I have long held a dream: to own my own house. A place that would be my own, to do with just as I please; to paint, to landscape, to garden at, to have my children grow up in. I have had this dream since I was a little girl and now, nearing my 30th birthday, I still hold this dream.
I am closer to realizing this dream than ever before. I find myself day-dreaming and night dreaming about all the different possibilities. Like a child in a candy shop.
The painter and I have been waiting for years to even attempt a mortgage. Eight years ago, we moved across the country without jobs, newly pregnant, with the job market at an all time low for unemployment. What we optimistically thought would be relatively easy turned out to be several long hard months without work, searching for jobs, terrible morning sickness for me all while living in my sister's cramped house on her charity. Car payments, insurance premiums, moving costs, storage fees and life was piling up on our few credit cards.
An unfortunate circumstance, but not without it's life lessons.
The painter finally found work, becoming said painter. We found a great duplex apartment with an amazingly low rent. Eight years later, we still live in said apartment and the painter loves being a painter. However, the cost of being a stay at home mom, with only the painter working for money is that we have lived 7 years with debt that could never be repaid, credit shot to pieces.
However, as I said, it was not without life lessons. We have learned to live on a cash only, paycheck by paycheck, frugal basis. We use credit in emergencies only, which is a good way to live. We don't buy things that we don't need and we pay cash for the things we do. It has always worked out for us. We have been truly blessed and God has provided for all our needs.
A recent running of our credit reports showed us some very welcome news. All those negative marks are gone from our record. The hindrance to owning a home is no longer there. The time for searching for a place to call our own is now upon us.
An exhilarating feeling as well as daunting.
Where to start? What will be available? What can we afford? How much of a fixer-upper will we have to buy? Will it match my dream? Or will I have to settle?
Lots of questions, and at this point, not many answers. That's our process. What we've got to look forward to. God willing, though, my dream will soon be realized.
