I couldn't decide what to name this post. Sleepless in Providence? Homeless in Cache Valley? Doggone Discouraged? Anyway, here is a report.
We didn't want to end up with two homes so we patiently waited until our Nibley home sold before we started to look seriously for something else. We are shocked that after nearly five months we haven't found the right home. We spend day after day and tank after tank of gas driving the streets in Paradise, Providence and Preston, Wellsville and Weston, Lewiston and Logan, Millville and Mendon, Nibley and North Logan and everywhere in between in search of a home. We spend hours and hours combing the listings on utahrealestate.com. We'd rather find an existing home that meets our wants and needs. Building to our specs would be great but takes another 4 or more months. We don't really want to put in a yard again but we aren't ready for a postage stamp sized yard in a senior community. Yes, we are particular, but there are some things we definitely want...and some things we don't want.
One of our main problems is finding a home with space for our car, pick-up, boat and 4-wheelers. Reed jokingly says he wants a one bedroom home with a five car garage. Actually a two car garage might work if there is an adequate side-yard. We prefer no northern exposure like we had in Millville and the driveway can't be steep like our duplex in Bountiful. No heat vents in the ceilings! We'd like a gas range...or the ability to have gas plumbed.
We've seen our share of leaning retaining walls or fixer-upper homes and yards. Lots of homes are still decorated in seafoam green and pink or burgundy and forest green. I can easily re-paint walls but replacing carpets, counter tops and appliances gets expensive. After viewing some homes we feel like we need to go home and take a shower.
We really want a master bathroom with a separate shower and tub. Large closets and double sinks would be nice. We don't want a downstairs laundry room or a 2nd floor bedroom. Forget junky neighborhoods, those with ten thousand little children or homes with barking attack dogs next door.
We've seen our share of leaning retaining walls or fixer-upper homes and yards. Lots of homes are still decorated in seafoam green and pink or burgundy and forest green. I can easily re-paint walls but replacing carpets, counter tops and appliances gets expensive. After viewing some homes we feel like we need to go home and take a shower.
We put offers in on 3 homes in the Preston area. No deals, but perhaps the rejections were blessings in disguise. We were ready to put an offer in on a 4th home when we had discouraging news. Since it is open enrollment time for the supplemental Medicare Advantage plans, Reed called his agent to see if the plan he is on is still the best. He was told it was. Then Reed asked what difference would it make if he moved to Preston. The answer was that all Advantage plans are pulling out of Franklin County in January. Disapointing! That put a stop to looking there. We went back searching for Cache County homes. Most of the homes with possibilities that we had previously seen have been sold, are under contract or have been removed from the market. Always a day late and a dollar short. We're secretly hoping the contract on a home in Providence falls through so we can step in and buy it. We are going house hunting in St. George next week. Obviously, what we are willing to pay is a huge limiting factor. We'd like to purchase something $100,000 to $150,000 less than what we got out of our home so we can play, travel and get out of snow and cold during the winter.
Because I am sensitive to light at night and don't like to watch the minutes passing when I'm awake during the night, I have a motion sensor clock on my nightstand. I have it set so I have to reach over and wave my hand to have the display light up. One night I was having a hard time sleeping. I was conducting my own pity party. There were other things on my mind but mostly I was discouraged at our inability of finding a home so I was complaining to the Lord. My eyes were closed when suddenly my clock lit up. Even through my eyelids I could see the illumination. I figured Reed must have gotten up and tripped it but he was asleep in bed next to me. So I thought an intruder was in the room and my heart started pounding. I was scared. Then as if the words were spoken out loud, the words of a hymn came to me: "Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand..." My heart rate went back to normal and I had a calm feeling that Heavenly Father is, indeed, mindful of our trials. I'm not even going to venture an explanation of my clock lighting up spontaneously.
Because I am sensitive to light at night and don't like to watch the minutes passing when I'm awake during the night, I have a motion sensor clock on my nightstand. I have it set so I have to reach over and wave my hand to have the display light up. One night I was having a hard time sleeping. I was conducting my own pity party. There were other things on my mind but mostly I was discouraged at our inability of finding a home so I was complaining to the Lord. My eyes were closed when suddenly my clock lit up. Even through my eyelids I could see the illumination. I figured Reed must have gotten up and tripped it but he was asleep in bed next to me. So I thought an intruder was in the room and my heart started pounding. I was scared. Then as if the words were spoken out loud, the words of a hymn came to me: "Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand..." My heart rate went back to normal and I had a calm feeling that Heavenly Father is, indeed, mindful of our trials. I'm not even going to venture an explanation of my clock lighting up spontaneously.
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