Justin received a full-time offer with Phillips 66 shortly after completing his internship at the Rodeo, CA refinery. While we knew he had a job secured, the location was to-be-determined and we were definitely nervous we would be sent to Oklahoma/Texas/somewhere far, far away from our family. We were told we most likely would not be going back to California, and that the open positions were in New Jersey, Texas, Oklahoma, and Montana.
As it turns out, Heavenly Father had the perfect position lined up for us, back at the Rodeo, CA refinery! We were absolutely shocked, yet thrilled, to hear this news. This meant we would be close to family, and that I could continue working for Ancestry since they have an office downtown SF. Seriously, such a blessing for us.
But, even amidst the huge blessing, trying to find housing in California proved to be an absolute nightmare. We scoured the inter webs trying to find a reasonably priced 3-bedroom home for rent in the East Bay. We looked in Walnut Creek and Concord, Antioch and Pittsburg, Martinez and Crocket, Hercules and Rodeo, Richmond and Berkely - you name it. But we could not catch a break. The homes that met our criteria were way over our budget. We decided to cross one more bridge north and started looking in Fairfield and Benicia. We considered looking in Vallejo, but everyone told us to stay far far away from such a place.
One day, a beautiful home became available in Fairfield. It was 3 bedrooms. Under budget. Complete with a backyard and washer/dryer. Recently remodeled and appeared to be in a nice neighborhood. Needless to say we were very, very excited. I felt like we had finally caught our break. Was it too good to be true? Unfortunately, yes. During my 5 min phone call with the listing agent I was asked, 'Have you looked at the crime rates in this area?' and 'Do you know the reputation of this neighborhood' ... And concluded that if they felt the need to even ask me those questions, it ain't good. So that dream house quickly faded away. We knew we would have to compromise somewhere - either make a 2 bdrm work, sacrifice a yard, or live in an apartment complex.
But the market was SO competitive. Places would get snatched up as soon as they became available, and it didn't help that we were currently living two states away.
One night, Justin was on Zillow and literally saw a listing the second it was posted. It was probably 9 or 10 in the evening and he called the realtor immediately. We were the first to call! We explained our situation - we lived in Utah but were graduating soon and about to start working in Rodeo, we have 2 young boys and have had a nightmare trying to find housing accommodations. We also explained that we wouldn't be able to come see the home in person, but we had family and friends who could view the home on our behalf. We begged and groveled and pleaded with the realtor. We were desperate. Justin was supposed to start his job in 2 weeks and we still didn't have a place to live! Praise the heavens, the realtor showed pity on us. Of course, she still had to show the home to cover all her bases, but she basically told us that if we could come through with good references and a solid application, it would be ours. Release the pigeons!
We were beyond thrilled to finally feel some security in the housing department - and it didn't even bother us that this home was located in Vallejo! It just felt meant to be and we went to bed that night feeling relieved, and probably somewhat anxious. Vallejo was supposed to be the 'no-no' zone. Would we come out alive? We had honestly heard horror stories about this town, but at this point we didn't have much choice but to move forward in faith. We submitted our application, complete with a personalized letter and family photo, and prayed to our Heavenly Father that things would work out and we would finally be free from our house-hunting nightmare.
The next morning when we woke up and checked the listing, there were over a THOUSAND views. By that night over 2,500 people had looked at this home. In less than 24 hours! We knew we had an in with the property manager, but seeing how many other potential candidates had an interest as well did not help our angst.
Nonetheless, a few painful days later we received a phone call informing us that our application had been accepted! We signed a year-long lease, and awaited the day we would walk into our new home.
