I recently read and posted a review on the book Faithful Finance by Emily Stroud. Ms. Stroud's book challenged me to make some changes in my finances. Fortunately nothing serious, but I did decide to make a change in my housing. And that change, that journey, has become a testimony for me. As you will find if you scroll down to earlier posts, I read and posted my review of Faithful Finance on January 24th of this year.
Over that weekend I just happened (we really know that's not what "happened") to see a home listed on the Zillow website. A home that was listed for much less than my mortgage. A home that was approximately two miles from my parents' home. A home that was in the country and had a little bit of land. A home I had admired for years, every time I passed it. An old home. I liked that home. That home became my inspiration. I prayed, asking God to lead me. If it was fine with Him, I would like to sell my home and move to the country. However, if it was not part of His plan for my life, then I asked that He would place some major roadblocks, blocks I wouldn't miss.
I went to my parents' that weekend, and while there I casually tossed out the idea of selling my home and moving closer to them. I told them I had read and been inspired by Faithful Finance. When asked, I showed them my inspiration home on Zillow. I was expecting resistance. Caution. Words of warning. Instead I received the opposite. My mother did caution that my dad might not like the idea of the home I was interested in (it's over 100 years old!). Unbeknownst to my parents, that's what I had asked for, roadblocks. Guess what -- my dad did not offer any resistance! In fact, Monday of the next week he had driven by the home and walked around it. He even liked it! My first roadblock was laid waste, was non-existent.
I called a realtor on my home. The second potential roadblock. Was my house worth enough for me to make a profit? Would I have enough for all the closing costs? The realtor fees? Would I have enough left over for a down payment on a new home? At first it was disappointing. The realtor suggested I list at a certain price based on average comps in my neighborhood. I once again checked Zillow and suggested a price higher than he suggested. He wasn't sure we would get that amount, but agreed to list at my price if I would agree to lower the price if we didn't get any offers within two weeks. Fair enough. We went over a very short list of items needed in order to prepare the house for sale. We agreed we would try to list the house the following week. My parents came up that weekend, and we made short work of the punch list. February 6th I signed a contract to list the house. The house was to be photographed and placed online. I waited. And waited. And waited. No calls. Nothing showing up online. Should I call the realtor, or was I being paranoid? Was this a roadblock?
Tuesday the 13th I called the realtor. The house had NOT gone live due to a miscommunication in his office. It was corrected by lunch. While I was sitting in my vehicle at lunch I got the first phone call. Would I allow my home to be shown Wednesday? Absolutely! My house was shown six times between Wednesday and Saturday. On Saturday I got a phone call from my realtor, saying we had an offer. What?!? But I'm not packed! I thought this would take several months! Nope. Tuesday, February 20th, I had a signed contract -- for just a hair less than what I asked for! Roadblock two laid to waste.
Now I was having problems with doubt. I have always been a worry wart. What if the inspection came back and the potential buyer backs out? What if they want a lot of work done, but I want to sell "as is"? What if, what if, what if...? It was hard to remember that I was the one who prayed, asking God to put up roadblocks if He didn't want me to go through with this. I had prayed that, but I was doubting and fretful. And I had the huge stress of packing up a four bedroom home, that had a huge sunroom and an outdoor building, by myself (thankfully I have awesome parents, and my dad was amazing in helping me move!!!). Wait -- what if the buyer's financing falls through? That happens, you know.
Here's another one -- it had been agreed and was in the contract that I would replace or repair one item in the home, for no more than a certain sum. My realtor suggested it was covered under an insurance policy that went into place when I agreed to sell the home. However, when I called, it was strongly suggested that I say that this item had broken since the contract, when in actuality it had not worked in a couple of years. I was not happy about that suggestion, and decided I would try to repair or replace the item myself. Then I thought maybe I would offer the potential buyer cash in the agreed amount, and let her put that towards a new item. She agreed. I was happy, thinking I had done the right thing. The following Sunday, March 4th, was my last day at the church I attended, where I played the piano and was part of the Sunday morning praise team. They decided it would be a good idea to call me up front following the service and pray over me. Then they gave me a card, and told me they wanted to help with moving expenses. When I got home, I opened the card and out fell cash. EXACTLY THE AMOUNT I HAD AGREED TO PAY THE BUYER!! I sat and bawled! God knew that I could pay for that myself, but He chose to show me His love, and His removal of a real pain, by giving me exactly what I had agreed to give to the buyer.
Closing day came just last week. Everything went smoothly, despite my self-inflicted anxiety. Everyone was happy. The realtors. The banker. The closing agent. The buyer. Me! And I was able to tell the new owner, along with the realtors and closing agent, what God had done for me. :-)
God chose to remove all roadblocks in the sale of my home. He moved faster than I ever expected. Now I am working on getting a new home, while my sister patiently puts up with me crashing in her spare bedroom! Roadblocks? Well, let's see what happens...
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