A house!
After more than a year of trying to sell our condo, we got a call from our realtor the week before Christmas, that we had a buyer. Not only did we have a buyer, he wanted to close on February 1! When we first put the condo on the market in October of 2008 we had an offer on a house we loved. But we couldn’t sell the condo and someone else got that house in February of 2009. It was heartbreaking to feel like we “lost” the house we wanted, but deep down we knew God had a plan (even though many times we didn’t understand what that was).
All spring, summer and fall we looked at houses off and on, but were careful not to get too attached to anything before we sold the condo. There were many times we felt we would never sell the condo, but we kept praying and trusting that God would provide a buyer and a new house when the time was right. By November we decided we would take a break from looking until after the holidays. Then on Dec 16 everything changed. We had a buyer, now it was time to find a house!
We looked at 3 houses on a Thursday night (one being the brick above). Sunday we spent the afternoon looking at 4 more houses, ending at the one above. When we walked back into the little brick in Beaverdale it just felt right. We made an offer that night, and it was accepted the next day! We didn’t even have to counter! Then we scheduled the inspection the next day and are now 3 weeks away from closing!
The house is in Beaverdale, a cute neighborhood on the Northwest side of Des Moines, full of charming brick houses built in the ’30s and ’40s. Our house was built in 1939. We love all the character: wood floors, arched doorways, glass doorknobs and wood-burning fireplaces (there’s one in the basement too!). I can’t wait to get in touch with my inner product editor self and start shopping for rugs, furniture and paint (the kitchen is first on the list). Any suggestions?
For now we are enjoying our last few weeks of not having to shovel (though Adam is looking forward to being able to park his car in the 2 1/2 stall garage). I’m heading to St. Louis this weekend for work. then the following weekend we’re heading south to visit family in Florida, then there’s one weekend to pack and we’ll be new homeowners for the second time.
Hi Andrea! Your home is beautiful, congrats! My husband and I live on 38th (just south of Hickman) and love our 1939 Beaverdale brick as well. Very similar to your story we walked in the house and instantly fell in love with the hardwood floors, glass doorknobs and fireplaces. Best of luck with moving in and enjoying your new home. Sometime when you’re not traveling we should have a coffee, Jason Wells mentioned you would be a good person to get to know!
I love love love it! Congrats! I was going to ask if it was in need of any projects (ala lowe’s) but it looks awesome. I can’t wait to see it with your personality.
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Congrats to both of you! I’ve always adored Beaverdale bricks and this one looks great. I have no doubt you’ll make yours absolutely wonderful in no time. Next time I’m in Des Moines, I just may have to invite myself over for a visit!
I’m really excited to see how you transform this space into your new home! And I have always thought that if I stayed in Des Moines I’d like to live in one of those beaverdale bricks myself. Congrats on the new house!