Home sweet... wait? not our home?

It's the spring of 2021, and we have just looked at over 12 different homes for sale. Our realtor was in knee deep and we were starting to get frustrated with the market. He didn't want to give up just yet, but we were ready to throw in the towel and just rent an apartment. I was working a full-time managerial job and my husband was finishing up his last few months of his fellowship training. It was hard to take off to drive 2hrs away every weekend as my job didn't allow for that. Some homes we had to see virtually and some we were able to see in-person. Given the market, you had to make a decision... quick. There was no room for "let me think about it", or "let's see if something else comes along". You had one chance and usually only ONE day to make up your mind after seeing it or it will be gone the next day. After about 11 no's, a smurf blue looking house on a golf course with way too many windows, a house that literally tricked you from the exterior and was somehow twice as big on the inside with a very weird layout, prison lighting and odd bathrooms (we ended up naming that house the Willy Wonka house) we FINALLY found a house to say yes to. The neighborhood was nice and it was in a very sought after area named Pooler, GA. The house was one level and had a large pond directly behind it. It had a large foyer, a formal dining room, formal living room, so many things we wanted and were looking for. The only thing that was meh, was the kitchen. It could of used a little bit of an update, but it was good considering the price. We didn't see this home in person, but we were able to see it 2 days of being on the market virtually. Our realtor lived in the area, so it made it easier for him to see it before too many others had the chance. We liked it and put an offer on it immediately. They accepted the offer and we were so excited that the first home we loved, we were able to have! Well, 10 minutes later and as we were dreaming of our home sweet home moment, someone else was too! Though, they threw all cash at it. So our home sweet home, became home sweet... wait? what? There was NO way we could beat that kind of offer as this person didn't even see the home in person yet either. But with an all cash offer, there was no way we could beat it, so they won and there we were sitting in the living room feeling defeated. "We don't have time to keep looking, as we need a home by June to live in!" I said with a very sad voice I'm sure. I have a passion for homes and when I see one I like, I immediately start thinking of all the possibilities and potential of doing this and that to it to make it our own. I start envisioning the furniture and the paint colors, all the things I guess you really shouldn't do until you have signed the document stating that its yours (eye roll). Who made that rule!!! hello, PINTREST! but hey, a girl can dream... in which I do often. Though this time, my dream got crushed and stomped on by an all cash offer that included the current owners to pay zero closing fees. We didn't have a ton of cash like that just laying around to throw at homes like this person did. Especially after our wedding in February put a slight decline in our savings at that point! So it was frustrating, but we decided to keep looking at more and more... and more. It felt like we were starting to compare all the homes to the one we lost, so we had to sit and think about what we really wanted. So, that's where the next house we fell in love with came along...