More Housing Prayer Requests :)

If you've followed our adventure in Costa Rica at all, or have prayed for us even occasionally, you know that we desire to buy a house here.  Sparing you the monotonous details, we need to make some decisions about housing again in the near future.  Our rental contract will be up soon for this 'new' house we moved into last year.  We have also been keeping our eyes open (though not really actively looking) for properties for sale.

So here's the deal:
Please PRAY!  We need direction from God.  Pray that we will hear him clearly, that he will open and close doors very specifically.  Things like location, finances, hospitality possibilities, and a yard are all important to us.

*If we are supposed to stay in this house--that we could arrange a new, fair contract, that any rise in rent would be minimal.

*If we are supposed to keep renting but move somewhere new--that God would lead us to the right place, in the right timing (around team / summer / semester schedules), be for long-term, and close the door to the house we are in currently

*If we are supposed to buy something--that God would drop the right thing in our laps, provide for a low-intrest rate loan and down payment, etc.

*If we are supposed to buy THIS house:  (Click below and check it out!)

A House We REALLY Like!

--That we would know, the owners would know, and that all the finances would come together.  Please pray specifically about this one!!  Last year there was a house we were interested in and it sold within a week of seeing it.  I actually called on it to move forward and it had sold the day before!  God gave us great peace about that situation--it wasn't for us.

We are praying the same for this opportunity, too, something like this, "God, if this is the place, please open the door wide, and provide a way for us to be able to financially make this happen.  If it is not for us, please let someone else sweep in and buy it quickly--have mercy and don't let us get our hopes up if it is a closed door."

So, hopefully you've looked at the pictures and are wowed.  :)  Let me just emphasize some of the things we love about this property.  Of all the ba-jillions of properties we've looked at, this is pretty much what we've been praying for.  It is in a great, safe location for us and our ministry sites, has a lot of land (WAY more than we need!), and has great possibilities for adding a guest room/suite (or 2).  There is a bonfire pit at the top of the hill, and a great spot for camping out.  It's an older home, but the missionaries who own it have done a ton of work on it, so it is 'move-in ready,' which we love because we have neither time nor know-how to do much more than paint and take care of occasional fix-ups.  The kitchen is A.MAZING.  Go look at the kitchen pictures again.  Amazing, right?  We would be so spoiled.  And there are tons of windows through the whole house, making for lots of natural light and great ventilation.

So, what's the catch???

First of all, we've been pretty cautious through this whole process to pray and seek God's direction for all the houses we've looked at, so we want prayer and confirmation from those who love and know us, and our situation, best.  We feel accountable to all of you who make it possible for us to be here, who support us, pray for us, encourage us.  Bottom line is that we want to live where God wants us to live--exactly where he wants us to live.  Just because we've found what we think is the 'perfect thing' doesn't mean it's really what God wants for us.  I've written about this before that maybe sometimes God doesn't really care where people live, but in our case, we need to be accessible, not too far away from our staff and ministry, etc.

The second thing is finances.  Real estate in the San Jose area is not cheap.  From a human standpoint, we cannot afford this house.  The owners are asking $225,000.  For as close to the city as it is, as much land as it is, the condition of the house, etc., this is a VERY GOOD price.  It appraised for $100,000 MORE than they are asking.  Whoever gets this property will be getting a really great deal.  There are other houses close to us that are not as nice, with little or no yards, that are also around that price.  (The one we are in currently is selling for about $140,000, which is a fair price, but doesn't have a lot of future possibilities.)  Anyway, if this is the house for us, God will be doing a miracle.  Plain and simple.  And he will get all the glory for that.

Soooooo, we want to put some feelers out and ask for input.  Are we CRAZY to even look at this as a possibility???  Does it seem like a good deal?  What is God telling you about it?  Does it seem wiser to keep renting?  Inflation is so crazy here and rents go up all the time. . . we do not relish the idea of moving every couple of years. . . Is it wise to buy?  Would we be able to resell?  Should we sell our house in Visalia?  Any insights or creative ideas for financing???   Bottom line: Pray for God's will to be obviously clear.

If you have any questions or anything, please contact us.  And thank you.  Thank you for praying about these things with us!