Just musing this evening about how our recent home buying experience all fell into place. On our wedding anniversary (February 28), DH and I had one of those deep, heart-to-hearts that found us soon after thinking seriously about moving from our little old house to a new place. Of course, thinking led to looking, and looking led us to a neighborhood in a nearby suburb that looks to be a wonderful place to live. The homes are all newer, but made to look older. There are many classic Craftsman houses, as well as those in a neo-Victorian style. It might sound odd, but it's actually well presented and has become a highly desirable place to live. We found ourselves on the last remaining street with empty lots, and toured the model home of the builder who was selling those lots.

We were instantly smitten. The model was gorgeous. Bright, fresh, lovely -- it appealed strongly to us, and so we sat down with the sales rep in her office and went over the floor plans available for the remaining lots. We found one that really appealed to us, and before we knew what had hit us, we'd signed a contract to build. We also decided to go with a few optional floor plan upgrades that would, we thought, make the house more suited to the way that we want to live. The house was to be 1,925 square feet. Certainly no mansion, but enough room for the two of us, surely.

I went to England for a couple of weeks shortly thereafter, and upon return DH and I eagerly met with the builder's designer and made our décor selections. We had decided that since this would likely be our home for years and years to come, we wanted it to have the highest-end finish out we could possibly afford. We chose real hardwood flooring throughout, upgraded granite, high-end plumbing fixtures, etc. I mean, this was going to be our forever home. We wanted it to be NICE. Didn't want any, "Oh, I wish we'd gotten what we really wanted" regrets.

Of course, those upgrades all came at a cost. Still - we knew that. We were prepared to pay what it cost. We had already put down close to $40k as earnest money and a down payment towards some of the upgrades. This was a substantial amount of money for us.

We met with the builder and went over a red-lined version of the house plans, making sure that we knew where every single thing was going to be. It looked good to us. We were happy and eager.

And then the rains came. It rained and rained and it rained some more, and the builder was unable to get started on our project. During this time, the sales rep contacted us with her concern that we were going to have difficulty getting the house to appraise for what we were going to be paying for it. Our upgrades had pushed the cost of this house far above others in the area on a square footage basis. She cautioned us that we were certainly going to have to bring more money to the closing table. Well, ok. We were prepared to do that.

And then the rains stopped, but the builder didn't start. DH and I drove to our lot regularly, only to have our excitement dashed by seeing absolutely no progress on our home. (They installed the plumbing pipes before the rains came, but then it just sat.) Repeated emails and calls to the builder and sales rep were met with apologies and promises that "things are going to get underway very soon." Over and over and over this happened, with no progress. As you can imagine, we began to grow worried and suspicious. Why the delay? Surely the rains had put everyone behind industry-wide in this area, but one could only ride that excuse for so long. Finally, months later, on the day that we drove to the lot and took this photo of it, eroded and overgrown with weeds:

We prayed. We prayed earnestly. We prayed hard. We waited.

And then - the sales rep called to say how very sorry they all were that they had let us down. She said they were issuing a cancellation of contract and returning ALL of our money to us. ALL of it. The next day, their Controller emailed me the cancellation document. Within three days, we received their check representing all we had paid. That, my friends, is nothing short of answered prayer!

While waiting for this saga to unfold, DH and I took a drive in another nearby suburb. It was late on a Sunday afternoon, and we drove past one area of new construction. DH said, "Well, I know you won't like the style of those houses so we don't even need to stop." I said, "Oh, why not. We're here - let's just go take a quick look." So we walked into the model and loved what we saw. The fit and finish of the home impressed us most of all. The sales rep told us which completed homes in the neighborhood were still available, and we walked down the block to see the first one.

They had built it with MY kitchen. The same style, same amenities, even down to the same backsplash, that I'd chosen for the house we were going to build. We fell in love with this house, although it's larger than we'd planned. Still, every bit of the space suits us. I already know where my furniture will go. Heck, I even know where a lot of my artwork is going to hang, and we still have two days til closing.

And speaking of space ... The plans for the house that DH and I were going to build had never been used by the builder before. He'd not built that particular house before. DH and I are convinced that the 1,925 square footage as stated on the floor plan could not possibly be accurate. We drove by the lot recently, and they are NOW building that house, fast and furious. The walls were up, so we stepped inside. We felt choked and claustrophobic. It's ridiculously tiny ... I mean, TINY. We can't help but feel that a great tragedy was averted in how all of this played out. DH and I would not have been happy in that little house. Seeing it being built is strange, though ... Maybe like running into the person you ALMOST married, but didn't. I do have to wonder if the unreasonable and unexplained delay in construction could have had anything to do with the builder's fear that we would renege on the deal nearer closing, and then HE would be stuck with an expensive little house, into which he'd put all of our upgrades, that he would then lose money on. I dunno ... it's all suspect in my mind.

Anyway - I know this is long and rambling, and bless you if you've stuck it out this far. This has just been such a marvelous example to me of things working out, and things that are MEANT to be, vs. things that just aren't. I am a faith-filled person, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that God's hand has been in this, and on us. DH and I both feel blessed in how all of this worked out.

The suburb where we'll soon be living actually feels like returning HOME to me. I lived there when I was a little girl, and it's lovingly familiar. It feels right. I'm happy to think of living there again.