Sunday, May 18, 2008

The Home That Found Me

I found a house I want to buy. Well, I didn’t really find it. It found me. Or, as my dad says, it fell in my lap.

The boys and I went up north to spend the weekend with a friend. While we were visiting it occurred to her that a home she recently looked at would be perfect for our family. It used to be the towns one room school house, complete with apple trees and grape vines. It even has the old bell tower; the bell has fallen but is still there. Years ago it had been moved on logs to the two acre lot on which it now resides. The older locals actually attended school there when they were young. The realtor showed it to us and I immediately fell in love.

When I arrived home I called my lawyer and he said that I cannot take out a loan because my divorce is not final. He did not recommend purchasing at all until after the divorce, even with a land contract or with cash because all of our assets will be split, including a newly purchased home. I was a bit disappointed, but I figure that if God intends for me to own that home then all the pieces will fall into place at the right time.

After talking to my lawyer I contacted the realtor. She said that the owners are still dragging their feet about signing the papers to put the home on the market, which benefits me because legally I cannot purchase now and also I do not have much money saved for a down payment. I was not really looking to purchase a home right now anyhow.

The owners are dragging their feet for several reasons. The grandmother is so sentimental she cannot come into the home with out leaving in tears. She wants someone to own the home that will love and cherish it. The kids are bickering back and forth as to how much the home is worth, some feel they should ask WAY over market value and others feel they should sell as low as possible to get rid of it. Also they all live several hours away and have been slow to remove their personal items from the home. Did I mention that it has been used as the family hunting cabin for several years?

I have always dreamed of refurbishing an old school or church or even a barn as our home. This school had already been lived in as a home so it has a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. Also it is the perfect size for our family, if not a tad bit large because I like a cozy home. It has a sturdy wood burning stove in the middle, just like when it was a school. I like the old-cottage-country style so I would not have to do much remodeling. The well and septic are good and the water in that area is delicious!

The yard is a rolling fenced two acre lot; it is mostly grass with several apple and oak trees, one would make a wonderful location for a tree house. It is perfect for chickens, milk goats and a good sized garden…oh, I can’t forget about the sheep I always wanted to have. I only want one sheep, as a novelty, but a little wool will be a nice bonus. I can picture the flowers along the path and in the window boxes.

When you raise chickens for meat and eggs, goats for, milk, cheese and other dairy products and a good garden for freezing and canning you do not need to have a large income. I will have to convert some of the grass into feed for the animals though. It is a lot of work to raise animals and garden for food, but it is a rewarding lifestyle. When we had our big house in Clio we raised chickens and rabbits and had a nice big garden.

My girlfriend taught me how to do my canning in large quantities. I will tell you about that in a different post titled something like “Canning in Large Quantities”. Original title huh.

I have no idea if we will be moving to this home or not. As of right now it is just a dream. My original plan was to purchase a couple acres. Save my money. Purchase a travel trailer. Save my money, Purchase the well and septic. Save my money. Do you see a pattern here? LOL After purchasing the land my boys and I would be able to camp there and also raise a garden. It would be a nice place to play and get away from the city, if you can call our small town the city, and we would save and do little bits at a time as we have the money until eventually we have a small home (cottage?) on the property to call home.

No comments:

Post a Comment