We were able to do quite a few of the projects ourselves, and we hired my Dad and his good friend (who is also a contractor) to finish it up. It took some time, a bit of money, and about a week, but we are done! We are one step closer to our close date, and eventually, our forever home.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
The Inspection: A Nail Biting Experience
After we accepted the offer, the next step in the process was to have an inspection done. Joe, our Realtor Marie, and I were a bit nervous about this step. From the beginning, we were concerned about the roof as well as the furnace, not because either were causing us problems, but the fact that (as far was we know) they are original with house. When most roofs are considered to have a twenty year lifetime, and your house is nineteen years old, it make you worry a bit.
The inspection day came and went. Joe and I felt on the verge of panic waiting to hear the news. We were sure that there would have to be some negotiations, and we were worried that something would make the deal fall through. A couple of days, and several glasses of wine later, we heard the news. There was a small list of repairs to be done, but nothing too difficult, too expensive, and (happily) no deal-breakers.
We were able to do quite a few of the projects ourselves, and we hired my Dad and his good friend (who is also a contractor) to finish it up. It took some time, a bit of money, and about a week, but we are done! We are one step closer to our close date, and eventually, our forever home.
We were able to do quite a few of the projects ourselves, and we hired my Dad and his good friend (who is also a contractor) to finish it up. It took some time, a bit of money, and about a week, but we are done! We are one step closer to our close date, and eventually, our forever home.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Color Run 2013
I will admit that I have fallen off the running bandwagon a bit. I have only run a handful of times this summer (usually with the help of a dear friend, who encouraged me through running playdates with our kiddos). Today was one of the few. Way back, when I first started running, I put out feelers for friends/family who would want to join me in running the Color Run. At the time, it was 6 months-ish away, and I wanted to sign up to make sure I would stick with it through the summer. Although it didn't keep me running all summer long, it did help motivate me today!
My mom, three of my sisters, and I got up bright and early this morning, pumped and ready for some fun! When we got there, it was a zoo. Hundreds of cars lined the freeway off-ramp, and every street there after. The parking lot was also filling fast, and we were almost an hour early for the first wave of runners. As we walked to the starting line, I began to get excited (as I always do before races). I couldn't contain it, so I bounced, sang, and danced to the music while we waited.
Since I was the only one in the group with any race experience, we decided to take it as it came. Run as much as possible, but take breaks along the way. They all did awesome!! Every single one of us ran across the finish line, and we did it with multicolored bodies and big toothy smiles.
If you are interested in participating in this run in the future, I have a couple of things to share.
#1- It's a blast!
#2- Wear glasses and possibly something over your mouth, the powder goes everywhere.
#3- Don't sign up for this one, if you're looking for a race to be timed and seriously run. Each of the color check points really slows you down, and because there are SO MANY people, it's very difficult to run at full speed.
#4- Bring the kiddos! If I would have known how kid-friendly this race is, Liam would have been running along side his mama. You can avoid the powder check-ins, if you're worried about the kids getting blasted (because they will!).
#5- Plan to stay awhile, or take the MAX. Next year, we plan to bring a bbq and have an after-race tailgate party afterwards. It took us almost an hour and a half to get out of the parking lot.
#6- Bring a change of clothes, towels, plastic bags, etc. The powder gets EVERYWHERE, and unless you want a multicolored car, you need to plan ahead.
#7- No matter how much you plan ahead, no matter how much you try, you will not be clean when you leave the track. I've taken a shower, a bath, spot scrubbed, and washed my hands several times throughout the day, and I still keep finding patches of neon green.
The Color Run is a blast, it was an experience I'll never forget, and it was a wonderful way for my mom, my sisters, and I to have fun and be active together.
 |
| The "Before" shot. |
My mom, three of my sisters, and I got up bright and early this morning, pumped and ready for some fun! When we got there, it was a zoo. Hundreds of cars lined the freeway off-ramp, and every street there after. The parking lot was also filling fast, and we were almost an hour early for the first wave of runners. As we walked to the starting line, I began to get excited (as I always do before races). I couldn't contain it, so I bounced, sang, and danced to the music while we waited.
Since I was the only one in the group with any race experience, we decided to take it as it came. Run as much as possible, but take breaks along the way. They all did awesome!! Every single one of us ran across the finish line, and we did it with multicolored bodies and big toothy smiles.
