I have some BIG news to share…
After months of home tours, several offers on the wrong properties and lots of prayers, Matt and I are excited to finally be under contract on a new home!
Our house shopping experience was a far cry from exciting and fun. It seemed like every home we fell in love with fell through for various reasons, and the whole process was stressful and disheartening.
We had just come off of an exceptionally disappointing week. We had backed out of final negotiations on a home in our dream neighborhood. It was the only neighborhood we had been looking in for almost a year. We had our hearts set on it and no one could convince us otherwise. After lots of discussion, Matt and I decided to take a break from house shopping and resume normal life. Besides, we were happy in our current house and were in no rush to move.
Little did we know, we would be the example of Matt’s favorite “remote control” analogy:
Looking for a lost remote control is so frustrating. You tear your whole house apart looking for it with no success. It’s not until you stop looking for it that the remote winds up in the most unusual place you never thought to look!
Finally free from a weekend of house shopping, Matt and I took a shortcut through a familiar neighborhood while running errands. Slowly approaching an adorable bungalow with a fresh “for sale” sign, I could tell Matt and I were thinking the same exact thing. Our eyes locked, yet neither said a word. We pulled into the driveway, turned off the car and said to one another “this is it.”
Thankfully the home was vacant and we just so happen to be experts in stalking homes for sale. In less than 3 seconds we were out of the car and climbing over the backyard fence, peeking in windows and sitting on the front porch like we owned the place. After an hour or so of this nonsense we decided we were going to call our realtor and put an offer in immediately on Monday (when she returned from her honeymoon).
We got back in our cars like giddy 5 years olds on their way to Disney. As we were exiting the neighborhood, Matt noticed a small red sign that said “Open House.” I assumed it was an old sign because there were no other houses for sale in the neighborhood, and the house we just stalked was definitely not “open.” Just to be safe, Matt whipped the car back into the neighborhood. Sure enough, staked into the yard we had just left two minutes ago was an “open house” sign.
As a believer, I couldn’t contain my laughter. I mean, all my life I have prayed for “a sign” to guide me for this and that, and now I was getting a legitimate 2’x3’ colorful cardboard sign.
Almost tackling the realtor, we ran into the house and screamed “WE WANT IT!” Confused (and probably a little scared), the realtor informed us that the open house hadn’t even started but we were more than welcomed to eat some stale candy and take a tour. We didn’t even need to see it, we knew it was ours and we put an offer in on the spot. Two days later we were officially “under contract.”
It took us almost a year of house shopping, but it was worth it.
We absolutely cannot wait to move in, meet our neighbors, throw parties and make our new house our home. Our new journey begins November 15, 2012.
congratulations! y'all look so precious in from of the house. the house looks so sweet.
Congratulations!!! That's wonderful news! My mom has been a realtor for 30 years & always says the house finds you! I think in this case you guys found each other!
congratulations! what a beautiful home! 🙂
Oooh! I love it!! Congrats! (I also love your dress & boots 🙂
The house is adorable!!! Congrats!
Congrats on the new home! It is adorable.
Congrats on the new house! Love that you have already decorated the front with your flowers and fall decor! 🙂
That's so exciting, Christina!!! Congrats to you and Matt on your new home! It looks just like the adorable Charlotte bungalows hubs and I are always lusting over. Wishing y'all many happy memories there :)*And good luck with the move. We just finished moving and it. was. brutal, but so worth it when you finally feel "at home" at the end!
That's so exciting!!! Don't you love how life works itself out? 🙂 Congratulations! You two look just perfect standing outside of your brand new home!
Congratulations! What an exciting time in your lives. We've been looking for a house for over a year and the process is horrendous. How awesome it must feel to be done with it all!
hdfjahsldfhalsjdhlfjadhfjhadfjasdh – aka that is my way of saying congratulations, I am so freakkkking excited for yall! Wells I'm also really excited for you to throw parties, host bunco, have wine nights, oh and game nights, etc. SOOOOOOO HAPPY for my little Hermione and Harry! (or Witchy and Waldo). PS- take the word identity off, it's killing me, literally. I NEVER GET IT RIGHT! 😉
Congrats!! It looks so cute!!
AHH!!!! How freaking exciting! This house is GORGEOUS and I love that you just KNEW it was the one so quickly! So happy for you!!! 🙂
awww so happy for you 2! it is adorable!! 🙂 Congrats girly!
The house (and the pictures!) is adorable. Congratulations to the two of you! What an exciting new step!
SO exciting!!!! Love the porch, it looks awesome!! House hunting is exhausting, I'm so glad y'all found the perfect home!!! Where is it?
AWESOME!! It's soo cute!! Where is it?I'm jealous!! We want a real house too!! If only we can rid of the two we have!
What a cute home!! Cannot wait to see more of it!!! Congrats!!! You guys must be soop thrilled!!!
Oh myyyyy! SO PERFECT! Congrats!!! I have a house hunting PROBLEM and def already stalked this through my fancy googling skills; what a DREAM HOME!!!!! CONGRATS!
Congrats! I also just bought my first home! It is an exciting and emotional process!
I'm one of your newest followers… congratulations! You're house looks beautiful!
