If it's meant to be, it will be!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Today is the day! We are putting an offer in for the house we fell in love with yesterday. I can't believe we went from viewing houses online and kind of looking. . . to full on making offers. Since we didn't know we would be moving so quickly, we contacted a friend of my moms and got pre-qualified for the asking amount. When we decided to offer $1,100.00 over asking, we redid the pre-approval for the new amount.

The Office Depot on 441 and Southern Blvd is horrible. It took 20 minutes for 19 pages to be faxed. Seriously? You sell fax machines. Go take a much faster one off the shelf and use that. I probably could have hand delivered it faster.

We finally were able to get all the signed documents over to the listing agent and could finally breathe a small sigh of relief. We went across the road for our cliche Panera Bread lunch. I was starting to not feel well at all and basically passed out during the meal. Starbucks was a must. 

Amanda, the listing agent, mentioned multiple times that the seller was nervous of working with an FHA loan. We chose to go with an FHA loan for a few reasons. 

1. $4,000.00 towards closing costs

2. 3.25% loan

3. Only 3.5% required down

She even mentioned that the first offer was turned down because of the FHA + multiple contingencies. Although hesitant because of submitting an FHA load, we were confident with offering $1,100.00 over asking. Plus, I thought it would make a personal connection if I wrote the seller a letter. Here is what my letter said;

A young, newlywed couple married in November 2009, we grew up on the east coast of Florida in a city full of family. Our homes were actually 2 houses apart and we often times joke that he married 'the girl next door.' We thought we had hit the jackpot and purchased Jason's childhood home after his mother decided to move to the Ocala area. 6 months into home ownership, we were faced with replacing the homes foundation, repairing a hurricane devastated back yard, roof leaks, and all major appliance replacement. We even sacrificed a honeymoon for a new AC unit. With aspirations of starting a family, we knew our needy house was not the environment we desired bringing a child to.

With family now all over the state and a job in the middle of the everglades, we set out for a more stress free lifestyle and a much more manageable home perfect for raising children. Fort Myers seemed to be a perfect choice for us, just minutes from family and down the road from our annual vacation spot in Sanibel Island. Your home immediately captured our interest. Driving 6 hours to see the home seemed well worth it. Pulling into the neighborhood silenced us in awe. We took our four legged travel buddy Taylor on a walk around the neighborhood while we admired the magazine like homes and pictured ourselves doing it daily. We have yet to find an area that has fit our lifestyle so well.

Your home gave us the feeling we have been searching for. Safe, well kept, and beautiful, we knew we had found something special. We plan to maintain that same feeling for the next 30+ years and to raise a God loving family in the home. We pray for the opportunity to make our dreams a reality and be given the ability to latch onto the wonders of home ownership again.

Proverbs 24:3-4
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.








Sincerely,

Jason and Amanda Allis
(Taylor too)


While reading it to Jason in front of Starbucks, I began to cry. I couldn't believe how overcome I was with emotion. The listing agent had mentioned to us that the owner was a Sunday school teacher and had recently lost her dog. I tried to make mention of both those things in our own way, hoping she would make a connection.

While ordering my drink, Jason got a call. . . he didn't seem to be getting good news as I watched him walk out the door with his head down. I waited in line and started to feel sad. After walking outside and talking with Jason, I was happy to hear that we weren't out of the running just yet. My mom had called Jason and told him that she got word that Amanda was going to submit the offer to the seller. This was around 1:30pm.

When we returned to the rv at Heather and Richie's house, I had grown grossly sick with a stuffed nose, congestion, and horrible body aches. I laid down with Taylor and waited to hear the news. Although our contract stated a response needed by 5:00pm on Tuesday, I hoped for an answer sooner. Jason toyed with the option of qualifying for a conventional loan just in case they were scared by our FHA loan. After a few hours had passed, I called my mom. I told her the seller must be countering with the other couple who put in an offer. There wouldn't be any other reason it should take this long the hear. 10 minutes later I got the call. . . "Does June 3rd work as a closing date?" my mom asked. I sprung up from the bed and swung the rv door open. Jason was outside working on the 4-wheeler trailer. I grabbed my camera and ran over to him. "Does June 3rd work as a closing date?" I asked him. He looked up at me completely puzzled. "We got the house?" WE GOT THE HOUSE!!! Jason and I jumped up and down hugging one another as my mom screamed over the phone "Congratulations!" We couldn't believe it. She didn't even counter, she accepted the contract as we had offered it (FHA and all).

  

                  Love his reaction!

 I think my letter may have pushed her to chose us :)