You all know that we have been searching for our dream house for awhile now. You’ve read about our struggle to find a mortgage and how we have been living with my mom and step-dad to save money. Well, the time has finally come for good news. We paid cash for my dream home!

Looking for a house has definitely been a process, especially since I wanted to be financially responsible and choose a good investment that would last forever (or turn a profit when the time came to move). Thankfully, the housing market in our area is still a little depressed, so there were occasionally some great deals.

Setting the Stage

We had just made an offer a little over a month ago on a different house that we didn’t love – but that made sense financially. While he was at work, my realtor called and told me that the offer had not been accepted and that they hadn’t even countered. It wasn’t as high as we were willing to go, but it was close so I told her we would just wait and see how they felt in a few weeks when they hadn’t received any other offers.

She then told me that a different house had been listed an hour earlier and that she thought I needed to see it. She offered to pick me up and drive me there since I didn’t have a car. (Ali Tarrant is the best realtor in the world, by the way. You should definitely check her out.) She gave me the address, and I plugged it into the computer.

This is the House

The first thing to pop up was a map of the property, and my heart jumped into my throat. Suddenly, I remembered a dream that I had almost a year ago where my grandmother (Man, I miss her!) told me I needed to buy a house near a hospital. At the time, I woke up freaked out that there was some major tragedy in my future. Because I absolutely believe in the power of dreams, I stopped looking at houses that weren’t within quick driving distance of a hospital. But as I sat on my bed looking at the computer screen, I saw that this house was located only two streets away from a local hospital. On the map, it looked like it was right next door.

“This is the house,” I thought to myself.

But I have been disappointed before so I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I tried to be rational, but when I drove up the driveway to the secluded acre (right in the middle of town), I felt like I was driving up to the Waltons’ home. I immediately felt family love. I could see my unborn kids running around the yard, 20 varieties of tomatoes growing in the garden, a swing on the front porch. Before I even walked inside, I just knew – this was my house.

And then I walked inside, and it just kept getting better. The truth is that it needs a lot of work before I can get an occupancy permit – but when it is finished, it will be a masterpiece.

We made an offer about 18 hours later, the offer was countered and accepted within 48 hours, and just a little over a week later, we closed on the house.

About My Dream House

It has 2 large bedrooms, a small bonus room, a large bathroom with a claw foot tub, and a water closet that needs work to be anything more than a Walmart bathroom stall. It has a large living room with a fireplace (begging for massive built-in bookshelves), a dining room with the most beautiful chandelier you have ever seen, a kitchen with a pantry, and an entryway that rivals any I have ever seen.

And the best part? The home was built as a wedding present for a young man’s bride with the help of his parents. How romantic and beautiful is that? It is 130+ years old, and we are only the second family to own it. At the closing, the sellers talked about their grandma (who is now 90+ years old) who remembers sliding down the banister as a child.

Last Word

We paid cash for the house and still have a lot of work to do in the next couple of months in order to get it ready for move-in. And the truth is that with everything else that has been going on (and the financial struggles that accompany it all), it has been difficult to be as excited about the house as I would like to be. A lot of things that felt certain a month ago are up in the air. But there is one thing that I absolutely know – this is my house. And I love it.

I look forward to sharing updates about the house with all of you as they are available. For now, I just wanted to share my excitement and celebrate the thing in my life that currently brings me the most joy.