If you are interested in participating in this run in the future, I have a couple of things to share.
#1- It's a blast!
#2- Wear glasses and possibly something over your mouth, the powder goes everywhere.
#3- Don't sign up for this one, if you're looking for a race to be timed and seriously run. Each of the color check points really slows you down, and because there are SO MANY people, it's very difficult to run at full speed.
#4- Bring the kiddos! If I would have known how kid-friendly this race is, Liam would have been running along side his mama. You can avoid the powder check-ins, if you're worried about the kids getting blasted (because they will!).
#5- Plan to stay awhile, or take the MAX. Next year, we plan to bring a bbq and have an after-race tailgate party afterwards. It took us almost an hour and a half to get out of the parking lot.
#6- Bring a change of clothes, towels, plastic bags, etc. The powder gets EVERYWHERE, and unless you want a multicolored car, you need to plan ahead.
#7- No matter how much you plan ahead, no matter how much you try, you will not be clean when you leave the track. I've taken a shower, a bath, spot scrubbed, and washed my hands several times throughout the day, and I still keep finding patches of neon green.
 |
| After! |
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
First Day Times Two
I always loved the first day of school. I loved shopping for school clothes/supplies. I loved setting out all of my new things, organizing my backpack, binder, and my first week's worth of outfits. Every year, it felt like a new, fresh start. A chance to start over, make new friends, make a new, first impression, reinvent myself. When I became a teacher, the first day feeling still remained. It was a bit different, but it was still there. I still pick out my clothes for the first week or two, I go school supply shopping (this time for my students), and I get that renewed and fresh start feeling every year.
This year, it felt even more familiar, even more like when I was a kid preparing for the third grade. Today was not only the first day of school with my new set of students, but it was also Liam's first day of preschool. Last night, as I helped him pick out his clothes, pack his backpack, and discussed what our morning would be like; I saw the excitement in his face, heard the nerves in his voice, and felt the happy anxiety that I felt in my school days.
This morning I think I was more anxious than he was. I kept pacing, running around frazzled, and couldn't help but feel as though we were going to run out of time. Figuring out how to get all of us ready, drop Liam off at preschool, Nolan at daycare, and get myself to work, seemed almost impossible. Thankfully, Joe stayed home today to drop Liam off with me, and to help with the transition. I don't know how I would have done it without him!
When we finally made it to the preschool, I felt butterflies in my stomach. Liam went right into his room, introduced himself to his teacher, said a quick, "Hello!" to all of his peers, and then began exploring the classroom. When it was time for Joe and I to go, Liam was less than interested in us. He said goodbye, gave us hugs and kisses, and was on his way to a new basket of blocks or cars. I, however, was on the verge of tears.
After the emotional roller coaster that was preschool drop off, I still had to maneuver dropping off Nolan, getting to work, preparing for students, and teaching three classes of kiddos for the first time. After an amazing day meeting my new students, I was more than a little excited to pick Liam up and hear about his day. He and his teacher, had nothing but wonderful things to say about his day. He has not stopped talking about all of the new things he did, the friends that he met, the teachers that taught him new things, and the fun he had on the playground.
I think it's safe to say, that Liam and I have both transitioned into our new educational setting quite well.
This year, it felt even more familiar, even more like when I was a kid preparing for the third grade. Today was not only the first day of school with my new set of students, but it was also Liam's first day of preschool. Last night, as I helped him pick out his clothes, pack his backpack, and discussed what our morning would be like; I saw the excitement in his face, heard the nerves in his voice, and felt the happy anxiety that I felt in my school days.
This morning I think I was more anxious than he was. I kept pacing, running around frazzled, and couldn't help but feel as though we were going to run out of time. Figuring out how to get all of us ready, drop Liam off at preschool, Nolan at daycare, and get myself to work, seemed almost impossible. Thankfully, Joe stayed home today to drop Liam off with me, and to help with the transition. I don't know how I would have done it without him!
When we finally made it to the preschool, I felt butterflies in my stomach. Liam went right into his room, introduced himself to his teacher, said a quick, "Hello!" to all of his peers, and then began exploring the classroom. When it was time for Joe and I to go, Liam was less than interested in us. He said goodbye, gave us hugs and kisses, and was on his way to a new basket of blocks or cars. I, however, was on the verge of tears.
