i have wanted to jot down my thoughts for months....the college topic is one that i want to document as its ever changing and needs a place to be remembered....this blog although it sits for periods of time, is my way to reflect on how much life changes-good times, hard things, happy seasons, just life. this college topic is one that i have started and stopped a handful of times and maybe because the timing wasn't what it needed to be.....but now it is!
....we bought a house! we have NEVER gone so far out of our comfort zone....we have also never done the whole realtor route, look at options-10 of them to be exact, close with a lawyer deal....because most know we bought our home from my dad when bryson was 2! yes, we bought it, but we didn't need a realtor (or their fees) and we didn't need a lawyer as we closed at our kitchen table! so living the process from start to finish has been an experience (not a bad one, honestly, more seamless than i envisioned), but nonetheless an experience far from our "primary residency" situation!
when i say the past year of our lives has evolved in ways that i cant even begin to explain, i have no better way of saying that! this time last year we were fretting over the 250$ deposit for housing and the 300$ acceptance fee and now.....those numbers, those thoughts are so far removed from my head....i mean we didn't win the lottery so there is no more money on our end, but to think of the math situation that was---to now what is, is mind blowing!
this whole clemson experience has been nothing other than every single piece laid at our feet. i tear up thinking about the thoughts of uncertainty a year ago to now, its really unreal! clemson was not the pick. clemson was not even in the cards. but there was a path and we were lead down it and i just cant help but see god's way in every single step. now don't get me wrong chemistry is hard, he is struggling to learn how to study for his load of chem, physics, calc, engineering....the course load is NO JOKE! BUT in that, there are continued promises.
clemson itself is just special, maybe i am just all in, but it just feels right. it is a good, hard, you're getting your money's worth education, it is safe, it is fun, it is just special. so as we were preparing in december-ish to start thinking about next year's living arrangements, we quickly learned we possibly needed a different avenue. dorms are very few and far between for upper classmen, its a lottery, if you don't get in, you must quickly find another option because contracts for housing started in OCTOBER 2024---and we just started thinking about this in december.
bryson has some friends and they found a place....its super close to campus, nice, available, etc....but its 950$ plus utilities a month....12 months of the year! we panicked a little (a lot), told him to find a cheaper place...and then we hatched this crazy idea of, WHAT IF we buy a place, we find roommates to help with the mortgage, he has a place for 3 more years, we don't have a grand out of pocket each month AND maybe, please lord maybe, we can get in state tuition if we jump the right hoops...
well christmas came and i could not focus on that, i told brooks i cant even begin to think of anything till after the new year...so a few weeks ago we got serious, started looking, got some details on things...and we found a place. its 6 mins (or less if the green lights stay green) from campus, in a nice neighborhood. we made an offer (it was low, because if you know brooks he is going to wheel and deal....they declined and came back with barely anything, we walked....). we started looking at others, found another place across the road from the original offer place, liked it, it fit what we needed, made an offer....this neighborhood has its own builder, lending agent combo and they declined our offer because we did not agree to go with their lender-we said its just not meant to be....
but the next day the 1st offer came back and it didn't change much, but we knew they were interested...we countered and they countered and then we agreed to disagree that we were not going to get the greatest deal, BUT it still felt right, it was the top runner from the get go, we believe its a decent resale area, a good safe space for bryson and hopefully easy enough place to find roommates.
all the legal pieces were falling into place pretty easily considering and then i started to panic...what if we don't have roommates, what have we done, how are we going to pay the mortgage if we don't find at least one roommate. (because remember the current roommates have a place closer to campus), so i found some rent/lease clemson pages and i posted....before we even had an inspection completed on the house. i had a dad reach out about his son, bryson met him, check...that's one....and then i had a kid from ELKIN NC message that he had friends in the neighborhood and was interested in the other room, all 3 boys then met and check another piece falling into place!
i have referred to this whole process as a puzzle because there are so many pieces that must fit just right for this whole ordeal to work out nice, neat and put together. once we knew we were under contract, we started thinking about furniture (because we all know i keep nothing, there is not much extra in our house to furnish a 3 bedroom townhouse).....so a friend posted that she was cleaning out her in laws and things needed to go....so 4 trips later (and good deal for us)...we have 2 beds, 3 dressers, recliner, tv, tv stand, end tables, nightstands and a desk! then another friend posted a free desk....picked that up as well!
so on 3.10 at 2 pm we (bryson included) became owners in the state of SC.....its not the beach house i had envisioned, but its absolutely what we need in this current season...
there are a few more pieces to add to the puzzle (decorating being at the top of my list)...but bryson getting a SC drivers license and working on getting the things needed to apply for in state tuition. if that all works out over the next year, our puzzle will be complete!
i really can't say enough about the steps that have just been filled so seamlessly.....its the 1st one we really wanted, the roommates fell at our feet in less than 24 hours, the free stuff to furnish with and the great deals on the big items....this WHOLE year (bryson committed to clemson on 3.30.24) has just been something i never in my life saw coming, but it has turned into the best year of trying to figure out the right way and knowing the right way is right in front of us!
i am a big believer in signs and the signs have shown up in many ways....i didn't even notice but the house number is 407, my brother said that backwards is 704 area code-----HOME!!!
as always the support, love and encouragement is much appreciated!
much love, alysha
go tigers!