We bought a house! Queue whistles blowing, fireworks, clapping, all the sounds that signify celebration. This has been a long road for us, filled with wrong turns, stop signs, speed reductions, and only tiny stretches of clear skies, but that's a blog for another day. Today I'm celebrating what a big deal this is for our family. It's taken us years to settle on a location and for all the cards to fall into place. Anthony and I were born and raised in Milton, and when the development started happening, we were excited to have more amenities, but over time the growth has been hard for us to accept. For most, Milton is still the perfect little town. Except for my brother, who lives in Denmark, all our siblings and parents are in town, so being the first to leave has held us back for years. Our ideal location was just an hour away, a small town, somewhere family-friendly, with lots of parks and connections to nature. For us, that place is Elmira. It's an area we've loved for years. I found a home on MLS that was a quick close from a builder, and I was curious, so I called up Eric, the agent representing the builder. That home wasn't the perfect fit for us, but one in the framing stage was. We lucked out because the builder didn't plan on selling this home until the spring when it was completed.

When Eric told us that the builder would consider releasing it early and let us choose the finishes, things started to come together. I knew as soon as I was standing in the "kitchen" that this was meant to be our home. This house wasn't listed yet, so we took a huge risk by asking Eric to make an offer on our behalf. We loved the place, the neighbourhood, and everything except the price. We put in an offer and asked for a lengthy 8.5-month closing so the kids could finish school. I felt pretty confident, Lol! I had the plans printed and was already organizing the furniture. Anthony had doubts and did not hide his gloat when they didn't accept our offer. The builder sent us a counter, but it wasn't something we could take, we weren't playing games or at a starting point, our offer was first and final. Even though at the time, it didn't **seem** like things were going to work out, in my mind, that house was already ours. The next day eric called us and said, let's put your offer in again; we said okay, but we aren't changing anything; it has to be the same. I'm one for signs and things turning out as they are meant to be without giving up on what is important to us. Anthony was on a plane heading back to Regina when Eric called and said, "Congratulations, the builder accepted your offer." I was excited but immediately scared about moving the kids away and worried about all the money it would take to get us into that house. I was worried and anxious about the decision for a few days, but Anthony and I went back and forth, reassuring each other that this was a good thing and that all the best things in our lives came from something new, sometimes unexpected, and often scary. We've had a few weeks to digest it all. We've looked into the schools and been to the new house a few times, and now it all feels right. Of course, we are still nervous, but we are also thankful that so many things fell into place for us. I'm beyond excited to have the chance to make design decisions, and the house layout is perfect for all the business ventures I've always wanted to film Diys, baking, crafting etc.

Part of the main floor pictured below

Picture 1 Living Room, Picture 2 dining area, Picture 3 kitchen

I will document the entire process to share with you all, including upgrades, the design center, and what projects we will tacle and film when we move in.

Thank you so much for following along all these years, cheering us on, being happy, and wishing us well. Your support and encouragement mean more than you'll ever know!

Megan, xo

We Bought A House