The Work and The Glory (Kevin's Story)

So here's what REAlly happened. (lol)

There are no rules, and no regulations on how to actually look for a home for your family. I know we had no idea what we were doing in the beginning. We were picky, we were uneducated, and we wanted the most updated least work needed, most perfect house in the universe.

Then reality set in. We realized that we are on a fixed income, a tight budget, and living in my parents basement (literally). What is the Walley family to do about all of this. Rent is more than paying a Mortgage, and we don't have any want to toss more $$ down the pit of Rent! So we did what came naturally. We improvised. At the start of it all, we knew we had to get a loan for the house, and we knew our credit was shoddy at best! I spoke with one of the teller's at our bank when I went into the branch one morning. I was guided to someone who would later come to be known as the most patient agent in the whole world, Mark Carroll. The next day I called his office, and setup an appointment to talk about getting a home loan. We came with kids and all, and about one million questions about this whole process.

I was grateful that I wasn't referred to someone who just wanted to get me out of their office asap. Mark was understanding, concerned, and actually took all the time necessary to answer any question, no matter how large, or frivolous. Our first sit down conversation with him was about mid October, and now here we are in the end of January, finally getting approved. Needless to say, it has been a long road. I didn't know that amongst all the frustration, questions, and work, I would be so relieved at just the idea of knowing I would be owning my own home. A place I can have my family, Live my Life, and be Myself! What a blessing it truly is for one's family to have a place they can call their own.

So after we sat with Mark initially, we had a lot on our plate to clean up. We fixed some things on our credit score, and added some trade lines as well because the underwriter's needed to see that we had something on our credit score. We had our run-ins with credit cards in the early life of our marriage, and we had grown to believe credit was a bad thing. Why pay credit for something you can't afford to pay for with cash. Come to find out, that credit is a well maintained two-edged sword! It can be your friend, and your enemy all at the same time if you don't know what you're doing. So finally we were told by Mark about 3 weeks ago, that it would be a good idea to start looking at homes seriously. That's when the real up late at night work started. I work a 48 to 55 hour work week, and Amanda is in school and a full time Mommy! There were a lot of late nights at this computer I type from looking up homes. We have a friend who is in the Real Estate Industry, and she referred us to some amazing realtor's. Cara McDonald, and David Jarrett of Everstar Realty are some of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Again, we were lucky to have now THREE people working with us to get us the right place. There were about 15 houses that we looked at total during the next two weeks.

We had our minds made up on one house in particular. Until Amanda took a drive through the neighborhood! What a dump it was, and still is. Today probably. The neighbor's houses were dingy, and there were actual homes just down the road that had literal trash in their yard. Not a place we want to raise a family. However, the price was fantastic, and that size and setup was pretty good! Nonetheless, not a good enough reason to live in a community where people piss where they sleep. So we moved forward. Another 10 or so houses later, we arrive at a home we hadn't even put down on paper knowingly. Amanda and I had sat down at our computer to look up house listings to give to Cara so she could schedule appointments to look at them. This house in particular had one thing we didn't even want to consider dealing with. Baseboard heating....yuck! Be that as it may, we still managed to have it on our list, and so it was scheduled.

What a blessing in disguise. I love it when you notice that the Lord pushes you in a direction you don't even want to go, and then you can thank him for it in the end. He's pretty amazing sometimes. Like all the time. We just have to be able to look past our own nose's to see that!

So we walk in this home, and let me tell you something. It...just...felt...RIGHT! There are pivotal moments in every one's lives when they realize something without having to think anything about it. This was one of those moments for me. As well as for Amanda. We both didn't want to leave. We both just wanted to sit in that house, make the offer, and just wait until they told us we had to leave or we would be escorted by some authority. I can't describe the feeling any better than when you know that you've received an answer from a prayer. God looked down on my Family, and said "Here ya go" " I love you". I didn't want to believe that we had actually found the right place yet. I automatically started questioning everything about the place. As soon as I started to, I was told "STOP"! "You don't have to go any farther.....I will help you do this".

I didn't hear the voice of God whispering in my ear, and I wasn't given any great revelation. I was given a still small answer. Something no one else could understand or hear but me. I knew it made Amanda happy even thinking about having this place, and I know that no matter where we are as a family, so long as it is our own we will be happy! This house isn't just a place for us to put our temporal belongings. It isn't just another set of walls, and doorways where we walk and reside. This is our Home. Kind of like coming to rest at the end of the day laying down with the person you love most in this world. It just doesn't compare to anything else. It is a feeling all in of itself. I know that buying a home can mean just a place to live to some. It is different for me. It is something that I can be proud of, where I can raise my children, and take care of my wife and family. I can't think of anything better. So we will live there, and enjoy what the future holds for us on 1117 Willard. No matter what.