House hunting was more fun when we first started looking. While it can still be fun, searching for a house is also tiring and, at times, disappointing.
I can’t count how often I’ve gotten excited about a house I saw online, only to be disappointed in person. I’ve heard sellers spend a lot of money on professional photographs, and there are many homes that look way better in pictures.
Last spring, my husband and I found a home we were both excited about in one of the historic districts of Hamilton, Ohio. We scheduled a tour with our realtor and spent over an hour looking at it. The old two-story brick home was renovated and updated throughout. We loved the look of it (inside and out), and the next day, we made an offer. There were multiple bids, and ours got accepted!
Trusting God in Our Search
I had prayed for us to know, without a doubt, if this was “our” house. Following the home inspection, we found some significant issues the seller didn’t want to fix or negotiate (nor did we want to take on), so the deal fell through. An older home is bound to have some problems, so I’m grateful we paid extra for the sewer line and radon inspection, as both were among the issues found. We didn’t want to take on the risk or expense of fixing the problems.
Upset that the sellers wouldn’t negotiate and disappointed that we didn’t get the house, I realized it wasn’t meant to be our house. Sometimes, things don’t work out how you hoped, but it turns out in your favor.
When we came across the same home listed on Airbnb, the reviews revealed the location is noisy due to a nearby railroad (and possibly nearby bar). Reading the reviews made me even more thankful that we didn’t buy that house. Had the sellers been willing to negotiate, we would not have been aware of the noise until it was too late. The reviews reminded me that not getting the house was an answer to my prayers.
Factors in Our House Hunt
There are many factors to consider in our house hunt, such as price, square footage, parking, layout, room size, neighborhood, commute time, and noise level. Given the current housing market and the longer we look, our wants and deal breakers seem to change. For example, when we first started looking, we had to have two full baths and a home with a garage, whereas now, we would “settle” for a house with 1.5 baths and a driveway or off-street parking. We’re somewhat open to what areas we would live in. We’re expanding the radius while eliminating those areas we don’t want from our search.
Still Searching
We started house hunting over a year ago, and we’re still searching. The homes we’re interested in tend to go pending within a day or two of us finding them. Luckily, we are not in a rush to buy, and since we’re subleasing a condo, we don’t need to worry about selling a home before buying.
We’re on the lookout for new listings in our budget. We continue to go to open houses or drive by homes to check out the neighborhood before scheduling a showing with our realtor. While our search can sometimes be disheartening or frustrating, we continue to pray that God leads us to the right home, “our” home. We trust that He will.
