A Completely New Adventure

I’ve been keeping a little secret for the last few weeks; we bought a house! We are now for the first time ever, homeowners! What a whirlwind and mixture of emotions these past two months have been. Let me get you up to speed.

In early November we knew my husband would be staying at his current job for at least a few more years, and the search for a home of our own began. Being a military family, we have moved every 1-2 years and for the first time in our married life, buying a home has made sense for us. We have loved our rental townhouse in the suburbs of southern Maryland for the last three years, but with two growing girls and my occupation as homemaker/homeschooler in this season of life, we have definitely outgrown our space. Looking to make a change – and after spring of 2020 we do mean CHANGE – we began searching in earnest for a home, and land.

The way the housing market currently works in this area is unlike anything I’ve ever heard of, and provided for a much less than ideal home search. It’s a sellers market and homes are being bought either before they hit the market, or within a day if it’s a real fixer-upper. When our house came on the market, we were browsing and refreshing late at night, praying that something would come along that we would have a shot at. One fortunate refresh, and the listing popped up. We texted our realtor and asked for a showing at the earliest possible time the next day. Everything about it was what we were hoping for; it’s 95% perfect! It has raised garden beds already built, multiple acres and partially-wooded, secluded location, single-story living, east-west facing, high-ceilings, lower monthly payment, and no major improvements needed. Nearly every box (and all of the non-negotiables) is checked with this place including now being in a more rural, country location. We put in an offer that day, Saturday. On Monday (of Thanksgiving week), we were told that our offer beat out six other offers, and the house was ours! YAY! And wow! So exciting, so scary. We are now not only home owners, but will be trying out country life after always living in cities or suburbs. It’s a completely new adventure all around.

The house itself is a solid home built with lots of attention to practical details (all closets are cedar lined, insulation is phenomenal), and comes with beautiful new appliances (like my dream French door refrigerator!). We will be the second owners and are so excited about the cosmetic work we want to do to put our stamp on the place! Not only that, but finally updating our furniture to get it on par with the vision in my head for it has me so excited. Look forward to many home blog posts to come, including more photos, tours and before and afters.

Needless to say, with all the inspections, papers to sign, negotiating, and then two week vacation to Ohio for Christmas on top of it all. it’s been a rapid yet draining process. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in our book as we sign the final few papers, and pick up our keys! We’re ready to go with plenty of paint and a long to-do list to keep us very busy over the next week and into the new year. If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my email list so that you’re the first to know when a new blog post goes live, and send prayers as we open up this new chapter!

xo, Mia