I consider September 30th one of four milestones of perusing ownership of the Potter House.
September 30th - the first day we saw the house in person.
October 4th - the day our offer was accepted
November 3rd - the day we closed
December 1st - our first day of forever
I can remember the exact moment when Joe stumbled on the house listing on Realtor.com. We were at my brothers house, feeling pretty defeated and just waiting for our flight back to CA later that day. I was sitting with my sister in law & brother in their backyard talking over how terrible the meeting went and that were were going to go ahead and terminate ( we were in contract with another house ) and I see Joe out of the corner of my eye jump up from the couch and rush to the back door, he flings it open and goes, "Ashley, look at this HOUSE!" - I reluctantly looked and said, "that's not real, don't tease me like that.." and he responds, "It's is REAL and it's in East Texas." I promptly took the phone, flipped through the pictures and said, "That's the house, this is it!"
My brother & sister in law both said that East Texas was really nice and that it's close to where we had previously gone dirt biking & ATV'ing earlier that summer. I handed Joe his phone back and he took a seat to call our realtor, Rebecca. I kept pleading with the universe and to myself that this was our house and for us to please get a showing / have it not be sold yet. Turned out, we were able to snag the second showing of the very limited spots available -but- it was two days away. I promptly canceled our flights back to CA and held my breathe for the next 48 hours.
Something about this house listing felt different. It was if I couldn't talk about it out of fear that we would lose it. With past houses, I would copy the link and send to my closest friends & family and we would discuss the pros & cons. But this time, I closed up. Joe and I had this unspoken understanding that we weren't going to tell just anyone. I sent the listing to two people, my mom & my best friend, swearing them both to secrecy. At this point, only 7 people were aware that we were pursing and 4 of them were sitting on the patio that day.
I vividly recall the morning of the showing. I got up early to do my niece's hair for picture day. My brother took the day off work, my sister in law ditched out of school and the 4 of us made our way 2 hours East. We stopped off at Buc-cee's, where I first tried the Rhino Breakfast Taco ( again, iykyk ) then cruised over to Cavender's off the Loop to grab Joe a pair of boots then drove down the quaint, narrow county road where the property is located. Arriving early, we sat outside on the side of the road and waited for our realtors.
Driving down the driveway, I felt so calm. The 4 of us pointing out what we saw but none of it was over-enthusiastic. I personally just felt like I needed to suppress my feelings and remain neutral but, deep down, I think we all knew this was where we were meant to be. It was home.
Fast forward through our one hour showing, all of us kept crossing paths trying to cover as much of the property we could. I remember I kept taking photos and sending them to my mom & best friend. They were asking questions, but I don't recall evening answering, -just kept sending more pictures.
When our hour was almost up, we reconvened in the front yard. Our realtor asked us our thoughts and we cohesively said, "whatever it takes, Rebecca - this is our house." Right before we headed to the car, I took the first picture I would ever take of the house and it was of my sister-in-law sitting on the porch steps. It was the "raw and in the moment" type, and is still one of my favorite photos.
When we got in the car to leave, I took a look back at the Potter House and I texted my mom saying it felt like home, which is something I hadn't felt before. On the way back, someone pointed out that the closest food restaurant was Chick-Fi-La. We all laughed and said that it was a sign!
From September 30th to October 4th, we held our breath. We found out on Joe's birthday, the 3rd, that were were 1 of 2 offers being considered. On the 4th, we went into contract. From October 4th to November 3rd, it was so intense & stressful that it was honestly a blur. Shortly after we went into contract, the house went viral.
I received phone calls daily telling me to get on FB, Instagram, getting sent links to check out articles being written / posted. This put Joe and I on such edge, -just the thought of losing the house was exhausting. To this day, I see random articles and see the original house listing photos populate on social media. I can smile now, relishing that it all turned out okay but I can still recall the uncertainty that it once brought.
One fun fact was that we signed closing documents at a little air'bnb on Jones St. in Savannah, GA. We had planned this trip earlier in the year and had to hire a traveling notary. It's was so special and something I'll never forget.
December 1st: first day of forever
It almost felt unreal. Before Thanksgiving, we loaded up the pups, my brother in law and headed to Texas where we had Thanksgiving with family & used that time to gather a few "must have" items for the new house. The days felt long leading up to the 1st but soon enough it was time. We drove the two hours, stopping at Buc-cee's for lunch, then continued on the 20. We pulled in, hopped out of the car and introduced Dixie, Winne & Roo to their new home. It was a crisp afternoon spent catching chickens, calling pest control & scrambling to get the power/water turned on. None of which happened except catching the chickens & pest control. Did we spend the first night in the dark and without water? Yes. We ate Chick-Fi-La dinner by flashlight that night. However everything was resolved by noon the next day. All part of the experience, right?!
We hit the ground running. Joe tackled the outside of the property, consolidating rubbish left behind and promptly calling a pool service to address the murky water. I scrubbed every inch of the house, top to bottom and unpacked. It was a lot of work but in the end I think it's part of human nature to nest.
In the short time we've owned the Potter House, the feeling of disbelief of being the lucky ones to take on the ownership hasn't worn off. We still rise every morning, throw back the curtains, pop open the door and sigh a sweet sigh of contentment. We love coffee on the brick patio, lunch on the back porch and evenings down by the pond. We've hosted close family & friends, their dogs and made so many memories already.
We delve into this chapter during a challenging time personally and used it to swing ourselves into a brand new chapter, leaving all reservations and the heaviness of the unknown behind. The Potter House has served as more than just a home but as a renewal of life capable of living. Everyday we count our lucky stars and thank those who have supported us along the way.
Here's to year -one-!
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