After the emotional roller coaster that was preschool drop off, I still had to maneuver dropping off Nolan, getting to work, preparing for students, and teaching three classes of kiddos for the first time. After an amazing day meeting my new students, I was more than a little excited to pick Liam up and hear about his day. He and his teacher, had nothing but wonderful things to say about his day. He has not stopped talking about all of the new things he did, the friends that he met, the teachers that taught him new things, and the fun he had on the playground.
I think it's safe to say, that Liam and I have both transitioned into our new educational setting quite well.
 |
| Excited for his first day of preschool! |
Thursday, August 29, 2013
The Offer
Seventeen days into having our house on the market, and it was beginning to wear on me. Keeping the house spotless, toting two small boys and a dog everywhere I went, and checking my phone on a constant basis, hoping for news of another showing or an offer, was getting exhausting.
Of course, the day came when we were hosting a dear friend from out of state. I was taking her to Portland to meet her sister for an afternoon of family time, when the text came. "I would like to show your home ASAP." Being in NE Portland at the time, I freaked out a bit. I had not brought the dog (the one and only time I went anywhere without her in those 17 days), our house was a disaster, and our office was set up as a guest bedroom, complete with a air mattress and suitcases.
Emily was kind enough to take on the job of texting the realitor back to let him know that it would be a couple of hours before the house would be in showing shape. He was kind enough to agree. After dropping her off, I drove home as quickly (and safely) as I could. I also called Joe to let him know the situation, when he decided to leave work early to help me set up the house. When we finally arrived at home, we had 45 minutes to prepare the house and get out.
We did our best, and I can safely say that our house looked pretty good when we left. It was a super hot day, so we drove around rather than hanging out at a park or walking around town as we would have normally done. After Nolan had a quick snack while parked in a quiet neighborhood, we started to drive out to the country, when I got the message that the potential buyers were done looking and that our house "showed very well."
That evening we headed out to a birthday party for our good friends. While finishing up our dinner, my phone rang. It was our realitor with some interesting news. They couple who had viewed our home that afternoon wanted to make an offer. They suggested that we drop our price quite a bit, as well as pay closing costs. We were very excited about the offer, but we knew that it was not something we could agree to. We had a tight window for profit, and the current offer wouldn't allow for any.
We took that evening, and the next morning to decide how to proceed. When I told our realitor that we wanted to counter with a full price offer, but would cover the closing costs, we were all convinced that the negotiations would be over. A half an hour later, we had a deal! Everyone was shocked. I couldn't believe how quickly we had gone from frantically cleaning to celebrating.
As with any real estate transaction, there are hurtles to clear and speed bumps to cross, but just seeing our home go pending in less than three weeks was amazing! We owe it all to our wonderful realitor, who worked so hard to get our house out there for people to see. She is truly talented when it comes to sales and marketing, and we are so so so lucky that we had her in our corner.
Now, fingers crossed for a positive outcome from the inspection!
Of course, the day came when we were hosting a dear friend from out of state. I was taking her to Portland to meet her sister for an afternoon of family time, when the text came. "I would like to show your home ASAP." Being in NE Portland at the time, I freaked out a bit. I had not brought the dog (the one and only time I went anywhere without her in those 17 days), our house was a disaster, and our office was set up as a guest bedroom, complete with a air mattress and suitcases.
Emily was kind enough to take on the job of texting the realitor back to let him know that it would be a couple of hours before the house would be in showing shape. He was kind enough to agree. After dropping her off, I drove home as quickly (and safely) as I could. I also called Joe to let him know the situation, when he decided to leave work early to help me set up the house. When we finally arrived at home, we had 45 minutes to prepare the house and get out.
We did our best, and I can safely say that our house looked pretty good when we left. It was a super hot day, so we drove around rather than hanging out at a park or walking around town as we would have normally done. After Nolan had a quick snack while parked in a quiet neighborhood, we started to drive out to the country, when I got the message that the potential buyers were done looking and that our house "showed very well."
That evening we headed out to a birthday party for our good friends. While finishing up our dinner, my phone rang. It was our realitor with some interesting news. They couple who had viewed our home that afternoon wanted to make an offer. They suggested that we drop our price quite a bit, as well as pay closing costs. We were very excited about the offer, but we knew that it was not something we could agree to. We had a tight window for profit, and the current offer wouldn't allow for any.
