Home Sweet Home
Wow, I'm really super bad at this.
I have a crazy story to tell you, that is once again about two years old. Actually might be closer to 3... Who can keep track of time at this point 😩
When our friends needed their house back we actually decided to stay in Illinois. Crazy, right? Gabriel had a good job and we had made good friends and plugged in with a great church family. We ran into a few obstacles, though. For one, the rent around here is crazy and we couldn't really afford it on one income. We were barely making ends meet as it were. And I hadn't been able to figure out a working situation outside of the home that meshed well with my health issues (chronic migraines, unexplained low energy, and a few other symptoms sprinkled here and there) and the whole one car situation. A friend said, "why not buy a house? It's so much cheaper than renting." But I thought we'd never qualify, we didn't make much and didn't have any savings for a down payment, but she told me there are some programs for first time home buyers I should look into. So, I figured it couldn't hurt.
A little internet research, a couple phone calls with a mortgage broker who specializes in the programs we needed, a little paperwork and viola! We did indeed qualify for a small loan. Small enough to buy a small, older home. What more could we need for just the two of us?
We were excited! We found a real estate agent and started looking at homes in the next town over, where our church was located. It has the best school district in the area and is close to the military base so it seemed like the best investment. We found three options in our price range. They were all less than 800 square feet 😁 we always wanted a tiny house...
So, we weighed and considered, thought and discussed. I even looked at the houses again with my parents when they were in town for a visit to get their input. It was difficult to decide. They each had their pros and cons. Obviously they were all small, but they were also all pretty old. Roughly a hundred years...
Except for one 1960s era home that had no back yard (literally) and a really low ceiling (I'm almost 6 feet tall, y'all. I wasn't loving it). A structural engineer friend checked it out for us and quoted $6-7k in materials alone to raise the ceiling. Too expensive considering all the other work it needed. The type of loan we were trying for was intended for fixer uppers, and would allow you to roll in 10% for repairs as long as they were documented and completed by a certified person or company.
The first house I fell in love with (online) was an old charming ranch style with a creepy old attic that could easily be finished in the future. It had some basic updates by the previous owners but it had a huge yard (a con for us because... mowing!), the laundry was in the hall, and the main bedroom had a sloped floor (probably used to be a garage). I wasn't sure how difficult it would be to fix or if it was even reasonable to do so. It was cute but I really wished it had a more open floor plan, and opening it up might be too difficult/expensive. It was nice, but it was also a little above our price range. We kept waiting and the price kept going down but we never made an offer.
The third was the oldest of the bunch, built in 1890 with a creepy cellar basement that was exposed brick and honestly kinda cool but left us concerned about flooding, because that happens in basements around here. We get a lot of rain and our town doesn't have great drainage. It also had a super tiny bathroom (the only one) and was off a main, busy street. One of the bedrooms was originally the attic so it was small, the closets were small, and I'd imagine very hot in the summer. The windows in this house were also single pane and very old. But the kitchen and bathroom had been updated. There was no place for a dining room, but then again the big yard house didn't really have one, either, though the kitchen was big and the living room was kinda long. This kitchen was big, too, but also acted as a pseudo hallway. It was the center of the house where you accessed every other room including the stairs to the attic room. Kinda strange. The laundry was also in the entry way, which bugged me. My dad loved this one because the basement made it easy to see and access all the wiring and plumbing and everything had been updated there. But there was also really only a side yard, and a strangely distant detached garage.
After the 60s model went under contract another option popped on the market. A 700 square-foot yellow cottage. It was all one floor, no basement just a crawl space and a basic attic but without a staircase taking up room in the tiny home (unlike the big yard house, which did have some very steep, creepy stairs in the center of the house). The laundry was in the bathroom, not ideal but possibly the best solution I'd seen this far. I loved the tall ceilings, no-nonsense floor plan that had very little wasted space, and fresh style (it wasn't as quirky and old fashioned as the others we had seen). It had relatively new roof, furnace, windows and AC. It was significantly cheaper than all the others but there was a catch. It was stripped bare. No appliances at all. The flooring was stick-on laminated tile and carpet squares that weren't even attached with no pad underneath. But it was like a blank slate.
