The Backup Plan

As most of you know, we had an offer 'accepted' on a house in Oakley....WAAAAY down past Knightsen.  It was a short sale with TWO loans out on it.  The realtor took our offer, as the only one they would consider and told us to settle in for a long wait while the two banks duked it out for their share of the price. 

Fine.

We've waited for the better part of 3 months and then received a message from the realtor.

He had been in constant contact with the bank holding the second loan and after many documented calls and messages he found out that loan had been sold to a collection agency. 

Meanwhile the first bank decided to offer the second bank only $3,000. 

Um, I'm not sure how much the loan was for, but that sure doesn't sound like much!

The collection agency regretted to inform us that they would take no less than $16,300.

Let's see, if my math skills are sharp that means we need to come up with $13,300 and pronto.

The selling realtor told us we could take this deal or he would be forced to put the house back on the market.  There wasn't anything anyone, including our realtor could do.

Did I mention we don't HAVE $13,300 just sitting around here?

Way to shut THAT door!

Now lest you feel sorry for us, I must mention that we kept looking at other houses in the past 3 months.  It's not that we weren't totally content with that house, we just knew we had to keep our options open.

The amazing part is that as we looked, it became clear how much that house had become our 'backup plan.' We were 'willing' to go there, and saw many great things the Lord could do with us in that neighborhood.....but in some ways we would be settling.  Because it was 'so' far out of town, it was A LOT of house for a great deal....newer and more of a clean palette for us....more so than any other house we've seen.   But try as we might....it wasn't right.  Hee hee that rhymes.

Now I started this post over a week or two ago...and I just couldn't gather my thoughts enough to finish it. 

Basically, this whole time of transition has been such a whirlwind that it's tough to be coherent!

In the end we are SO thankful to have a door closed.  Notice I say 'a' door....any door at this point will do!  We were craving a definite answer on SOMETHING in our life ;}

So I wanted to update you if you hadn't heard just yet about that offer.  Mentally we 'had' a house for a time....the ball was in OUR court...and we just had to wait it out.  Now that option is gone.

By now we've seen a dozen or so more house, and placed three other offers on houses in locations much closer to the freeway (something I've finally reconciled as a 'need'......the ease of freeway access dawned on me as I was shuttling the kids to classes in Oakland.....I LOVE the offerings of events and courses across the Bay Area and don't want to add to the madness of homeschooling when we've 'got to get up and GO!')

As I was saying...we've placed several offers, and are the 'backup offer' on one house....and we'll turn in one of our favorite offers in the morning.

Summer is flying by, and our quest continues...not just for a new home...but for a direction.

I feel like we're playing a treasure hunt and we need to be very still to here God whisper....'you're getting warmer.....warmer still.......nope, not that way, now you're getting cold!'

So no more back up plan.  It was an easy place to rest mentally, but now we're depending MORE on our Daddy's faint calling.

I'm SO excited to see where it leads!

In the meantime, we DO miss the gloriousness of our 'old' mess......

but in a nostalgic way.  It will be nice to be a family in our 'own' spot again one day. 

Until then, we're listening God.