Saturday, August 27, 2011

miracle on 22nd street

Ever since we sold our house in Orange County, we've been trying to buy a home in our neighborhood, including the house we've been iiving in. But we just haven't been able to close the right deal. But then--right in the middle of another purchase attempt and seemingly out of nowhere--we were offered an amazing opportunity to rent a beautiful old 4-bedroom Victorian house just a few blocks from where we live now.

We'll have 2 bedrooms we'll use and 2 bedrooms we can use as guest rooms. It's got a huge kitchen for community meals, it wlll make a great new hub for our ministry, and it will actually be an even better house than the one we're in now for hosting guests and assimilating new apprentices...and at less than half the rent of our current house!

There are 2 catches: 1) we have to move out of the house for two weeks each summer so the owners can come back and use it as their vacation home; and 2) we will manage the two 1-bedroom units next to it. But as much as we travel, getting out of the house a couple weeks a year shouldn't be a big deal, and managing the rental units actually gives us first crack at two nice apartments that our staff and/or apprentices might need, so that is actually a plus.

And this is pretty amazing too: after we met and told our prospective new landlords who we are and what we do, they checked out our website and they saw their house featured front and center on our San Diego site page. That picture was actually taken 3 years ago before we even moved to San Diego, and I actually forgot it was even there. But now here we are 3 years later about to move into this very same house (pictured here)!

We'll be moving in on Labor Day weekend and our guest rooms will be ready to roll soon after, so come down and see us soon!