The part of July I haven't talked about was selling our old house and buying a new one. That didn't all happen in July, but the wheels really got moving.
In May, we started looking at a home 1 mile from our old house. My friend set us up with the owners and it had everything we were looking for--a ground-level entry, a main floor bedroom, an open living area, and at least 4 bedrooms. It was in the area of town we love.
So we started the process of buying their home (by owner)...and we started the process of selling our home (by owner). We had a few friends express interest in buying our house and one ended up offering us a really fair price, contingent on the sale of their home.
Everything was falling into place!...until it wasn't. Our friends buying our house weren't getting offers on their home. The home we were buying had a title issue (the issue had been dealt with but wasn't recorded properly along the way). We were supposed to close the first week of August but the title problems were making that impossible. Fortunately, our friends got an offer on their house so we could start moving forward on getting our house all squared away for the inspection and appraisal. The people we were buying from allowed us to rent from them for the few weeks until the title was clear and we could sign. And then we were supposed to close on our old house by the end of the August.
A little crazy, but you could follow it, right?
So we moved in the first weekend of August (THANK YOU GOOD NEIGHBORS!!). I spent all weekend unpacking--getting the kitchen in order was priority #1 after beds and basics. I took no pictures of any of that process. Because I apparently don't take pictures.
We were able to close mid-August. Woohooo! 2 days before we were supposed to close on our old house, their buyer fell through.
It was funny, I felt so calm when the news came. That feeling came and went over the next few months, but I was grateful for the calm then! We decided to install new carpet at the beginning of September when we figured we'd have to actually list the house. Our friends were still busting their tails in their house, trying to get it sold. I found out I was pregnant during this process, so my emotions were all over the board.
A good neighbor installed some nice new carpet (why did we not do that earlier!?!? Oh, because we have had lots of little kids making messes and potty training the whole time in that house and we didn't want to ruin new carpet). It took a few weeks in his spare time, but it got done. So it was time to list it, right?
Wrong! Our friends got buyers! We were going to close at the beginning of October! That process ended up being drawn out on THEIR buyer's end and I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks that made everything in the process even more traumatic. In the middle of November, though, we finally sold our old house and were the proud owners of only ONE home!
So we started the process of buying their home (by owner)...and we started the process of selling our home (by owner). We had a few friends express interest in buying our house and one ended up offering us a really fair price, contingent on the sale of their home.
(Our old house, in case you haven't met it. 7 WONDERFUL years spent here!)
A little crazy, but you could follow it, right?
So we moved in the first weekend of August (THANK YOU GOOD NEIGHBORS!!). I spent all weekend unpacking--getting the kitchen in order was priority #1 after beds and basics. I took no pictures of any of that process. Because I apparently don't take pictures.
(This is that kitchen, before we moved in. Our awesome sellers sold us the stools with the house. That island is 9 feet long, Perfect for cookin' up a feast, homework oversight, and art extravaganzas.)
We were able to close mid-August. Woohooo! 2 days before we were supposed to close on our old house, their buyer fell through.
(Our fancy new foyer, with other peoples' stuff in it, but with our kid)
A good neighbor installed some nice new carpet (why did we not do that earlier!?!? Oh, because we have had lots of little kids making messes and potty training the whole time in that house and we didn't want to ruin new carpet). It took a few weeks in his spare time, but it got done. So it was time to list it, right?
Wrong! Our friends got buyers! We were going to close at the beginning of October! That process ended up being drawn out on THEIR buyer's end and I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks that made everything in the process even more traumatic. In the middle of November, though, we finally sold our old house and were the proud owners of only ONE home!
This celebration calls for leaf hats and a BBQ with cousins!
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