So...we bought a house!!

This has been a really hard secret to keep; but Monroe felt really strongly that we not say anything until the papers had been signed and the check handed over. FINALLY...I am free to say...we are officially home owners!

On Sunday, January 20th after church we went into Anderson to look at a house that I stumbled upon while online one afternoon. We hadn't looked at any houses in Anderson at all, we had kept our search to Clemson. As soon as we pulled into the neighborhood, I just knew this was it. I got tears in my eyes (shock) and just had a feeling that this would be where we lived. I got a pit in my stomach and said to Monroe, well I hope we like the house, because I am sold on the neighborhood. The house is on the 5th fairway of a golf course which we know is a plus for Monroe. There are tennis courts, a pool, and an awesome walking trail. It really was the neighborhood we have been looking for.

We pulled up to the house and it was perfect, well minus the really green canvas awning and the matching green shutters. As we went in the house and continued to look around I just knew more and more that this was going to be our home. There was not a thing wrong with it...well the decorating was REALLY bad...but luckily that doesn't stay. I walked in every closet and every bedroom and every bathroom, while Luke (or realtor and cousin) and Monroe looked at all the things that guys would look at and probably the important things like the water heater, HVAC system and of course the golf cart garage in the back. When we finally met back up on the deck Monroe had the same look in his eyes that I did, we both just knew. I asked Luke if I could tie myself to the back deck and make them give us their house...this is how serious I was about this place. Eventually they made me leave after one more walk through, I once again got tears in my eyes and said to Monroe "this is like my wedding dress, I just know it is right". He laughed and said Katie don't get emotionally attached just yet, I assured him I wasn't, but oh man I was beyond emotionally attached to that house. We went over to Luke and Sydney's house for dinner and to write up an offer which we sent in the next morning.

When we got home, we prayed for God to make it clear to us what we were supposed to do. I didn't sleep a wink that night. I was under the covers so the light on from my phone wouldn't bother sleeping Monroe; I was on pintrest decorating each room in the house, and also worrying about the other 6 families that had gone through the house the same weekend. Morning finally came and I was so anxious to hear from Luke to see what the counter offer from the home owners would be. Around 5:00 I was sitting in the parking lot of CVS and Luke called and said "they accepted your offer!!". I screamed, Sydney screamed in the background and we got Monroe on the other line. Monroe was in shock, I am not sure he really believed it, he went straight into business mode. Once he realized that they had accepted the offer and that the house was 90% ours he got excited. He just knew all the work he had ahead of him getting a loan, and getting everything in order...not to mention writing the check for the downpayment.

Monroe got the loan together and we got our closing day set, Thursday, February 28th!!! We went to Greenville to the lawyers office for the closing. There were a lot of papers signed and a check was handed over, and we own a home! The couple that live in the house are moving back to Germany, so they are staying in the house until March 12th. Although the home is ours, it doesn't really feel real yet, but come next week when we get the keys it sure will feel like home.

This has been such a fun process for us. We are beyond excited. It is so clear that it was God's will for us to have this house and to live in Anderson. I can't wait to get settled and to be in our first home.

Let the decorating begin!!

People have been asking for pictures so here are a few. I will do another post after we get the keys with pictures of the inside.

I took this phone one of the million times I have driven by

From the listing page. Back of the house from the golf course

Also from the listing, on the back deck looking over the 5th fairway