We took that evening, and the next morning to decide how to proceed. When I told our realitor that we wanted to counter with a full price offer, but would cover the closing costs, we were all convinced that the negotiations would be over. A half an hour later, we had a deal! Everyone was shocked. I couldn't believe how quickly we had gone from frantically cleaning to celebrating.
As with any real estate transaction, there are hurtles to clear and speed bumps to cross, but just seeing our home go pending in less than three weeks was amazing! We owe it all to our wonderful realitor, who worked so hard to get our house out there for people to see. She is truly talented when it comes to sales and marketing, and we are so so so lucky that we had her in our corner.
Now, fingers crossed for a positive outcome from the inspection!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The Glass Scattered and Nothing Changed
It finally happened. The conversation I have been dreading, yet planning for since I found out I was pregnant with Liam, was had today.
As I pulled away from our daycare to take the boys home, Liam told me about his day. All the fun he had with his friends, what he ate for lunch, and how he had put his leg (fully clothed with shoes and socks) into the pool, etc., when he quickly changed the subject. Here's how it went:
Mommy: Why did you put your whole leg in the water?
Liam: I was hot.
Mommy: Well, you could have taken off your shoes and socks first!
Liam: Mom.....?
Mommy: Yes?
Liam: The other Cassie has hair.
Mommy: Yes, she does. But I don't! (saying it with excitement, but feeling a bit panicky)
Liam: Nope, you don't........why not?
Mommy: I have something called Alopecia. Can you say Alopecia?
Liam: Aloe-pee-sha.
Mommy: That's right! That just means mommy's body doesn't like my hair, so it makes it go away. But that's okay. I like not having hair.
Liam: Ya! Lots of mommies have hair, but some don't.
Mommy: Yep. Some mommies don't have hair, some daddies don't have hair, some kids don't have hair. Just like some people have red hair, or blonde hair, or brown hair. I just don't have any!
Liam: Mommy, I like you with no hair!
*This is the point where my heart melts*
Mommy: Thank you honey. I love you, just the way you are, too!
Liam: Yep.
I have known for quite some time that Liam would notice my differences sooner or later, that the questions from the kiddos at his new preschool would prompt comments, and that I would have to explain why. I was worried about how he would respond, whether or not me being different would make him feel differently about me, that he would be ashamed or embarrassed of his mommy, and about how I would help him understand without making it a big deal. I saw this conversation as a potential "glass shattering" moment (for my friends who watch How I Met Your Mother), that he would never think of me the same way.
I should have never worried about it. My son loves me for me. Just as my students, he looks past my lack of hair, and sees me. He is so smart and understanding. He already knows what parts of a person are important. I'm so proud to call him my son, and I can't wait to see how his empathy and respect for others, and their differences, grows as he does.
As I pulled away from our daycare to take the boys home, Liam told me about his day. All the fun he had with his friends, what he ate for lunch, and how he had put his leg (fully clothed with shoes and socks) into the pool, etc., when he quickly changed the subject. Here's how it went:
Mommy: Why did you put your whole leg in the water?
Liam: I was hot.
Mommy: Well, you could have taken off your shoes and socks first!
Liam: Mom.....?
Mommy: Yes?
Liam: The other Cassie has hair.
Mommy: Yes, she does. But I don't! (saying it with excitement, but feeling a bit panicky)
Liam: Nope, you don't........why not?
Mommy: I have something called Alopecia. Can you say Alopecia?
Liam: Aloe-pee-sha.
Mommy: That's right! That just means mommy's body doesn't like my hair, so it makes it go away. But that's okay. I like not having hair.
Liam: Ya! Lots of mommies have hair, but some don't.
Mommy: Yep. Some mommies don't have hair, some daddies don't have hair, some kids don't have hair. Just like some people have red hair, or blonde hair, or brown hair. I just don't have any!
Liam: Mommy, I like you with no hair!
*This is the point where my heart melts*
Mommy: Thank you honey. I love you, just the way you are, too!
Liam: Yep.
I have known for quite some time that Liam would notice my differences sooner or later, that the questions from the kiddos at his new preschool would prompt comments, and that I would have to explain why. I was worried about how he would respond, whether or not me being different would make him feel differently about me, that he would be ashamed or embarrassed of his mommy, and about how I would help him understand without making it a big deal. I saw this conversation as a potential "glass shattering" moment (for my friends who watch How I Met Your Mother), that he would never think of me the same way.
