House Hunting

We have learned a lot about buying houses this week - and renting! I will share some first-time-home-buyer/renter lessons that I have learned in the past two days.

1.  You can make ANYTHING look good on the internet.  Anything.

2.  When looking to buy a house, do not look on Zillow.com, Trulia.com, or Realtor.com, find SO MANY GREAT houses that you like and get your heart set on two or three of them working out.  These sites can be outdated, and you may meet your realtor at the first house you're looking at that day (the one you like the least, with the ugly cabinets and pink wallpaper in the bathrooms, of course) only to hear him say that ALL the other beautiful homes in your price range that you sent him the addresses for are already taken.  You may have to hold back tears in front of a realtor you met just two minutes ago.

3.  All the apartment complexes are 'running a special this week'!! How convenient that we happened upon all the specials this week! :)

4.  If something seems 'too good to be true', it probably is.  For example, "Wow, Joel, this rental house is $200 cheaper than all the rest! It doesn't hurt to drive by and check it out!" may actually equate to, "Um, I'm not comfortable driving any farther down this alley to find this house. Let's get out of here."

5.  When a seller somehow doesn't get the message that you would like to see their house at 10 am, you may arrive to find an elderly lady in her bathrobe and pajamas, and her husband pulling on his pants with belt unbuckled and messy hair making VERY FRAGRANT BACON in a house that somehow still smells like cats, even over the bacon smell.  Cats and bacon. That's not a smell you forget quickly.

6.  God really does always provide.  I'm so thankful for the home He has provided us to rent on a monthly basis, which gives us the flexibility to still look for the perfect home for our family and not feel rushed into making a decision! I'm so thankful for God's leading through the last six months, and so excited to move to Georgia soon, and be together as a family again! :)