Well, maybe we had watched one too many episodes of fixer upper ... Or admired the beautiful remodel some friends had done one too many times... Or Pinterest, I could just blame them. Well, whatever it was we made an offer, had an inspection, and went under contract.
Then things got a little iffy. Our mortgage broker had made a mistake. We didn't actually qualify for the loan. The underwriter was pushing back because Gabriel hadn't been at his current job for quite two years, and before that was self-employed. But since his venture was unsuccessful we had no way to prove he was self-employed, so on paper, he was unemployed. And that's no bueno. We were denied the loan we wanted because two years of consistent work history is required, with a gap of no more than 60 days. And you can't combine my work history with his (so even though I was working when he was self-employed it doesn't count, because I was no longer working). A complicated mess. Especially since we were trying for the biggest fixer upper on the market.
I have a crazy story to tell you, that is once again about two years old. Actually might be closer to 3... Who can keep track of time at this point 😩
When our friends needed their house back we actually decided to stay in Illinois. Crazy, right? Gabriel had a good job and we had made good friends and plugged in with a great church family. We ran into a few obstacles, though. For one, the rent around here is crazy and we couldn't really afford it on one income. We were barely making ends meet as it were. And I hadn't been able to figure out a working situation outside of the home that meshed well with my health issues (chronic migraines, unexplained low energy, and a few other symptoms sprinkled here and there) and the whole one car situation. A friend said, "why not buy a house? It's so much cheaper than renting." But I thought we'd never qualify, we didn't make much and didn't have any savings for a down payment, but she told me there are some programs for first time home buyers I should look into. So, I figured it couldn't hurt.
A little internet research, a couple phone calls with a mortgage broker who specializes in the programs we needed, a little paperwork and viola! We did indeed qualify for a small loan. Small enough to buy a small, older home. What more could we need for just the two of us?
We were excited! We found a real estate agent and started looking at homes in the next town over, where our church was located. It has the best school district in the area and is close to the military base so it seemed like the best investment. We found three options in our price range. They were all less than 800 square feet 😁 we always wanted a tiny house...
So, we weighed and considered, thought and discussed. I even looked at the houses again with my parents when they were in town for a visit to get their input. It was difficult to decide. They each had their pros and cons. Obviously they were all small, but they were also all pretty old. Roughly a hundred years...
Except for one 1960s era home that had no back yard (literally) and a really low ceiling (I'm almost 6 feet tall, y'all. I wasn't loving it). A structural engineer friend checked it out for us and quoted $6-7k in materials alone to raise the ceiling. Too expensive considering all the other work it needed. The type of loan we were trying for was intended for fixer uppers, and would allow you to roll in 10% for repairs as long as they were documented and completed by a certified person or company.
The first house I fell in love with (online) was an old charming ranch style with a creepy old attic that could easily be finished in the future. It had some basic updates by the previous owners but it had a huge yard (a con for us because... mowing!), the laundry was in the hall, and the main bedroom had a sloped floor (probably used to be a garage). I wasn't sure how difficult it would be to fix or if it was even reasonable to do so. It was cute but I really wished it had a more open floor plan, and opening it up might be too difficult/expensive. It was nice, but it was also a little above our price range. We kept waiting and the price kept going down but we never made an offer.
The third was the oldest of the bunch, built in 1890 with a creepy cellar basement that was exposed brick and honestly kinda cool but left us concerned about flooding, because that happens in basements around here. We get a lot of rain and our town doesn't have great drainage. It also had a super tiny bathroom (the only one) and was off a main, busy street. One of the bedrooms was originally the attic so it was small, the closets were small, and I'd imagine very hot in the summer. The windows in this house were also single pane and very old. But the kitchen and bathroom had been updated. There was no place for a dining room, but then again the big yard house didn't really have one, either, though the kitchen was big and the living room was kinda long. This kitchen was big, too, but also acted as a pseudo hallway. It was the center of the house where you accessed every other room including the stairs to the attic room. Kinda strange. The laundry was also in the entry way, which bugged me. My dad loved this one because the basement made it easy to see and access all the wiring and plumbing and everything had been updated there. But there was also really only a side yard, and a strangely distant detached garage.
