Lauren’s Law: Home Edition

With everything going on in the world today — I’m looking at you, coronavirus (COVID-19) — it’s been tougher to find my usual humor in life. However, there’s never been a greater need to do just that.

For the past several months, my husband and I have been in search of a single-family home with hopes to move back to my beloved hometown of Severna Park. The following timeline is how Lauren’s Law came into play when we tried to buy a house amidst an unprecedented global pandemic.

February 19

Blowing out my birthday candles, I wished to find our dream home. The next day, a charming Cape Cod located in Severna Park came onto the market.

February 22

We toured said house and fell in love with the location, community and potential of the home. Some much-needed renovations would be in order to make a few of the bathrooms usable for all tall, immediate and extended family members. The best comparison is Will Ferrell trying to shower in “Elf.” He towers over the showerhead while splashing water onto himself.

March 1

My husband, Scott, and I enlisted both sets of parents to see the house. Despite mixed opinions, Scott and I decided to make an offer later that week.

March 4

We made an offer on the house, fully confident the seller would counter.

March 6

As expected, the seller countered. We countered again. He accepted. We were in the early stages of buying a home! Mortgage rates were at a historic low at 3.25%. Score!

March 7 – March 10

Scott and I drop everything and focused on getting our home ready to put on the market. Houses in our neighborhood are selling like hotcakes, so we’re hopeful ours will sell quickly too. I confess to doing none of the heavy lifting, like painting and decluttering. My job was to chase our 21-month-old daughter, Charlotte.

March 11

After painting the deck, Scott headed to the inspection of the Severna Park home. There were some items that needed to be addressed.

March 14

The seller was willing to fix all issues but wanted to raise the price. By this point, mortgage rates had climbed to 3.99%. Coronavirus concerns were beginning to get serious. Now, the challenge of selling our own home while “social distancing” would have proven unsafe or simply impossible. We thought long and hard about what to do. However, a decision that previously felt so right no longer did.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from this chaotic time, it’s knowing when to hit the pause button. Trusting your gut when something feels right or wrong is also key. We decided to get out of the contract.

The greater takeaway of this story is what I gained during a time where there’s been so much loss around the world: an appreciation for the most valuable things in life, like my loving family and friends. And, our beautiful home.

Lauren Burke Meyer is a Severna Park native who was inspired to write Lauren’s Law as a humorous play on the well-known Murphy’s Law adage: “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”