We had to really think about what would make us comfortable and what we could trade off if necessary.īack home, we just kept packing. (We used the flashlight apps on our phones to tour a few homes under construction.) The sellers market here and in Ohio made for a poor buyers market in Ohio. It was cold, it was wet, the days were short. The realtor was terrific - a saint I’d say to work with us - but looking was hard. In the meantime, we went back to Columbus to meet with a realtor and look at houses. Our biggest task was decluttering and removing furniture to make way for some strategic staging the realtors planned. Every shelf, drawer, and closet was an exercise in decision-making: keep, sell, donate, or dump? After totally renovating our kitchen a few years back, we had repainted the rest of the interior in the light gray and white palette so popular today. If anything, there was less real estate inventory available. We were lucky last year’s buyers’ market had never really slowed. We did some preliminary looking in Columbus to see what our options would really be and called in realtors to give us direction on selling our house - when, how much, what preparations the house needed before sale. Once we decided we had a direction to move in, we just kept going. Columbus is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country and home to my husband’s alma mater. We will probably be in an area with walking and biking trails, perhaps a golf course. It’s also energizing to think about a new house & new community. Leaving a home we’ve enjoyed for 35 years and a community we’ve called home for 40 years is bittersweet. And I would be foolish indeed not to admit that this decision has been driven at least in part by the pandemic isolation of the last few years. One thing about even starting to look was that it got us talking - a lot! We realized that we really wanted to be close to our grandsons in Columbus, Ohio, before they outgrow us. Of course we thought about staying in the Chicago area, but oddly enough there was not much to look at. And we did look around there, but it’s pricey close to the beach and it’s farther from our kids than we are now. It’s been our favorite vacation destination for years. We thought about the Charleston area in South Carolina. We have never had a plan, and, frankly, none of those usual destinations were appealing to us. Most people have a plan: moving to Florida, or Arizona, the mountains in North Carolina, etc. I am surprised to admit I am willing to forego a large yard and space we are really beginning to rattle around in for the allure of something smaller, probably newer and with the exterior maintenance cared for by someone else.īut here is the rub. It turns out I am perfectly capable of changing my mind. My objection was that we didn’t know where or to what we would downsize. My reluctance had nothing to do with a sentimental attachment to our house. The term “downsizing” has been part of our household vocabulary for some time. Read on for part one of our “downsizing” to “right-sizing” journey. Yes, that’s a For Sale sign in front of our house.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |