Originally published 02/06/2022
Tim and I have the same dream.
A homestead in Alaska.
The difference being that he thought he'd get there eventually where as I was pretty positive that I would never be able to make that dream a reality. Not due to a lack of wanting, more the realization that getting out to Alaska and making it on my own seemed like an impossible task with no one but sweet Zelda for company.
I actually have this YouTube video I would watch when thing got hard. It was just trees in Alaska blowing in the snow.
It was a comfort to me.
Now, married to Tim and starting to build our lives together and figure out were this homestead is going to put down its roots, we have turned back to Alaska.
The dream.
For the last little while he and I have been looking at properties in Alaska, trying to find a rental, or maybe even an apartment to move into. Something to get us into the state so we could get established and then find our forever home.
I told Tim after we had to move to the micro-homestead here in Murray that I didn't want to move around anymore. I seem to be stuck in this curse where I'm moving every three to four years I have to move.
In our last house, the Taylorsville house, I wanted to stay for along time. Lost of room and trees and privacy, I was happy to stay there for a long time. But the landlord had to sell it and that was that.
Now with Avrem going into high school this next year, I don't want him to have to change schools during that four years. He should get to have all of those wonderful high school experiences in the same place. He's already had to go to three different middle schools, and I feel terrible about that. If I can help it, he will do all four years in the same school.
Two more moves.
That's what I told Tim. I would move two more times. Once to get established and then to a home where we would live the rest of our lives. A generational home. One like my great-grandmothers. The home where everyone came to gather and all holidays and celebrations were held.
And we want land, enough to establish our home, a home for Tim's parents if they wanted to join us, and then space to set up cabins for our Son's and their future families.
I know, its a tall order. Especially on our credit.
But that's the dream.
While searching for a place to live, a relator sent me a listing for this house in small area called Houston, just outside of Wasilla.
And it is perfect.
A main house for our family, with 180 acres of land for farming and family.
And even a little cabin for visitors and maybe the parents one day
It is, hands down, the most perfect piece of property we have ever seen.
It has everything we need, everything we'd hoped for and, for bonus points, the seller is willing to do owner financing.
Which means that the seller would sell us the house and we could slowly pay her back until we were able to refinance. It would be perfect for us. We could get established and then, in a few years, when we were more settled, we could refinance and buy the seller out.
Its perfect.
But it has a catch.
They want something in the neighborhood of $50,000-$60,000 as a down payment.
And we don't have the money.
So we are scrambling trying to get as much together as we can. But it looks like a loosing battle. We've opened up sites for donations and we're even thinking about starting a gofundme. I hate the idea of asking people for help, but here we are.
Maybe there are people out there that know the same pain of wanting to move but cant. Maybe we can find some help.
We have good jobs, Tim and I. He has been driving and training on a forklift for the last 17 years, he's also got at least ten years of experience with injection molding, aquaponics and any kind of water filtration thanks to his last job for Aqua Ultraviolet in Temecula. I am a 911 operator who is currently being trained to operate police radios. Its a rough job, but I like being able to help people.
That's why I've applied to and been accepted at the University of Alaska in Anchorage as a Nursing student. I want to help people through 911 and then as a nurse.
Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers, no matter who you pray to. We could use all the help we can get.
If you can, please donate, every bit helps. If you can't, please share the link. Thank you.,
****Update****
We've submitted a loan to a lender out of Wasilla, we haven't heard anything yet, but we've got our fingers crossed.
Keep us in your thoughts.
***Update number 2***
We didn't get approved for a loan.
Which was a really hard blow.
But I spoke to the realtor last night and he told me that the seller might be willing to allow us to rent for a year to build our credit and get the houses fixed up. But he would want a large deposit to take the listing down. It's more to make the seller comfortable and get him some money while he loses the chance to sell it over the next year.
He wants like $10,000 to $20,000.
Which is way, way less than the $60,000 from before.
But it's still a lot of money that we don't have.
So back to looking into loans and hoping.
***Final Update***
Today is the first day of March 2022.
I got a call today from the realtor.
Someone made an offer on the house.
It's a fair bit under asking is all he'll tell me.
But the seller is ready to accept. They're just getting the last of the paperwork together.
He told me that the seller would rather it go to us, and if we think we can come up with an offer close to asking,
Which we can't.
I thanked him very kindly for letting me know and hung up the phone.
And then I cried.
Not because a house was lost. The market is like that.
No, I cried because once again we got our hopes up and wanted something very badly, and we just weren't enough.
I'm so tired of not ever being enough.
Images copyright Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group of Wasilla.