Big News!!

Are you ready?? I bought a house!! I can barely believe it myself. I am actually building a house! That's right, building! I am so excited to see this journey unfold!

I'm sure there are some questions floating out there, so I will tell my story.

I have been renting for about 3 years now. I have loved it, and it has been good for me. I am in a great location, and the apartment has been very nice. I live in a gated community with a few amenities. I will say, it was a great idea to start here. I didn't want to rent at first just because the idea of throwing money away, ie - not going toward anything, wasn't my cup of tea. After talking with my family they thought this would be a great first step and I agree it was. A great step...step...not something I wanted to do forever.

A few months ago, say around the beginning of summer, I felt God nudging me to take the next step. I wanted to buy a house, but I didn't think I could afford it. I tucked the thought away until my friend bought a house...now this friend is my age, and we are on the same track in life so it got me thinking again. I talked with her about how she did it and looked into it. Turns out I was wrong in my thinking, and was able to start this journey.

So now that I've decided to go ahead what's next...ah yes a realtor! There is a close family friend of ours, Reggie, who we have looked to for advice on several occasions, and knew that he wouldn't lead us wrong. My dad talked to him, and he suggested a realtor that he knows. Boy did he send me in the right direction - I knew Reggie wouldn't lead me astray. My realtor, Zack is awesome! He is incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, encouraging, and gives great advice. His best quality is most likely patience. He has had to work with me, someone who has no idea what she's doing, and who has OCD. I don't know if he has ever had a client who has had as many questions as I have. :)

Now to start looking at houses. I looked at some that were built, and some new construction, and the new construction fell right within my time frame. See, I still have 4 months left on my lease, so I didn't want to have to pay to break it, and new construction takes about 3 to finish, so it was a match made in Heaven. It came down to 2 builders, and one won out on location. As they always say, you can change your house, but you can't change your location. It is only about 5 minutes from my apartment, so it is still very close to everything. I am the first to write a contract in this neighborhood, so that is exciting. I am not alone however. My builder bought some land in an existing neighborhood full of town homes. I'm the first single-family home, but not the first in the neighborhood if that makes sense.

I actually have not seen this house in person. It is a brand new plan, so none have been built yet. That is exciting and a little nerve-wracking all the same time. It is 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, with an open floor plan. It has plenty of storage, a fun "loft" at the top of the stairs, and a laundry room (yay)!

I'm so excited to go on this journey and watch my house be built! God's timing is all through this and it's awesome to see His hand at work. I wanted to do this 3 years ago, but the girl I was then definitely couldn't handle this next step. God has worked in my life so much, and I can say that I am beyond excited for this step. I know it is the right thing for me, right now. I can't wait for the next few months!