I’m Home.

So there I was minding my own business in my freezing NYC apartment. I was sitting on my tiny love seat I had purchased in med school. Just small enough for me to curl up on the couch, dissuade folks from trying to move in with me, and ruin backs. I was scrolling aimlessly on Zillow, dreaming of my dream home. I stumbled upon this townhome in the heart of Midtown. And y’all…it had a rooftop. I sent the link to my Mom and told her we should drive by when I was scheduled to visit home in a few days. She said, “Drive by?! I wanna go in!!” So I went from dreaming to acting and called up the realtor on the page. The next thing I know, I’m with my parents and the realtor assigned to that home going on a full morning house hunt. This was two years ago. That initial home was not the one for me. My dad looked in the windows and saw it was a mess inside, chile. And no one ever provided the keys to the lock box, so we never actually made it inside the home. It turns out there was a messy foreclosure situation going on and I wanted no parts of it.

My (because I guess she was mine now) realtor had a few other properties for us to view that day. One of them was just a bit outside my former neighborhood. I was not sold on it at first, but Dad was. I can still hear him saying, “This is it. Anya, this is the one.” The more I thought about it and the more I saw what else was on the market, the more I realized…that house—my house—was indeed The One.

I’ve never been an impulse buyer. Even as a content creator and fashion influencer, I like to put items on my secret Pinterest board, think about them for months, and determine if I really need and love them. Then and only then will I make a move. It’s very seldom I see and buy something same day. The same holds true for my home.

This process of homebuying has stretched my faith even more because I absolutely had to have faith the home would be mine. Y’all read the “two years ago” part in paragraph one, right? Yea. When I fell in love with my home, I was beginning 2nd year of residency and could not afford the space at the time. With the fluctuating content creator market, brand deals were further and fewer in between for me and I could not show enough proof of income to prequalify for the home. As I neared closer to 3^rd year of residency and, therefore, an attending salary, I wrote the builders a beautiful letter explaining to them I am a doctor with impending job security and asking if anything could be done. I tried to appeal to them as a human being and shared how I dedicated my life and education toward serving my country as a physician; how I had not given up on marriage and could see myself starting a family in one of their homes.

No go lol. They loved the letter, but needed to see the dollar dollar bills, y’all. I did what I know to do. I dug into my faith bag and began meditating on Deuteronomy 6:11. When God, your God, ushers you into the land he promised through your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you, you’re going to walk into large, bustling cities you didn’t build, well-furnished houses you didn’t buy, come upon wells you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive orchards you didn’t plant. When you take it all in and settle down, pleased and content, make sure you don’t forget how you got there—God brought you out of slavery in Egypt. I was determined to get that house and I truly believed I would. I would later write that same scripture on the wall behind my fridge once I secured the home and completed my first walk-through.

God ensured time was on my side because while I saw and fell in love with the model home, my actual home still needed to be built. When I first discovered the neighborhood, my home was but a pile of dirt. I prayed God would allow divine delays. I prayed God would keep my home hidden from any other buyer. Both my realtor and the site realtor were absolutely convinced the remaining homes (to be built) would all sell within a few months of me seeing the model. But guess what…

Y’all, the builders mysteriously put a major pause on building my neighborhood and spent the next year completing an apartment complex nearby. WHAT?! I was just so ecstatic!! Of course that did not mean other buyers couldn’t come through and still purchase the homes that were on pause, but I did feel like it would buy me more time. And it did…

More delays ensued with the city, permits, crazy and unpredictable weather (thank you, Georgia!!) until finally, I was a 3^rd year resident. I then needed just a few more months to secure my job and, therefore, proof positive I can afford this home. Every single time I traveled home for vacation or elective (and y’all know home is the only place I went for “vacation” all of residency lol!), I would drive by my townhouse. I literally watched it grow from the ground up; from a pile of dirt to my deluxe Atlantan enclave. I would stop my car just for a few moments and pray Deuteronomy 6:11 over the home and pray God save it for me. I honestly did not care too much which townhouse I got as long as I got one of them. 

