We have officially moved out of our house. This is a bittersweet day. Latana & I built this house. We helped build this neighborhood too. We weren't the first ones on this street, but many of the lots were empty when we moved in. We've been living here since Dec 26, 2006.
Most importantly, and probably the thing that will provide the most memories of this place, this is the childhood home of our three boys. Chay, Jace & Jenner all came home from the hospital to live here. This is the only home they have ever known. All of our "firsts" were experienced here. First tooth. First time walking. First scrape on the knee.
This field will contain our new house some day.
As you can see, the roads aren't even in yet. The sooner the roads get built, the sooner they can start digging for our new house. One that we can fill with more memories and provide a long-lasting home for our three boys. The new house will look similar to this:
This house is called the Ava by the builder. That link shows the standard floor plan but we are customizing this a bit. Our kitchen will be bigger.
The biggest reason for building this house is that all 3 boys will be able to have their own room, all on the same level. We are currently scheduled to move into the new house in mid-November, but I think it will slip past that date.
Selling the house marks but one step in a long road for us. We've been working towards this for over a year now and we still have at least 6 months to go:
- Met with realtor last Spring to determine how much we can sell the house for.
- Now that we know how much we can reasonably get for our home, met with the banker to see how much we can afford for a new home.
- Went house shopping. We started last Spring. We could find homes that we liked, but not in the neighborhoods we wanted to live in. The market is low on inventory. One other sticking point was that we wanted all bedrooms on the same level.
- Started looking at new construction. We decided on a builder and a floor plan. We found a lot in a soon-to-be-developed neighborhood.
- Locked in the interest rate with the bank for up to 1 year.
- Got our house ready to be sold on the market. Not only did we have to fix a few things and get it all cleaned up, we replaced the carpet.
- Sold the house. We accepted the first offer we received which was for our full asking price.
- Had to look for someplace to live temporarily until our new house is ready. We found a townhouse about 1 mile from our current home.
- Moved out.
We still have more to do: - Move into our temporary townhouse. We'll be homeless for the weekend until we can move into the townhouse on the first of the month.
- Watch our new home being built. Pick out flooring, light fixtures, countertops, etc.
- Move into the new home.
So we're getting through our long journey, one step at a time.
Growing up, I moved around a lot. I counted 18 moves by the time I was 18 years old. That's life growing up in the military. But our boys have never moved. And I know that this process has seemed confusing to them at times. Jenner yelled at me once that he didn't want to move. Jace didn't like the new rules that he had to enjoy his snack at the dinner table saying something like "I hate this new carpet". All 3 boys keep asking questions why I'm taking yet another truckload to a storage unit. I don't think any of them are too excited about living in the townhouse. Frankly, neither am I, but it beats an apartment and will feel somewhat like a house. Last week, Jenner got mad at me when I wouldn't mow the lawn. He really enjoys that. So I'll feel bad for him when I won't be mowing the lawn at all this summer.
In the end, all of this work, all of this effort and time will be worth it. But it still seems so far away, especially since the roads aren't in at our new neighborhood yet. Until we see them break ground on our new house, I think we'll all be sad that we aren't living in our good old friend any more. Goodbye old friend. You've been a great home for us and been part of lots of memories. We'll miss you!
