And then we decided to sell our house
At least we’re going to try to. This may be a shocker to those of you who have been reading this blog since it was devoted to home improvement (Kelly!) and chronicled our efforts to gut and reconstruct our entire house. For years we poured all of our money, time, sweat and sanity into this place, and ended up with a home that was exactly what we wanted.
Our house a few months after we moved in. The first thing we did was paint the exterior. This is it covered in primer.
This is it in 2008, four years after we moved in. We were in the process of rebuilding the porch stairs. We never did get around to painting the peaks of the house (we couldn’t find a ladder tall enough and didn’t want to rent a cherry picker to hoist us up to its level).
Those things alone will make leaving this house very difficult. Now, throw in the fact that it’s where we started our family – the home we first brought our babies to – and envisioning our last day in this house makes me want to throw up.
Addy’s first moments in our house.
Ditto for Crosby.
So if I’m going to sob for weeks over leaving it, why are we selling it? Because it’s way too far away. Joey spends an hour and a half in the car commuting to work each day. The grocery stores and shops I prefer using are 30 minutes away. Our closest friends (who still live in Wisconsin) are all 45 minutes away. Things like good restaurants, movie theaters, great schools and diversity don’t live out here with us. Plus, we’re busting at the seams, with toys invading every room and children using every inch of space as a play area.
So we’re hoping for a home that’s more centrally located, has a 2 car garage (we only have 1 now), and an area devoted to the kids and their Fisher Price kingdom.
But you know what is going to be that hardest part about leaving? The awesome people we do have here won’t be right outside our door anymore. My parents and Joey’s mom live minutes from our house. And our neighbors…they are such good people who have bent over backwards to help us out. Plus, their daughter, Lydia, is Addy’s best buddy. I know Addy will be in tears when we leave her. We will all be in tears.
But it feel like the right time to do this. Our realtor is ready to plop the For Sale sign in our yard as soon as winter begins to fade, which means mid-March or so. Who knows if we’ll even get an offer. Either way, it feels weird to be prepping our house for other occupants and to think of anyone other than us living in it. Be prepared for many nostalgic moments in the future!
Yay! But also, barf! I know how you feel and I will feel the same way the day we put our fixer-upper on the market. After we’re done busting our butts to fix it up, of course.
Either way, it’s exciting and I’m soooo looking forward to you guys living closer to us! (A house a few doors down from us was just put on the market. hint hint.)
All I have to say to this post is….. NOOOOO, you guys can’t leave us! đ Life won’t be the same without you guys, but we understand! I know the house will sell fast its beautiful!
An exciting new chapter for you all, but one that I know will also have its difficult moments. Believe me, the kids will do great, learn from them đ
AND take pictures of the house and your family enjoying it while you wait to see what happens with an offer
I am proud of you guys, excitement awaits you.
WOW – I didn’t expect a post like this. I understand where you’re coming from though. Minus the kids, I’m in the same boat. I drive 45 min. (one way) to get to work (in fact, we both have this drive) and the good grocery stores and shopping is the same distance away. I admit, the drive kills me on some days.
When I put my first house on the market (after years of blood, sweat and tears in remodeling) it was a gut-wrenching decision. BUT – after the sign was finally in the ground I was ready to get out. I just wanted it to be over and to move into the next phase of life.
I wish you the best in selling your house and finding a new one!
Definitely leaving from the home after selling it to another person is very difficult. The memories of the past will hurt and emotionally it is one of the hardest things to do. But people sell their homes due to their personal reasons. Enjoyed the whole post while reading. Thanks for sharing your personal experience with us.
So many great memories in that house for all of us, but I’m excited to see where your family ends up! Good luck!!
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We’re excited to have you guys closer!