The decision to buy a home wasn’t an overnight whim. We had been looking for a home for at least two years. We saved to ensure we had a down payment, and we researched so many houses. We aimed to find a home in our current community because the school was highly rated, and our besties lived 3 minutes away. Both are critical factors for us in making this decision. As we continued searching the area, we found that the homes in the price range we wanted were circa 1970 Pepto Pink, totally outdated, and needed more outdoor space for the Bearded One and all his outdoor equipment for his side business.
The search area widened, and we started finding more houses with more workable outdoor space. The decision to change districts wasn’t taken lightly, and the Littles have been part of the conversation the entire way. As the search continued for months without success, a few houses popped up in Beaver County: The Bearded Ones stomping grounds. The original plan was to move in the Spring, but sometimes God has a better plan. While scrolling Trulia, the Bearded One looked at a house he found listed as a 2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, and 1,104 Sqft. Upon review of the pictures, he said, “There is no way this house is only 1,104 Sqft.” We looked at the pictures so many times that we memorized everything about the house. Including the 5 acres, it sits in the middle of. After much contemplation and trust that it was time, we found a realtor. I reached out through Trulia and was connected to a local Realtor whose office is close to us. John Shutey with the Reed + Shutey Team with Coldwell Banker became our amazing Realtor. John was very thorough in explaining the home buying process. There wasn’t any question that wasn’t answered and John ensured we fully understood the process. In doing our due diligence, we went out and looked at 3 homes. We visited what we now refer to as “RuckHome”. The house was built in 1977, and couple that build the home were the only owners.
If you’ve purchased a home with a loan, you know the banks want to ensure they have made a solid investment, and at first, we were concerned about some things that obviously needed to be corrected. We decided to take a look at two other homes. One home was a total DYI-tried disaster, but it showed potential. Each room had a different color floor, and they had dogs that ruined said floors. However, the basement was an open blank canvas that could be made into any type of space. That was appealing. With the price point and space around the house, we made an offer on the second home not RuckHome. Although neither of us LOVED that house, we knew we could work with it. We made an offer. 24 hours later, they respectfully rejected the offer. I smiled on the inside, I didn’t want that house. We then set our eyes on a Cape Cod-style home near where he grew up; it was a beautiful home with a vast 3-stall garage and lots of room for activities; however, having previously owned a Cape Cod-style home, he was only partially sold on it. I saw more potential in this house than I did the second and the garage space was truly vast. It had a lot more appeal than the second one, less work would be required to move in but he did remind me that with a stone Cape Code-style home, there is nowhere to expand if needed.
We decided to take a second look at RuckHome.
We looked at it with very different eyes this time. With an open mind at the possibilities that lay before us, we set up the appointment with John to revisit the home. Sure, there was going to be some cost for for it to even pass appraisal, then renovations to modernize. There were so many unknowns and things to consider. We were changing school districts to a smaller school. It’s not always a bad thing, but change can be a challenge for kids. His commute was going to essentially triple (mine remains the same). Further away from our friends who we see regularly? That was a tough decision, too. Weighing all the options and for me, totally stepping out on faith, we both agreed that we were going to make an offer on RuckHome. If there is something I can share wholeheartedly, I pray for all things, and if this was God’s will for this home to be our home, there was no stopping it.
We closed on RuckHome on December 29, 2023
This is our journey, our adventure, and this is my opportunity to share our blessing of this home with all of you so that you can dream big and watch God show off how much he loves those who are faithful to him.
We’ve been working at RuckHome every weekend since closing. There are so many changes going on and we’re finding little hidden unknowns with every single wallpaper change, new plumbing or bathroom removal. It’s an adventure to say the least but we’re so excited about this journey that it’s all worth it. Stay tuned for more pictures, videos and stories.