I should have never worried about it. My son loves me for me. Just as my students, he looks past my lack of hair, and sees me. He is so smart and understanding. He already knows what parts of a person are important. I'm so proud to call him my son, and I can't wait to see how his empathy and respect for others, and their differences, grows as he does.
 |
| Liam and his bald mama |
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Preparing Our Home for Visitors
After making the decision to sell our home, we learned (very quickly) what it would take to get our house into showing shape. A lot of work! We knew right away that we needed to do some yard work, deep clean the whole house, declutter, etc. What we didn't know, was how much work it would be to keep it in viewing condition for more than a day or two.
It was quite the chore to have the house spotless for the two weeks that it took to get an offer. It definitely complicated things that we have a three year old, 7 month old, mini Aussie, and two black cats. Needless to say, I had to sweep/mop every morning. I began each day cleaning, making our bed, and dusting our bedroom and bathroom. Then I would move on to Liam's room, and vacuum the whole upstairs (stairs included). Then I would barricade it from the kiddos and pets, so that they wouldn't cause me to re-clean.
As for the downstairs, we made our office/Liam's playroom into a no-go zone from the beginning. We cleaned it very well once, then stayed out of it. As soon as breakfast was over the kitchen/dinning room were cleaned top to bottom. Next came the downstairs bathroom and the living room. At this point, I had to make sure that Nolan was well-fed, changed, and contained to either the pack n' play or his bouncer, and Liam had also eaten, gotten dressed, recently emptied his bladder, and was entertained with a movie or show, so that I could sweep/mop.
Maizy and the cats were locked outside for the duration of the cleaning session, but when we were ready to leave for the day, I would go around and get Maizy through our gate, so that the house could stay pristine. The cats were not so lucky; they spent their days outside. To clarify something I mentioned above, I tried my hardest to be out of the home as much as possible while we were showing the house. The thought of having to get Maizy and the kids out, while leaving the house at it's best, all within the hour notice that we would get, made me panic. So we spent most of our time either at my mom's house visiting, or just out and about.
This was my life, everyday, for two weeks. I'm glad that it was summer break and I was home all day, because I don't know how I would have done it if I would have been working as well. Because Joe works so early (5:30-2:30), he was unable to help with keeping the house clean. He did as much as he could at night, but because we still live here and use our things every day, there were many chores he just couldn't help with.
Another complication was Maizy. She is a talkative puppy, so we didn't feel comfortable leaving her home when people came to take a look at the house. We were sure she would annoy them, which is not a good way to get people to feel comfortable in the house. Because I had her in tow, I couldn't go just anywhere. It had to be doggy friendly. I was hard!
I don't know how people do it long-term. Two weeks really isn't that long to have your house on the market, but it was the longest two weeks ever!
My tips for being ready to show your home, especially with kids and/or pets are:
- Keep it clean: Put dishes in dishwasher right away, do laundry as it comes, pick up after kids often, etc.
- Sweep/Mop/Vacuum daily
- Clean once in the morning, and then get out!
- Create/keep a cleaning schedule: we really cleaned the bathrooms every other day, cleaned the kitchen nightly, mowed the lawn once a week, watered the lawn nightly, etc.
- Attend to all kids' needs, then make sure they're entertained when you clean
- Brush the animals nightly
- Turn on Scentsy (or the like) air fresheners in the morning, then turn them off before you leave for the day
- Declutter/Lightly pack the things you don't use
- Pack away a good portion of toys (kids don't even miss them, and then there isn't as much for them to scatter throughout the house)
- Plan ahead- a place to go, your daily cleaning schedule, etc.
- Pack a bag for the kids/pets and leave them in the car (one less thing you have to remember in a rush)
I'm so glad that I worked so hard to keep the house at it's best, but I'm also so glad that this stage of the process is behind us (hopefully)!
It was quite the chore to have the house spotless for the two weeks that it took to get an offer. It definitely complicated things that we have a three year old, 7 month old, mini Aussie, and two black cats. Needless to say, I had to sweep/mop every morning. I began each day cleaning, making our bed, and dusting our bedroom and bathroom. Then I would move on to Liam's room, and vacuum the whole upstairs (stairs included). Then I would barricade it from the kiddos and pets, so that they wouldn't cause me to re-clean.
