Almost Home...

We have a contract! Hurray! After two weeks of house-hunting, I'm happy to report that we have agreed upon terms with a new landlady and are working through the referencing approvals stage with a goal to move into our new home next Tuesday. I have learned so much through this process, not the least of which is - nothing works the same as "back home". Everything is different... But we can adapt as we grow! And mainly, God is so good. He teaches me patience so I'll trust Him and learn to grow my faith, but He definitely knows our needs. Here's the success story, in loads of detail, for those who are interested...

I saw our new home yesterday afternoon. The asking price was a bit above the tippy top of our housing budget, but the listing agent indicated on the phone that she thought the landlord would be open to a lower offer. I was early for that first appointment, so Brooks and I strolled the block and then sat on the front stoop to wait for her. Across the street from the building is a small fenced-in private park, which can only be accessed "by subscription". It's intended to be used only by those who live in that block... big trees, shady places, grassy bits, it's really charming. If you've seen the movie Notting Hill, it's something like that... So I sat there dreaming about chasing Brooks through that park next summer... can you picture it?

When the agent arrived and let us in, I realized that this place really is ideal in so many ways. It's a "raised ground" apartment - just perfect for us... It just has a few stairs, about 5 steps above street level, but there is a lower ground floor apartment below us with a daylight cut-out underneath our window. That works well for security, if we want to leave the windows open, since there is good separation between our unit and the sidewalk. It has floor to ceiling windows in the “Reception” - that's what they call the living room - with very high ceilings. The kitchen takes up one corner of the Reception so I can make supper, do dishes or laundry, whatever, while Brooks plays in the same room. There are two bedrooms, both "doubles" as opposed to a double and a single... a standard single bedroom only has space for a twin bed. We saw several of those, and while that would work well for Brooks' crib, it won't work for our queen sized Aerobed that we plan to need when some of ya'll come and visit us! :) There is a full bathroom with a tub (good for Brooks' bath/play time) and a "shower room" - literally just a closet with a tiny stand up shower and a itty-bitty sink with a shaving mirror. It's smaller than an airplane bathroom, but hey, it serves it's purpose! The whole thing is carpeted, but it's very clean, the baths and kitchen are both recently updated and it has an appropriate amount of furniture. Not too much crammed in but not too sparse to make it feel like a home... Oh! and the kitchen is just about perfect. The washing machine also works as a dryer (sort of) and it's NOT tucked under the entry stairs outside. The fridge/freezer is the biggest one we've seen in the UK - certainly not large by American standards, but definitely adequate... and there is even a tiny little dishwasher - what a luxury! There are plants in the unit, truly it feels like the person before us CARED about the place.

I made arrangements to meet the estate agent back there with Eric after work and wandered through the neighborhood. The place is just 2 blocks from the convent where I used to live 10 years ago. I still recognized some of the streets! Incredible! But before the agent met us back there, she called to alert me that after speaking to the landlady, she was afraid that she had been mistaken and that the landlady was not willing to flex much on the price.

So Eric arrived, and he agreed that the place was ideal for us, extremely livable and less than 30 minutes from his office. After whispering a super quick “come to Jesus meeting” about our finances in the second bedroom (while the agent entertained Brooks with her key ring), we put in a verbal offer on the spot for the max we could pay. The agent called the landlady right then who countered over the phone. We said that we really couldn’t go any higher. I could hear the estate agent selling us to the landlady (“they are a lovely little family, and I really think would be very good tenants for you”…) but she wouldn't drop any further. We prepared ourselves to walk away. (Agony!) The agent ended the called and said that the landlady asked for the chance to consider it overnight, to which of course we agreed. I walked out feeling deflated – we were so close and still… not… there… yet…

Across the street from the flat is a darling little pub and I suggested that we soak up some sunshine and debrief about the day and all that had just happened before we headed home. Eric agreed and we wandered in a daze to the outdoor tables. I had just gotten some food out, ready to feed Brooks (who had been such a trooper throughout all of this!) when I heard the agent calling out to us. The landlady had called her back and said that she’d like to meet us in person and that she could be there in 10 minutes. Well, of course! (I’m so glad we decided to stay in the neighborhood!!!) As we had never gotten to this point in our other (three!) offers, I took it as a good sign, though I wondered what she would be like and how this interview would go.

I didn’t have long to worry. She appeared within 10 minutes and the agent motioned to us from the front porch to come over again. We walked inside and a lovely, very polished, petite British woman of Indian descent smiled warmly and introduced herself with an apology for dragging us back over again. Apparently she owns the entire building as well as the building next door (16 units plus?) and she cares very much that her tenants all get along with each other and with her (as she self-manages the building). After sizing us up for about 20 seconds, she said she just wanted to make sure we’d “fit the building”. She stated again that she was taking a lesser amount that she wanted, but she agreed that we did fit and she accepted our offer! Hurray! It seems that most of her tenants are in banking, so it was a very good move to tell her that Eric worked for PWC!

She said her sister had been in the hospital for about a month after a major complication in heart surgery and she just wanted to have the unit rented and be all done. Her only request was that we get the paperwork and contracts done quickly, so we could move in by next Tuesday – perfect for us, as that’s when we have to be out of our temporary accommodations! At the end of the brief meeting, I told her how glad we were to be her tenants and offered my hand... And she reached out and hugged me! How adorable is that?! I can't tell you how I almost burst. After all our flat-hunting angst, it made my heart sing to be so warmly welcomed. I practically skipped out of the building. After putting down the holding deposit (so she wouldn’t show it to anyone else) and filling out some paperwork at the agent’s office, we headed back to our temp housing to celebrate our our new home.

Today has been filled with more moving details, mostly gathering references, figuring out how to wire money to ourselves internationally (not as simple as Western Union ads indicate) and trying to locate our container of household goods that’s floating over here from Chicago. Brooks and I went on a three hour walk again today and I just savored not having to schlep all over the city looking at more flats. Hallelujah!

Thank you for your prayers, friends. It has been a joy to share all of this with you! Pictures will come as we’re settling in, hopefully next week.

Thank you, Lord for a home.