a larger house

When I became rector of St. John's 5 1/2 years ago, we purchased our current house (the church has not owned a rectory in a long time), it seemed plenty large for us, having 5 year old, 3 1/2 year old, and 6 month old sons. Now that the boys are 10, 8 1/2, and 6 and we've added Meg to the mix, the house feels REALLY small!

So we have begun the chore of looking around for a new house. We want to stay in the current town we live in since we are embedded in the community already. I am certainly (God willing) staying as St. John's, and hope to do so for a LONG time. We just want something larger to live in, in decent shape, and in our price range.

So far we have visited 8 houses. We thought that one of them might be it last visits, but on a second visit to the house, as much as we loved the curb appeal and charm, it was too formal and not laid out really well for a family of 6.

On a lark, and at the recommendation of another agent, we looked at a house in probate. From the outside it is nothing impressive, and the inside needs LOTS of cosmetic work. But we like the lay out, the 5 bedrooms, and the location. We are going to arrange for another walk through soon. I saw it twice today (once with a contractor friend and his brother, once with my wife), and want to see it again.

The biggest delay in buying a house, in what is a buyer's market here in Southeast Michigan, is that we have a house to sell. But while discussing the possibility with some friends of moving, the woman we bought the house from walked into the discussion, and announced she would like to buy the house back from us! Her circumstances have changed over the past 5 years, and she would like to have this house back! So as she works on the financing, we shop. God willing, in the next week or two we will know whether we are actually moving any time soon, or not.

Say a prayer for us: for discernment, patience, and our buyer Beth's financial arrangements. If she cannot purchase, we may just stay in this house for while longer.