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a blog by Laura O'Rourke

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When You Just Know

Editor’s Note: I am going to try to stay out of these posts as much as possible, however, I have to step in and say Congratulations Rach! Her baby boy was born yesterday morning and he is a doll!

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I definitely believe in the old adage that says you always find the one when you’re not looking.

When my husband and I started looking at houses, we had no serious intentions of actually buying anything until at least another year. We just wanted to explore neighborhoods, check out school districts, traffic, and what not.

We finally narrowed our search down to one area in particular with which we fell in love. The houses were older, but they were unique. It was in a great part of town and had lots of young families.

We soon realized though that we might have to renegotiate our purchase timeline if we wanted a house in that neighborhood. Why? Well, houses were selling before we could even go look at them. There was no housing market crash here; there were all out bidding wars. If we didn’t act fast, the house would be gone.

But I didn’t want just any house that was available. I wanted The One. And I kept telling my husband that we would know The One when we walked into it. Now I’m definitely one who hates to make decisions and maybe even panics a little, but I knew, deep down, that we would just know when we found the right house.

One house kept coming up in our internet search. But it was over our budget so we passed on even looking. Then the “Price Reduced” noticed flashed on the listing. And a couple weeks later, it was reduced again. I finally looked at the online pictures. “Let’s just go look,” I told my husband. Couldn’t hurt.

The house was ugly. Completely cluttered and horribly mismatched. The flooring was like a quilt; every room was different. There must have been 3 different types of hardwood, there was tile in some of the bedrooms, linoleum in others and the only carpet was a small square in a bedroom closet

Ugly House

Wood paneling covered the walls in the den and the foyer was a screaming orange. The kitchen cupboards didn’t close and the courtyard was completely overgrown with ivy that was already making its way inside. Oh, and there was also a dead-end hallway (that we later cut open to make a second door into our bedroom) and a room painted what I can only describe as a blackish purple.

Kitchen without Cupboard Doors

Hey Mom, not only do the doors not close, but some doors are actually missing!

Overgrown Ivy

And you know what? We fell in love. Oh it needs lots and lots of work. But it has so much potential. It’s a dream come true for my handyman husband and my love of crafts and sewing.

After an intense bidding war (sheesh, what’s up with those?), the house was ours. We moved in a year ago this month. It’s definitely a s-l-o-w work in progress but we couldn’t be happier. This house is definitely The One for us. And even with all it’s faults and frustrations, there really is no place like home.

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  2. I am so glad you found your “one”. We put an offer in on one house that I had fallen in love with, but after the inspection we decided we needed to back out. It was older, needed a bit of cosmetic love and care, and didn’t sound like anything special. But it felt so right. I could just picture my family there. I was heartbroken when we had to back out. So I understand that feeling of being perfect, even if it is ugly! :)

    Thanks for being here Rach!
    Laura O’Rourke recently posted..When You Just KnowMy Profile

    • We’d found a really cute house that we passed on too and I was heartbroken and couldn’t stop thinking about it. But now I’m so glad we did pass b/c the one we have is just wonderful.

  3. That’s how I felt about our current house. It is not big or fancy, and it needed a LOT of work before we could move in, but it just felt like home when we walked in the door.
    Jennifer recently posted..Show Me Your Face!My Profile

  4. Rach so happy to know you don’t shy away from a fixer upper. My husband is pretty handy and loves a challenge too. We are living in a rental home but when we buy his dream is to own an old house that needs fixing. I think when you work on fixing up your home it really shows who you are and the house becomes a part of you.
    Congrats on your new home and your new addition to your family.
    Alma Pacheco recently posted..…and in the morning I’m making walletsMy Profile

  5. Our house still needs a lot of work, but we knew it was a top contender when we saw the backyard. I’m glad you found your own fairly easily and congrats on the baby; it makes a move even better when the whole family starts the experience close together.
    Arnebya recently posted..Guest Posting at Things I Can’t SayMy Profile

  6. Congrats, Rach! I love the idea of a fixer upper. Now that our kids are getting a tad older, we’re starting to work on a few projects again. But if it’s your forever-ish house, then it’s worth it to find something with good bones!
    Leigh Ann recently posted..The Torreses get some cultureMy Profile

  9. Lovely! Our house in Georgia is going to go on the market soon, and I can’t wait to pick out a house in Texas. We have been renting for 4 years, and renting is an awful way to build a sense of home, you know? Your story was very sweet!
    Kristin Shaw (Two Cannoli) recently posted..Stuck in SomedayMy Profile