Amateur Home Buyer

Back in June, we finally put an offer on a house (after roughly four months of searching). Then we waited. And we waited some more. And we kept on waiting. Then, finally, we heard back (it was a short sale, ironically named for how ridiculously long the process takes). At first, the counter offer wasn't ideal and didn't seem right. But after tweaking some of the terms, it all appeared to work out in the end. It seemed like a no-brainer. On paper, it met all of our standards. Had the right number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and was the right location for the right price. We signed the papers, but didn't send them in right away.

We had to give our final answer of official acceptance on Tuesday.

For some reason, we were hesitant.

We hemmed, we hawed.

And hemmed and hawed again.

Come Tuesday morning, my dear husband says a prayer, asking specifically if we should buy this home.

Immediately I hear "Don't do it."

I'm sure I don't really have to tell you, but that wasn't exactly the answer for which I was looking. I was looking for it all to go smoothly, for this house to be the end of search, the answer to our prayers. I was looking for a reassurance and comfort about this huge decision.

But the answer hung in my mind like a coat in an empty closet. It was obvious. Don't do it.

I told Scott, and we discussed. How did we not receive this answer earlier? How did we feel okay with everything yesterday? Is it just nerves? Why? Why shouldn't we do it?

All I knew was that I couldn't ignore it. I knew our answer. I also knew that if we have faith and follow this prompting, we will be in the right place. While I'm sure everything would have been fine if we just went ahead with this house, it was not the best (or right, for that matter) choice. It wasn't the place for us.

We didn't go through with it.

It wasn't easy, but we gave word of our final decision. After hitting send, I truly felt a burden had been lifted. Instantly, I had zero regret and no second thoughts.

I can't even begin to express the gratitude I have for the power of prayer, faith, the Priesthood, and the Gospel. I am grateful for the promptings and personal revelations I receive from the Spirit. It isn't always easy to listen to the Spirit, let alone be open and aware enough to hear it. I think President Faust describes it perfectly in this latest Message:



I hope everyone can have this kind of experience in their life. What a blessing it is to have this source for peace and guidance.

Let the search begin (again)!