so...i've got some BIG news.

remember that vague post that i did about possibly finding a lot to build a house?
well, 12, YES, t-w-e-l-v-e weeks after putting in an offer on the lot, and beginning to work with a bank on getting a construction loan, it was finally approved!

WE ARE GOING TO BE BUILDING A HOUSE!!
(i have been dying to share updates with you, but there were about 67 times when i was certain it was not going to go through, and so i wanted to hold off until something concrete happened!)


when we moved here 4 years ago, we never thought that we would be able to afford to build a house. the prices of land/lots in utah were double and triple what we were used to paying in tennessee. for the last few years, we have spent hours every week pouring over the new real estate listings, looking for houses that were affordable enough for us to purchase and then remodel. it was looking pretty dismal. we had pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that in order to keep our kids in the same schools, and near their friends, we were going to have to buy a very dated house and then slowly remodel it over the next 10 years.
about 3 months ago, i noticed a lot for sale in the exact area that our first rental house was in...it was just up the street, and so we knew everyone in the entire neighborhood. when we first moved in, this lot was for sale briefly, but for more than double what it was currently listed at. (i guess that is ONE good thing about a bad economy....) we looked at a few other lots, that were the same price, but just knew that this was the lot for us!
it was a GRUELING process with the bank. i feel like we pulled off a miracle. there were so many times that my husband and i thought that things were not going to work out. i think that banks now are so cautious about lending money that getting a loan refinanced, or trying to get a new loan is a huge challenge. construction loans, are apparently, even more challenging. in fact, when we closed on the lot, the people at the title company said it was the first personal home construction loan they had closed in 4 years!
anyway, i just wanted to share my JOY with all of you! i will be taking you through every step of the process as we build this house. we have built dozens and dozens of new homes for clients, but only 2 for ourselves... 3 of the houses we lived in we remodeled, and the last 2 houses have been rentals. the first 5 places we lived in were also rentals/apartments. YES, we have moved around a lot! in fact, this will be the 13th place we have lived in 16 years of marriage!
next week, i will be posting some tips on selecting a floor plan, and the process that we are going through to pick our floor plan.
stay tuned!

have a happy weekend!
smiles,