And I did. February was quite the month for the Anya Bazzell household. God blessed me with my first post-residency job and my home in a matter of weeks. I was in the motherland—Kenya to be exact—signing paperwork and wiring money over extremely limited wifi. It took me 2 hours at 11pm Kenyan time, but anything for #AnyasEnclave. 

I’m just so grateful. I’m so grateful God kept a home—my dream home—on the market that long (TWO YEARS!!) just for me. I literally got the second to last one. Talk about God’s Divine Timing. Speaking of timing and faith, I know the market and interest rates are nuts right now. I was never going to allow those factors to stop me from moving into my dream house. One word: Refinance. I reminded myself God provides and I am not to live with a scarcity or fear mindset; not after all I’ve been through to get where I am. I’m going to fully enjoy my life. I live in abundance and with an abundance mindset. I will continue to do so.

I’m really proud of myself for knowing what I want and sticking to that in so many facets of my life. I saw several houses on my search. None of the others felt like my home. Even my realtor told me she’s just so proud of me for having a vision, seeing a place I loved, and fiercely pursuing it. She said she’s usually able to encourage and help people land on a plan b home. Not me, though! After two years and no sale, I was sure she’d fire me lol. She stuck beside me and I’m really glad she did. She had my back and never pushed me to settle. Both she and the site realtor were present during closing and gave me so many gifts and champagne, y’all! They both shared how proud they were; how inspired they were by my faith. It made me feel so good to watch them retell my story to the closing attorney. Dad was there just beaming with pride, as was I.

Believe it or not, 9-year-old Anya always knew this would happen. She always knew I would accomplish this almost lifelong dream. I have wanted so badly to purchase my own home with my own funds, goodt credit, and career by myself prior to getting married. I wanted to say I had done it all of my own volition. I wanted to have a home where I control the pace, the peace, the joy, and the temperament. I wanted to have a space where NOBODY could hold it over my head, tell me to get out, or even insinuate I needed someone else to get what I got. NOBODY. As a youngin, I had a vision for my life. I looked myself in the mirror and said, “An, it’s time to get serious, babe. We gotta have a career. We gotta have our own. We gotta get established and then we can create space for someone to come on in.” Anyone who knows me in real life knows this to be true. My goal was not about emasculation, nor was it really about feminism. Rather, my goal was about being my best self for myself. I wanted to show myself that I could show up for me and accomplish greatness just depending on me and God. I wanted to show myself I am beyond capable of all things. I wanted to accomplish something for which only myself and God can take credit. I am BEYOND PROUD that EVERYTHING I’ve set out to do…I’ve done. I’m so glad I bucked up and showed up at every stage in life even when I wanted to quit. I am finally reaping the benefits. I am finally reaping my great reward and I’m just getting started.

My home is the most adult and most exciting purchase I’ve ever made. No bag or shoe could ever compare. I will not lie, though. Navigating this journey has been A LOT on my own. I read my documents before signing them. I notate and ask millions of questions. Shout out to my realtor and lender! As a first-time homebuyer, I’ve had to do so much research and educate myself on so many facets of the entire process. I’m so proud of myself for trudging through that process because I did what needed to be done so I could fully understand what I am getting into. I accomplished my goal and I also feel more confident with engaging in real estate endeavors in the future. But baby, in the future I’m gonna want a man. HA! I am tired!! I’m so glad I did this on my own first. That was always my aim. Now that I’ve done it, I’d like to be a bit more of a passenger princess with the next home purchase. I’m still gonna read those documents because I’m smart, but it would be nice to share such a tedious (and sometimes stressful) process with my person. 

I’m excited, y’all. I’m blessed. I’m elated. I’m at peace. After living in NYC for 3 years and then living with my parents for 2 months, I am in my own space again. And this time I own it. I look forward to sharing this homeowner’s journey with all of you and I can’t wait to share the home furnishings! For this birthday (yes, it’s my birthday!), I bought myself a house. I can’t wait to have all the love, parties, family gatherings, Friendsgivings, and maybe even my first kiddo here. This place is Blessed and I plan to take such good care of it. I plan to laugh, sing, dance, dream in it. This is the first blog post reporting live from #AnyasEnclave. Here’s to many plenty more. 

I’m Home.

xx, 

Photos by Jasmine Smith Photography