After the 60s model went under contract another option popped on the market. A 700 square-foot yellow cottage. It was all one floor, no basement just a crawl space and a basic attic but without a staircase taking up room in the tiny home (unlike the big yard house, which did have some very steep, creepy stairs in the center of the house). The laundry was in the bathroom, not ideal but possibly the best solution I'd seen this far. I loved the tall ceilings, no-nonsense floor plan that had very little wasted space, and fresh style (it wasn't as quirky and old fashioned as the others we had seen). It had relatively new roof, furnace, windows and AC. It was significantly cheaper than all the others but there was a catch. It was stripped bare. No appliances at all. The flooring was stick-on laminated tile and carpet squares that weren't even attached with no pad underneath. But it was like a blank slate.
Well, maybe we had watched one too many episodes of fixer upper ... Or admired the beautiful remodel some friends had done one too many times... Or Pinterest, I could just blame them. Well, whatever it was we made an offer, had an inspection, and went under contract.
Then things got a little iffy. Our mortgage broker had made a mistake. We didn't actually qualify for the loan. The underwriter was pushing back because Gabriel hadn't been at his current job for quite two years, and before that was self-employed. But since his venture was unsuccessful we had no way to prove he was self-employed, so on paper, he was unemployed. And that's no bueno. We were denied the loan we wanted because two years of consistent work history is required, with a gap of no more than 60 days. And you can't combine my work history with his (so even though I was working when he was self-employed it doesn't count, because I was no longer working). A complicated mess. Especially since we were trying for the biggest fixer upper on the market.
We tried for a different type of loan: we got a reference letter from his boss, we submitted all kinds of extra documents. We ran the numbers to finance the repairs, floors and appliances ourselves after closing, which only worked because my dad agreed to help us so there would be no labor costs. We made it through by the skin of our teeth (I hate that saying). We got our house.
Of course, prior to the paperwork being sent to underwriting I had spent hours on getting quotes for every project we wanted done and getting everything documented and sent over to the broker to go with our loan application. All of that was thrown out because we didn't need it for the type of loan we ended up getting. Oh well. I swear getting the house was a part-time job in itself.
Because of all the drama our closing was postponed. Twice. My dad's 10 day vacation turned into one weekend and we drastically reduced our project list. Perhaps it is for the best, who knows how much all of that would have cost. But in the end we got a house with all new floors, a new kitchen (freshly painted cabinets with new countertops and new appliances), and a totally new bathroom (freshly painted vanity with new sink top and faucet, totally new shower/tub, and mirror). We managed to pay for it all ourselves and did learn a ton along the way. We've done more things here and there since then but there's still lots more to do. I suppose it never ends. Especially when you have little to no experience doing it yourself and your families live in far away states. Plus we have day jobs.
Which leads me to the next bit of news: I got a job just a couple minutes down the road working for the local insurance agent. She's been incredibly flexible with my schedule and that's been truly a blessing. For a while she even let me use the company car on days that I worked. Later, we got a second car but that's a story for another day.
I hope this crazy story encourages you. The point is really this: we couldn't afford to rent, we really didn't qualify/had no business buying a house but by some miracle God gave us one anyway. It checked all of our boxes, was well below our price range (which was probably partially what made the underwriter cut us some slack), and was in the town we wanted. It's a nice, quiet and safe location.
Because of my dad's hard work and expertise we were able to get a new bathroom in one weekend, friends helped us with the painting and countertops, thanks to our good credit we were able to finance the appliances and floors with no interest for 18 months (just paid that off in November and that was HUGE!) And we were able to finance the other materials with store credit for a special low interest rate, it was financed for 4 years but I'm actually getting ready to pay the final balance this week.
