Four days ago, we moved into a new house. We’re still moving in, really. We’ll likely be moving in still at Christmastime. Looking around, it’s appears pretty chaotic. Boxes, some open, some still taped shut, some stacked two or three high, sit in nearly every corner of every room.
Still, amid the chaos, this new space feels like home.
When our condo finally sold, we immediately began looking at houses. The one we ended up buying was the second house we looked at.
Almost immediately, Jessica and I fell in love with this house. It’s warmth. The deck overlooking the backyard. The fireplace. Something about the house moved us.
But it needed work, we thought. Too much wallpaper. A few too many unfinished projects.
So we kept looking. Ten houses later, we revisited this house. We still loved it. We still were concerned about the wallpaper, etc.
We looked some more. A week later, after looking at nearly 40 houses, we once again returned to this house.
While Jessica and the realtor looked around, I stayed in the living room with Elias and Adeline (we played), basking in the glory of the room’s light and character. Of all the houses we looked at, despite the work it needed, this house possessed soul that all of the others seemed to be missing.
When we left, I think both Jessica and I already assumed it would eventually be ours.
Still, we wanted to look at one more house.
That afternoon, our realtor called Jessica. Then Jessica called me. She was crying. Somebody had made an offer on “our house.” Both of us were pretty devastated.
Our friend Angie, a former realtor, tried to encourage us. She kept saying, “You never know. Deals fall through all the time. I’m choosing to believe it’s not a done deal.”
We didn’t have Angie’s insight or faith, so we looked at more houses. Every house we compared to the house we’d fallen in love with. And every one paled in comparison. Still, we needed to find a place to live, so after much looking, we found a house we liked (one that even made us forget about the one we’d lost) and we intended to make an offer.
Exactly one hour before our realtor sent the offer in, she called us…
Our house, the one we loved, the one with a soul, was once again available.
And a day later, the house that we thought was ours, was officially ours.
Four weeks later, I sit here in this soulful space writing this post.
I keep looking around (yes, at the mostly wallpapered walls) and thinking, “I can’t believe this is our home…”
And yes, my heart is here. And it’s filled with gratitude and wonder for what’s to come.
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In my opinion, you are not right.
That soul-spot – yes! We’ve lived in four houses over the last 45 years and two of them were absolute soul-spots for us – the one we raised our family in (our kids were 3/5/7 when we bought it and the older two were launched when we sold it) and the one we’re in now. It’s an indefinable something. That first soul-house was covered in wallpaper when we sold it – wallpaper was BIG in the 70’s and early 80’s – and this one has none (take that back – guest room has half wallpaper). Those things change with the seasons of life and fashion. It’s the bones that count, the bones of a house are what call to us . . . or not. Take if for what it is – a gift, straight from the hand of God to you and your family. I walk circles in our large driveway every night and as I walk, I pray. And a whole lot of those circles are thank-you circles. So happy for you all.
As a fan, loyal reader and a Realtor, I’m very happy for all of you! Your story is reflected in the lives of so many of my clients. People don’t buy brick and mortar, they buy a home for their soul.
Congratulations!
I totally get this. We moved into our house last year, and I had the same feeling. Even with the boxes piled in every corner, my soul settled in and declared the space home.
Welcome home. May it nourish you and your family for years.
We’ve lived in 10 houses in 12 years (and that’s not counting the hotels or dorms where we’ve had to spend 6 weeks at a time in between the moves). I don’t know if our homes have had soul or not. Some of the locations have had soul. Does that count?
This was a nice article. I definitely relate to this post, especially with the living among boxes part! We closed on our first house in early June, and after moving in a month later we got hit with some not so nice surprises. Things like water coming in the garage and other unexpected and stressful things that popped up. And after just pouring money into closing on a house, pouring MORE money immediately had us stressed and really angry. Extreme buyer’s remorse kicked in and most days I got hit with anxiety wondering “What the hell did I get us into?” Most days now I have a love/hate relationship with the home especially since my stress level shot up big time. But it’s a little better than after we moved in. When people get excited hearing the news that we bought a home, I feel bad when I sound so negative. I really have not felt the enjoyment yet. I keep hoping for that moment when I can kick back, breathe and fully enjoy this big event, rather than be stressed most of the time. Still holding on to hope. In time.
Congratulations again to you and your family, Matthew!!!!
Blessings on your new home! may God’s peace flood each room. May joy and laughter be heard often within your home.
Congratulations, and may you have many years of happiness and peace in your new home.
Lovely story! It was a nice break in my workday, and reminds me of a couple of homes I’ve lived in over the years.
I can’t wait to see the lessons that come from the wallpaper, though. That should be fun!
We had a similar experience where it seemed obvious that a house was “meant to be our home.”
Three years later, it needs a new roof and has many of the other pitfalls of a home that’s nearly 100 years old, but its been such a tremendous blessing for our family to be able to invest in others.
Glad you guys found your home.
I like this post I can’t stand any more religion or politics. God bless a peaceful home. May yours always be.
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What a great story! It almost felt like you were describing a relationship. I guess it’s the same thing: how we connect to people is a matter of soul… or timing 🙂
Matthew! I haven’t been around in a while, but I’m back!
Congratulations on the new house. May it grow ever more soulful by your families presence!
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It’s so good to hear you’ve found your home. Good luck unpacking the boxes. Every time I move I have the urge to just throw the boxes away and buy new stuff, just to avoid unpacking boxes.
I think it sounds lovely. Enjoy unpacking (as hard as that is sometimes).
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