ya... but that is so exciting... hang in there... and I agree with your relator!!! it is ment to be!
Good luck and good vibes, I hope it all works out and soon!
WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I *so* hope that you get it!!!
I hope it is meant to be, Kristi.
I'm definitely praying for you and wishing you all the best. It CAN happen, we were in the exact same situation 11 years ago, our house sold the first weekend we had it on the market. Good luck.