SOLD

It happened! We found a home, closed on it and moved in a month! Yes, we know, we're crazy! We moved to southern IN at the end of May, and we were given a months notice before moving so we were very hesitant in buying property long distance and without having time to shop around or see it first, so we settled on renting again. We have lived in apartments since we got married so we knew what we were in for and signed a 1 year lease in IN, little did we know, I would get this grand idea to start looking for houses 2 months into our 1 year lease. 

When we first moved, I looked for jobs but was struggling to land something right away so the realization of being a one income household scared us pretty good and after having taken Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University we decided to review our finances and see if renting or buying was a better fit for us. Come to find out, and this is pretty typical in most markets, buying is much cheaper than renting (if you live withing your means). We were paying $905/month, not including electric or internet/cable, for a two bedroom apartment. Granted, the apartment life had it's perks, not having yard work, less monthly bills like trash, water and gas, and we were able to utilize the pool and fitness center. Our mortgage payment, property taxes and homeowners insurance for a 3 bedroom/ 2 bathroom house was about $300 less that what we were paying in rent! {Jaw drops}! We also discovered that if we work our finances out carefully, we could live in our home on my husbands income alone, keeping in mind money would be tight, but knowing it's possible if I ever lose my job or decide to pursue my dream of being a stay-at-home-mom. So we looked and made it happen! We closed on the house August 28th and moved in August 30th & 31st. 

Thanking God for family, life, love and the ability to do good in the world through Him! 

Happy Living & God's Blessings!

J.M.

Getting Your Move On...

So much has happened since I wrote last, but some of it needed to be shared in a timely manner. My husband is a private Lutheran school teacher and when he receives a job offer it's known as "receiving a call", or when a particular private school wants to hire him. After prayerful consideration, you decide if God is puling you towards the position or not. 

Andrew's first call out of college was in Springfield, IL, where we spent almost the entire first year of our marriage. His dream was always to end up back in his home town teaching at the school he attended as a child. We didn't plan of this dream becoming a reality for 3-5 years and lone behold, a position opened up in his home town and was offered to him after 1 year in Springfield, IL. After much prayerful consideration and discussion, we accepted the call back to Andrew's hometown of Columbus, IN and had 1 month to pack and move 4 hours away before he was expected to start his new position.

We were blessed to get into the apartment we did in perfect time and we had many wonderful family members helping us unpack! We have lived in the apartment for 2 months now and we decided that renting was no longer economical, so we began looking for a house. Actually, I found a house I liked the first day I went looking and dragged Andrew to see it with me the next day. We put in an offer that day and once we settled on numbers we were given a month to close on the house. Find that post in my Getting it Together Because...We're Buying a House.

Happy Living & God's Blessings!

J.M.

Buying a Home

Buying a home can be stressful if you're not prepared for what's ahead. My husband and I had never bought a house before and although we were blessed to have the help and support of our family, it is still a very big step and commitment that we felt we walked into blind. So what are the steps in buying a home?

Beginning the Process....

1. Browse online for homes in your area.
2. Research:
• Safe areas in and around your town to live in by looking at crime reports, asking friends and family or coworkers. 
• School systems - resale value relies prevalently on school systems and how good the education they provide is
• Taxes and utility costs - depending on which side of town you live on, different utility companies may be used and different taxes may apply
• Loan rates between different lenders
3. Decide if you want to use a realtor or not (We used one because she helped us through this process)
4. Decide what attributes are your "must haves" in your desired home (example: 3 bedrooms, fireplace, two car garage, etc.)
5. Decide if you're willing to fix up a house, do minimal work or you want a move-in-ready home
6. Get pre-approved buy a lender - the bank will most likely approve you for more than what you should really spend on a home. try using a home buying calculator to figure out how much house you can afford

Once you find a house....

1. Make an offer
2. Negotiate

Once the offer is accepted....

1. Begin mortgage application
2. Order an inspection on the house - NEVER skip this step!!!! 
3. Bank runs credit report on you
4. Order an appraisal on the house
5. Title work gets started
6. Obtain homeowners insurance
7. Review home inspection
8. Loan gets approved
9. Closing is scheduled
10. Settlement statement is reviewed
11. Notify utilities of your upcoming move
12. Closing occurs - Congratulations!!!
13. You get yours keys!

Happy Living & God's Blessings!

J.M.