As for the downstairs, we made our office/Liam's playroom into a no-go zone from the beginning. We cleaned it very well once, then stayed out of it. As soon as breakfast was over the kitchen/dinning room were cleaned top to bottom. Next came the downstairs bathroom and the living room. At this point, I had to make sure that Nolan was well-fed, changed, and contained to either the pack n' play or his bouncer, and Liam had also eaten, gotten dressed, recently emptied his bladder, and was entertained with a movie or show, so that I could sweep/mop.
Maizy and the cats were locked outside for the duration of the cleaning session, but when we were ready to leave for the day, I would go around and get Maizy through our gate, so that the house could stay pristine. The cats were not so lucky; they spent their days outside. To clarify something I mentioned above, I tried my hardest to be out of the home as much as possible while we were showing the house. The thought of having to get Maizy and the kids out, while leaving the house at it's best, all within the hour notice that we would get, made me panic. So we spent most of our time either at my mom's house visiting, or just out and about.
This was my life, everyday, for two weeks. I'm glad that it was summer break and I was home all day, because I don't know how I would have done it if I would have been working as well. Because Joe works so early (5:30-2:30), he was unable to help with keeping the house clean. He did as much as he could at night, but because we still live here and use our things every day, there were many chores he just couldn't help with.
Another complication was Maizy. She is a talkative puppy, so we didn't feel comfortable leaving her home when people came to take a look at the house. We were sure she would annoy them, which is not a good way to get people to feel comfortable in the house. Because I had her in tow, I couldn't go just anywhere. It had to be doggy friendly. I was hard!
I don't know how people do it long-term. Two weeks really isn't that long to have your house on the market, but it was the longest two weeks ever!
My tips for being ready to show your home, especially with kids and/or pets are:
- Keep it clean: Put dishes in dishwasher right away, do laundry as it comes, pick up after kids often, etc.
- Sweep/Mop/Vacuum daily
- Clean once in the morning, and then get out!
- Create/keep a cleaning schedule: we really cleaned the bathrooms every other day, cleaned the kitchen nightly, mowed the lawn once a week, watered the lawn nightly, etc.
- Attend to all kids' needs, then make sure they're entertained when you clean
- Brush the animals nightly
- Turn on Scentsy (or the like) air fresheners in the morning, then turn them off before you leave for the day
- Declutter/Lightly pack the things you don't use
- Pack away a good portion of toys (kids don't even miss them, and then there isn't as much for them to scatter throughout the house)
- Plan ahead- a place to go, your daily cleaning schedule, etc.
- Pack a bag for the kids/pets and leave them in the car (one less thing you have to remember in a rush)
I'm so glad that I worked so hard to keep the house at it's best, but I'm also so glad that this stage of the process is behind us (hopefully)!
Friday, August 23, 2013
The Decision to Sell
This will be the first of a series of posts about the ups and downs of selling our home, renting, and buying our forever home; and doing it all with an infant, a toddler, a dog, and two cats.
Joe and I were happily surprised when our beloved friend and Realtor scored us an amazing deal on our first home in our dream town. It had everything we wanted! Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a huge open kitchen, and a large yard for our future kiddos. It wasn't until about year two, while nearing the end of my first pregnancy, that we started to notice a few things that we were not too excited about. The master bedroom is on the bottom floor, while the two others are on the top. We have been told we will like this separation when our boys are older, but as of right now, I hate it. We are all cramming into the two upstairs bedrooms because I just can't get comfortable with sleeping on different floors.
We have also realized how important an actual laundry room is to us. Our current laundry situation consists of schlepping our baskets of dirty clothes down the stairs and out into the garage, where our washer/dryer buts up to our over-sized truck, making it impossible to open the door to the dryer all the way. I always drop clean clothes onto the dirty garage floor, and I hate that I have to sort the laundry in our hallway leading to the garage. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and folding everything requires taking up our living room, and then schlepping everything back up the stairs.
These things might not seem like big issues, but there are a couple of, more frustrating parts, that have clenched our hopes for a new place to live. The street we live on is lovely, and has a cute park just two blocks away, but it is also a through street for people trying to avoid lights. At peak commute times, we see car after car barely slow for the three stop signs that are within our view. I have seen countless children in scary situations because people go too fast and don't stop at the corners. It's scary.
