On House Searching

       Out they go in their suburban camouflage, armed with a realtor and stack of stats, hoping to take a shot at a nice, big one--they're house hunters!


       Yes, my husband and I are embarking on this new experience.  Are we likely to find our perfect dream house in our budget?  Heck, no!  Are we financially ready?  We hope so.  Are we looking forward to a house larger than our current 500 square feet?  Oh, yeah!
       Since we're new to all this, I can't presume to share any words of wisdom for other house buyers--though we've been receive a lot of advice, ourselves.  I can only express our understandably mixed excitement and trepidation:
       I really like the idea of better storage spaces, more and nicer kitchen counters, room for the dining table's full size and for a queen-sized bed, as well as an exercising space where I need not fear damaging the ceiling fans, the furniture, or my limbs.  Imagine!  We could actually entertain more than three people comfortably!

        However, what kind of home is best?  How much of our wish-list should we compromise?  Would it be better to build our own house?  Is home ownership only what we want, or is it also part of God's plan for us?  Is this a good investment, financially?  Will we be wise about choosing a home and taking on a mortgage, or are we getting caught up in materialism and unwise debt?  What's better--an older house with charm but in need of many little repairs, or a newer house in better condition but with fewer charm points?
        At this point, we have more questions than answers.  Whatever happens will be a learning experience, and we trust this school of hard knocks won't knock harder than God will enable us to handle.