Yay! Congratulations! The house is adorable and I can't wait to see the inside! Hope that doesn't sound stalker-ish. 🙂
Congratulations!! SO excited for you two! Love your outfit!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! This is such an exciting time for you – just one more month and you will be in your new home! Good luck with the packing and moving, and looking forward to seeing lots more of it x
Congratulations! Such an exciting time! 🙂
Congratulations! My husband and I just started the house search process and it is very stressful!I was in Charlotte this past weekend visiting my best friend and we went for a run around her home in the Dilworth area. I fell in love with so many of those homes! Charlotte is such a beautiful area.Congrats again pretty lady 🙂
oh my goodness that is the cutest house ever!!!! im sure the inside looks just as adorable as the outside 🙂 congrats!!!
I love your story!!! Guess all you needed was a "sign" from God. I can't wait to see more of it. Congrats!
funny how things work out like that perfectly sometimes huh?? God just telling us to be patient!! so happy for you sweet friend! i know you will make it a wonderful home filled with love…it is GORGEOUS
I love it!!! Congrats! Great story, too.
Congratulations! That house is ADORABLE! Oh my goodness and those precious balloons! Can't wait to see the inside!
You've heard it all before, but congratulations! This is such a special time for you two. Enjoy your new space and home!
What a super cute house! Congrats!
What a gorgeous place! Love the craftsman style! It is so true that when you stop looking, you fine what you were looking for. Congrats!
Congratulations!!! What a beautiful home. Love the family pic!! 🙂
Congratulations! IT looks beautiful!
Sweet story & adorable house! Congrats!
It's adorable! Congrats!
Congrats on your new home! (and that dress is so pretty!)
So cute!! Give us a tour!
Congrats! Your home is adorable on the outside; can't wait to see some of your decorating skills on the inside 🙂
This house is so you! It is adorable and I LOVE the front door 🙂 Can't wait to see pictures of the inside!
WHAT AN EXCITING JOURNEY!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! The front is absolutely perfection…all you need is a couple of white rocking chairs! and when you know what you want, you know what you want! 😉 Cannot wait to follow you all on this next adventure!
Congratulations!!! It is such a cute house, and I can't wait to see inside pictures :)Random question: what type of boots are you wearing in the photo? Love them!Xo-Lsimplylowcountry.blogspot.com
I LOVE it!!! So happy for you guys! The outside is absolutely adorable – and of course you took the cutest pictures 🙂
that is so exciting!!!!! the house is adorable..and suits y'all perfectly!!! I am loving the precious pictures y'all took too!!! so happy for y'all!!
Congratulations!!! I love this house! I can't wait to see how you guys make it your own! 🙂 Yay!!!
Congrats! It's so cute!
Congrats! What a great looking house, and you guys are so adorable!!
Congrats! That house is adorbs! I can NOT wait to see more photos of it!
Congrats! Love the pic with the balloons. Such a clever idea.
I am SO excited for you two! I seriously got tears in my eyes when I read the dramatic part about you sitting in the parking lot, turning the car off and saying "this is it". So sweet and inspirational. Love that in hindsight, the fall decor pictures were in front of the NEW house and that you had balloons made! How. Exciting. Congrats again and good luck with the move and decorating your beautiful new home! 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS, FRIEND!!! Fun times ahead! 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS!Such a pretty front porch. Perfect for decorating for the holidays! 🙂
Congrats!! I just love your new home, especially that front porch. It's a necessity on my future house list. 🙂
Congratulations! This is so exciting and how cute is your house! xx
I love it! congrats 🙂
Congrats! That house is my absolute dream. I'm obsessed with the craftsman style.
congrats!!!! I'm so so excited for you! I absolutely can't wait to see how you decorate your new abode. xo
Soo exciting! A huge congratulations to you and your hubby! And I love his "remote control" analogy.. so true. The home buying process wasn't so great for us the second time around either, we had a horrible experience with BofA…so I hope they aren't your mortgage co? lol…But that house looks perfect. I love it!Have a wonderful weekend!
Ahhh how exciting! I'm so happy for y'all! It looks like such a charming bungalow home! You're going to love being a homeowner!
Awe congrats! How exciting. I am so happy for you both! Cannot wait to see the inside of your pretty new home 🙂
que casa tan bonita! enhorabuena!http://sweet-perdition.blogspot.com.es/
Sounds like our home search (2 1/2 years in the making then 6 months of renovations later – while pregnant!!!!)…congrats!
Congratulations!!!! So cute and super exciting! We are looking for a bungalow as well, and probably looking in the same neighborhood you are talking about. I'm going to need to have a major chat with you this weekend.
Congrats!!! Adorable photos 🙂
Congrats! This is the cutest house. I love the color. I just found your blog. its so cute. im your newest follower :)xoxosamanthabetterblondesam.blogspot.com
so exciting! congrats! your new home is beautiful!
That's a cool experience right there! House hunting is tough, and it takes a long time. But all you need is a sign, and you got it! Good thing you didn’t let it slip away. Hmm, I think the boots and the dress are signs too! :)Regards,Calvin
Sweet story & adorable house! Congrats! thanks for sharing.Property for sale