Answer Magazine

House Hunting

“Do you know who you remind me of?” my sister asked. This had better be good, I thought. She continued without waiting for my response. “You know that story about the man whose gets caught in a flood? He sits on the roof of his house, waiting for God to come. But he’s so focused on watching for God, he turns away all the boats that float by to rescue him. He finally drowns and asks God in person, “Why didn’t you come?” God says to him, “Didn’t you see all those boats I sent?”

How annoying! She of the credit card debt and rotting window is lecturing me about complicating my own situation? It was all I could do not to call her a blackened pot. Instead, I disconnected our call and busied myself with dog walking. But the question wouldn’t leave me: Was I a drowning man, ignoring God’s help?

The incident that sparked this conversation was rather simple – I had gone house hunting. Yes, my ever-practical realtor had tried to discourage my interest in older, money-pit homes. And when I sent the For Sale By Owner listing to my realtor, he was predictably unmoved by its 1940’s charm, despite the fact that it had been completely renovated. He was not swayed by the price tag either, which was within my budget. “Look,” he pointed out, laughing. “This home was a foreclosure last year, going for 80 thousand less than it is now. They’re dreaming!” “Well,” I argued, “they did put a lot of work into it.”

I knew the home price shouldn’t be based on renovations, but on comparables within that neighborhood. He reminded me anyway, hinting it might not be the best neighborhood. We ended the conversation with the understanding that I would drive by and look at it. I could tell he thought the house was a “dog,” like many of the other listings I pursued.

He was right. En route, I passed a mass arrest at a church – five cop cars swarming the lot. Undaunted by the sight, I rounded the corner to find my beautiful house. It stood firm at the crest of a hill, offering no easy parking options. And it was at that moment I spotted it, across the street.

The “Dog.”
A rattletrap, formerly-white house, with a board for a door.
My house and I were surrounded by a pack of them - rabid, slavering dogs...the real estate version of the hounds of hell.

How had I not seen them before? Had I been distracted by the raid? Unkempt lawns, strewn with the remnants of garage sales, children’s toys and rusty automobiles. In turning the corner, I’d warped onto the set of Deliverance.

Later that afternoon, my realtor teased me. “I wanted to spare you.”
“Spare me what?”
“Having to admit you were wrong.”
“I can admit it. But I’m so discouraged.”
“Don’t worry,” he reassured me. “We’ll find you the perfect house, in spite of you.”

Funny as he was, I was confused. After all, it’d been 2 months since I placed my house on the market. Wouldn’t anyone in my position be anxiously house hunting? Granted, I’d had no offers on my house. But shouldn’t I be prepared? It only took one interested buyer. And didn’t preparation include investigating all reasonable prospects? This was where my realtor, and my sister, disagreed with me – “reasonable.” What constituted a reasonable prospect?

My sister, embittered by her 10- year-old home with the rotting window, felt nothing less than new construction would do. My realtor, more pragmatic, felt I would know when the time was right to look– the right time being after we had a solid offer on my house. “Hear me now,” he said of my current method, “believe me later.” Why was I so insistent on relying on my own faulty judgment instead of his years of experience, her wisdom - ignoring police raids instead of heeding them? Was God sending me boats I continued to ignore?

Scriptures remind us, “Where there is no counsel, purposes are frustrated, but with many counselors they are accomplished” (Proverbs 15:22). When we are willing to listen, God often speaks through those with more experience and knowledge, sending them to offer illumination when we lose our way. “Listen to the words of the wise,” Proverbs admonishes, “and apply your mind to my knowledge.” (22:17)

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