Obviously, this is a huge issue for us, but the biggest deal breaker is the living space. Our bedrooms are all a great size, but our living room is quite small and is organized in such a way that it's difficult to arrange furniture. We want to have celebrations and family/friend gatherings in our home, but we have never felt comfortable doing that here. It's just too tight of a fit.
When we heard that the housing market had changed drastically from a stagnant market to a great sellers market, we contacted our trusted Realtor and set up a meeting to discuss the specifics (what would be required of us, what we would list the house for, how long it might take, etc.). We were shocked to hear how much value our home had gained in just a year and a half-we had checked in previously and were told we would lose quite a bit of money at that time.
After a couple of weeks of discussion between Joe and I, we decided that this was the time. We believed that our flexibility, having the upper hand as a seller, and the potential profit, were all too good to pass up. Although we wanted to sell, we felt no rush. We are not to the point of feeling like it's a necessity yet, but we know that day is coming. We thought this situation would help keep our stress levels at a minimum (more on that later). So, to finally get to the point, we put our house on the market the end of July.
The process has been stressful, exciting, scary, interesting, and a definite growing experience for our family (and that's just in the first month). Future posts on this subject will include: preparing our house for the market, the selling process, packing with kiddos, any snags that we have/will hit along the way, finding/living in a rental, and in a year or so, the buying process. It's a long road with a lot of steps, but we have a lot of support from our family, friends, and our amazing Realtor.
Joe and I were happily surprised when our beloved friend and Realtor scored us an amazing deal on our first home in our dream town. It had everything we wanted! Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a huge open kitchen, and a large yard for our future kiddos. It wasn't until about year two, while nearing the end of my first pregnancy, that we started to notice a few things that we were not too excited about. The master bedroom is on the bottom floor, while the two others are on the top. We have been told we will like this separation when our boys are older, but as of right now, I hate it. We are all cramming into the two upstairs bedrooms because I just can't get comfortable with sleeping on different floors.
We have also realized how important an actual laundry room is to us. Our current laundry situation consists of schlepping our baskets of dirty clothes down the stairs and out into the garage, where our washer/dryer buts up to our over-sized truck, making it impossible to open the door to the dryer all the way. I always drop clean clothes onto the dirty garage floor, and I hate that I have to sort the laundry in our hallway leading to the garage. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and folding everything requires taking up our living room, and then schlepping everything back up the stairs.
These things might not seem like big issues, but there are a couple of, more frustrating parts, that have clenched our hopes for a new place to live. The street we live on is lovely, and has a cute park just two blocks away, but it is also a through street for people trying to avoid lights. At peak commute times, we see car after car barely slow for the three stop signs that are within our view. I have seen countless children in scary situations because people go too fast and don't stop at the corners. It's scary.
Obviously, this is a huge issue for us, but the biggest deal breaker is the living space. Our bedrooms are all a great size, but our living room is quite small and is organized in such a way that it's difficult to arrange furniture. We want to have celebrations and family/friend gatherings in our home, but we have never felt comfortable doing that here. It's just too tight of a fit.
When we heard that the housing market had changed drastically from a stagnant market to a great sellers market, we contacted our trusted Realtor and set up a meeting to discuss the specifics (what would be required of us, what we would list the house for, how long it might take, etc.). We were shocked to hear how much value our home had gained in just a year and a half-we had checked in previously and were told we would lose quite a bit of money at that time.
After a couple of weeks of discussion between Joe and I, we decided that this was the time. We believed that our flexibility, having the upper hand as a seller, and the potential profit, were all too good to pass up. Although we wanted to sell, we felt no rush. We are not to the point of feeling like it's a necessity yet, but we know that day is coming. We thought this situation would help keep our stress levels at a minimum (more on that later). So, to finally get to the point, we put our house on the market the end of July.
The process has been stressful, exciting, scary, interesting, and a definite growing experience for our family (and that's just in the first month). Future posts on this subject will include: preparing our house for the market, the selling process, packing with kiddos, any snags that we have/will hit along the way, finding/living in a rental, and in a year or so, the buying process. It's a long road with a lot of steps, but we have a lot of support from our family, friends, and our amazing Realtor.
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