Leap of Faith

When we moved to Santa Barbara last year we were cutting things pretty close. I was *really* close to giving birth and Dylan was starting Kindergarten in a few short weeks. So we found a house that fit us, was in a nice neighborhood, and was vacant. And we moved in. And then things started to kind of fall apart. It was old. And outdated. Yes, it fit us. But it wasn’t home. It was simply a place to live.

So when Dylan finished out his school year, we decided we’d look for another house to rent. After a year of renting, we knew what we were looking for, and, thankfully, this time we wouldn’t be rushing. So we started to look at rental properties. And nothing won us over. Things were “okay” but there wasn’t anything that really spoke to us. And then we talked to our property management company about what would happen if we found something to move into, but still had to give our 30 day notice and when we heard we’d have to take possession of a new house within 5 days and still keep our old house for the full 30 days, we were less than pleased.

And then I drove by a house in the neighborhood we have always wanted to be in. It was for sale. For a great price. I parked and peeked in the windows. It needed a LOT of work. But if you could see beyond the filthy carpets and unfortunate paint choices, it had some potential. And then I looked in the kitchen window and saw how absolutely HUGE it was and I almost fell over.

We hadn’t talked about buying a house, because we had honestly never really thought we could afford one in this area. But there was a chance we could make this work. So I called the realtor and we got the ball rolling. There was already an offer on the table, but it hadn’t been accepted yet. We quickly got all our paperwork together and applied for mortgage pre-approval.

We got a contractor friend and an electrician friend lined up and we went to look at the house for the first time. We were prepared to be completely underwhelmed and disappointed in what we saw. And while yes, it wasn’t pretty to look at, we knew that if we had the chance to clean it, paint it, and redo some most of it, it could be amazing. So we made an offer. And then we waited.

And today we got word that our offer had been accepted. So, after we sign some papers and give away a good portion of our hard earned dollars, we will officially be in escrow on a house. Our minds are spinning with the amount of work that we will have to do. It needs new floors, new drywall, plumbing and electrical work, the bathrooms need to be updated, the roof will need to be replaced eventually and the landscaping is pretty pathetic. The kitchen also needs to be completely redone.

From the entry way. There is a giant corner window to the right.

See what I mean?

But this house has so much potential.

The wall on the right, that separates the living room from the kitchen, is coming down to make a great room

We are so excited to make it ours.

And if you know me at all, you’re probably wondering something. The answer is yes, I’m totally planning to start a blog dedicated solely to the remodel. Stay tuned!

Related posts:

1. Hurry Up and Wait
2. That Coyote Ate My Baby!
3. Our New Project…For Our New Project
4. When Allergies Attack
5. Busy, Busy, Busy