Appraiser #2

Well, we had our 2nd appraiser come to the house today (luckily before we left for vacation) and take all the necessary pictures and measurements he needs to get the appraisal done. He seemed like a really nice guy, took his time, and entertained our questions. God has really given me a peace about this step of the process, and I hope to have no worries during our week of relaxation on the cruise. Jason and I both know the Lord is in control and we will continue to trust Him through this process. He has not led us in the wrong direction yet, and we certainly don't want to do this alone. The next time I'll talk you guys, hopefully we'll know something!! See ya after we get back!

Little bump in the road...

As I told you guys yesterday, the appraiser from the bank came by and took pics of the house yesterday and we were waiting to find out how it went. Well, today, my dad got a call from the main office wondering why this guy was doing the appraisal. Turns out, this guy is not supposed to do FHA loan appraisals. FHA has their own rules and someone employed by the bank giving the loan is not allowed to do the appraisal. The question is why that guy didn't mention he wasn't supposed to be doing it. So basically, now we have a request in to another appraiser in town who will have to meet my dad at the house sometimes this week (since we'll be on a cruise) to get the REAL appraisal done.

An amazing friend of mine brought up a good point today when I was telling her all this and seeming kind of down about it all. She said: Maybe he's not the one who you really want to do it anyway. Hindsight is 20/20. I thought that was great. God works in such amazing ways and I am confident he has an amazing plan for our lives. Even when we think we have a "bump" in the road, it may not really be a bump. It's just a part of the plan! I love my God and how BIG He is!

Hurry up and wait..

Most definitely, one of my greatest hardships is waiting patiently. Our appraiser came by yesterday, took some pictures of the outside/inside and that was it! I thought he might talk to me a little bit and give me some assurance that everything would or would not work out as far as appraising to the selling price, but he didn't say much. All I heard him say to my dad was "this should be easy, now I just need to find some comps to justify the selling price." Oh, I hope he'll be able to find some comps that allow our home to appraise at the selling price. If not, I assume we will be going back to the drawing board to figure out what we want to do-sell or not sell. Say a little prayer for me. I have to constantly ask God to take away all my anxiety. I know He has the perfect plan in mind, and whatever it is I accept!

I'll let you guys know as soon as we find out:)

Moving right along...

Here's the latest update on the house adventure! We have finally signed a contract with our buyers and they have started the loan process at my dad's bank. I got a call from the appraiser this morning asking if he could come tomorrow. This is what we have been anticipating for a while now. It's great to get the contract signed, get the earnest cash deposit (so we know they're for real) etc. but getting the house to appraise for our selling price is a little scary. We are asking the same amount that our home appraised for back in 2009 and we have added a $2500 really nice storage building since then. We are hoping that the market is going to be on our side and let it appraise where we need it.

I have been thinking about it for a little while now ever since my husband made the comment "what if it doesn't appraise?" I never thought of that. I just figured, surely it would since that's what it was 2 years ago AND we had added some things. But, you just never know with the market. When my dad called his appraiser a couple weeks ago to ask if he thought it would appraise for the same price, he said he was confident he could find comparables to confirm our asking price. I just hope that's the case.

We are giving it over to the Lord. I feel like every now and then I try to take it back from Him, but then I just remind myself to cast my cares upon the Lord and do not worry about tomorrow, because He will handle it all for me. I am so anxious to get this part over with so we can move on with everything else. If you think about it, say a little prayer for us around 11am tomorrow while the appraiser is here and as he works to find comparable sales in the area. We appreciate it very much!

Signing contract tomorrow!!!

Well, we were supposed to be getting a contract together with our buyers this past week, but they decided to wait until they closed on their home Monday. Totally understandable. However, because we need a contract before they can start their loan application process, we are meeting tomorrow to get a contract signed by all of us. I have been waiting for this day. I know it can be broken, etc. but it just feels good to get a contract stating they agree to pay the asking price. I'm not sure if we state how long until the closing date, but they mentioned wanting a 60 day closing. I have no preference. To me, the sooner the better. The sooner we can sell this house, the sooner we can start building a new house! I'm so excited!! Just wanted to share!