We don't deserve this, we didn't work for it or earn it, we have no idea what we are doing when it comes to most of this stuff, and yet here we are. I have nothing else to say to you but "God." He really does provide for his children. He really does guide us where he wants us, where the grass is green and the waters are quiet. He really does give good gifts.
And no matter how much of a wreck you might be, he can restore your soul. I hope you enjoy these before and after pictures of our "work-in-progress" home.
That used to bother me, too. Feeling like we would never be done with house projects. Starkly different experience than renting. But maybe that's a lesson in and of itself, there's always more that can be done.
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Of course, prior to the paperwork being sent to underwriting I had spent hours on getting quotes for every project we wanted done and getting everything documented and sent over to the broker to go with our loan application. All of that was thrown out because we didn't need it for the type of loan we ended up getting. Oh well. I swear getting the house was a part-time job in itself.
Because of all the drama our closing was postponed. Twice. My dad's 10 day vacation turned into one weekend and we drastically reduced our project list. Perhaps it is for the best, who knows how much all of that would have cost. But in the end we got a house with all new floors, a new kitchen (freshly painted cabinets with new countertops and new appliances), and a totally new bathroom (freshly painted vanity with new sink top and faucet, totally new shower/tub, and mirror). We managed to pay for it all ourselves and did learn a ton along the way. We've done more things here and there since then but there's still lots more to do. I suppose it never ends. Especially when you have little to no experience doing it yourself and your families live in far away states. Plus we have day jobs.
Which leads me to the next bit of news: I got a job just a couple minutes down the road working for the local insurance agent. She's been incredibly flexible with my schedule and that's been truly a blessing. For a while she even let me use the company car on days that I worked. Later, we got a second car but that's a story for another day.
I hope this crazy story encourages you. The point is really this: we couldn't afford to rent, we really didn't qualify/had no business buying a house but by some miracle God gave us one anyway. It checked all of our boxes, was well below our price range (which was probably partially what made the underwriter cut us some slack), and was in the town we wanted. It's a nice, quiet and safe location.
Because of my dad's hard work and expertise we were able to get a new bathroom in one weekend, friends helped us with the painting and countertops, thanks to our good credit we were able to finance the appliances and floors with no interest for 18 months (just paid that off in November and that was HUGE!) And we were able to finance the other materials with store credit for a special low interest rate, it was financed for 4 years but I'm actually getting ready to pay the final balance this week.
We don't deserve this, we didn't work for it or earn it, we have no idea what we are doing when it comes to most of this stuff, and yet here we are. I have nothing else to say to you but "God." He really does provide for his children. He really does guide us where he wants us, where the grass is green and the waters are quiet. He really does give good gifts.
And no matter how much of a wreck you might be, he can restore your soul. I hope you enjoy these before and after pictures of our "work-in-progress" home.
That used to bother me, too. Feeling like we would never be done with house projects. Starkly different experience than renting. But maybe that's a lesson in and of itself, there's always more that can be done.
Home sweet home
Before 
After
New front door
Back deck: before
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After
(We have since added a covering: I'll update with new photos soon)
Kitchen
Before
After
New flooring, appliances, countertop, backsplash and handles plus we painted the cabinets.
Bathroom
New shower/tub, sink top, and flooring
Bedroom
New flooring
Office
Custom bookshelves by Gabe
Custom closets/window seat built by Gabe and my father-in-law!
(We have since added curtains).
P.s. Gabriel also got a promotion and a raise at work right before we closed! That may have contributed to the underwriter cutting us a break.
I truly hope this story encourages you. No matter what your dream is or what you are asking God for, it is possible. It may not turn out the way you expect, but trust Him to bring all things together for your good. He will give you just what you need. Sometimes you didn't even know you needed it 😂
Until next time. Cheers!
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