It helps to know people...

Well guys, it turns out the people interested in our house are really interested and are meeting with my dad this week to start the pre-approval process, get an appraisal done, and get a contract ready for all of us to sign. This is fantastic news and I just couldn't be happier with how quick everything is happening. I just hope there are no bumps...we need smooth sailing please;)

Jason and I went to eat lunch with my parents today after church (our normal routine) and got to talking about a plan my dad had actually started working on. By the way, my dad is the manager at a bank in town, so we are super lucky to have him helping with the financial ends and outs of the process as well as helping our buyers know the proper procedure and process of buying a house, the right way! It's also to our benefit that my dad was in real estate for a long time before banking; therefore, he knows a lot about house plans, how to manipulate a plan to get the most usable square footage so there is no wasted space, and he knows some good quality builders for us to consult when we actually start the process.

Today we actually found another plan we all really liked the best out of all the ones we'd seen. There were obviously some changes we saw immediately, but mostly small things like moving a door, pushing a wall out, making another closet, etc. It was such a great feeling to find something Jason and I both agree on and really like. I'm most excited about the huge kitchen I plan to have:) So many people say how stressful the building process is and I don't discount any of that, but I think with all the wonderful resources we have, it will mostly be a smooth process.

I'll keep you guys updated as we continue to work with our buyers and figure out when they want to move in, thus telling us when we have to be out (and move in with my parents--which is a good thing). I can't wait for everything to unfold! It's definitely an exciting time I never thought I would get to experience this early in my life.

Sweet Mary, the mother of our Lord and Savior

The Lord drew me to the book of Luke in the bible today. I have to admit, I have been extremely slack in my quiet times with the Word of God and talking to Jesus. However, today, I picked (the Lord picked) Luke to open and read. I started at the beginning and I couldn't believe it. I starts by talking about Zechariah and Elizabeth who were married and both in their old age when the Lord comes to Zechariah and tells him that Elizabeth WILL conceive a child, John (the Baptist), in her age and John will go on to do great things for the kingdom of the Lord.

There is much more to this but I was just amazed and encouraged by this story. Elizabeth was thought never to be able to conceive a child, but the Lord found favor with her and Zechariah, therefore giving them a child that would make them very proud and do amazing things for the Lord.

At the same time, Mary (Jesus' mom) was greeted by an angel telling her she would also conceive a child of the Holy Spirit and His name was to be Jesus. Mary and Elizabeth were relatives and when the angel told Mary that Elizabeth was also going to have a child, she immediately went to visit her. Mary says "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her."

The Lord is faithful, and he does fulfill any promises made to us. I pray I can be as faithful to Him as Mary and Elizabeth and that He will find favor with me. The Lord performed many miracles we read about in the bible, and I think we sometimes forget this is the same Lord we serve today. I think we are a little unexpecting of what He can do. We think "that will never happen to me." But it can. Believe. Trust. Surrender your life to Him. Then watch!

Waiting anxiously...

So, I told you about the people interested in our home the other day, and now we are to the point where they came for another visit, loved it, asked if the curtains were included, and basically have said they are pretty confident about it. Ahhh...I just can't contain my excitement, but at the same time, I'm so nervous the more they think about it, what if they think it's too much? Since neither of us are using a realtor, he is looking for comparables before they actually agree to a contract. I'm scared he will find something they think is a comparable, but really isn't, therefore deciding to offer us less (which we will not do).

Honestly, we DO NOT have to sell. We are completely happy with our home and could live here for a long time. However, the thought of being able to sell it, without even REALLY putting it out there that it was for sale, is crazy! Who does that? Hopefully us!

They should be getting back to us in the next day or so. As I wait, I'm just anxious and excited at the same time. I'm praying this is the Lord's will and everything will work out exactly as it should. I really think God is saying, "Katie, I'm still here. You thought no one could ever walk up to you and ask if you wanted to sell your house. Never in a million years did you think that would happen. Watch me work, because I can work miracles. Don't give up on me Katie."

I love this wake up call. I trust you Lord, completely. Even if this falls through, I still trust and love you and believe that you will give Jason and I everything we need/want in due time!