A week ago, J and I moved. We are no longer homeowners.
I know, this announcement just came out of left field for you guys. In all honesty, I didn’t feel like discussing it and I also didn’t want to “blog through the process”. I had mixed feelings about the decision and I just didn’t feel like sharing the whys and hows while going through it. Because you know, people have opinions. So many opinions. I just didn’t want to deal with it.
Fact is, almost 3 years to the day when we closed Escrow to buy the house, we signed the documents to release it back to the world to a new owner.
Am I sad? Yes. Make no mistake, I loved our house (and THAT KITCHEN!), and there was still so much I wanted to do with this place. I guess that is the plight of homeownership. You’re never finished, and now we won’t ever be.
Do I feel good about the decision? Also yes. We’ve gone months and months hemming and hawing (mostly me) and weighing the pros and cons and our options, but in the end, this seemed to be the best decision for us.
Are we moving out of town? Am I switching jobs? No and no. Everything stays the same for now. Living in that house was a wonderful and exciting experience in some ways, but in other ways, it was also harder than we thought. Owning a home is a huge responsibility – emotionally and financially – and we just felt that it wasn’t quite right for us (at this time at least).
We’re now busy settling into a duplex in a great neighborhood, closer to my work. It’s been a blessing to find the place and I’ll share more about it when I had the mental capacity to process everything that has been going on the last few weeks. The home (buying and) selling process is so incredibly fast in this country that you barely have time to wrap your head around what’s happening.
I just thought it was time to let you all know, with the holidays approaching and all.
Tanja
November 26, 2018 at 9:00 amI’m proud of you – even though it was a tough / hard decision to make, you made it knowing this is the best for the two of you.
Kristen
November 26, 2018 at 9:01 amI totally get what you mean about home ownership– it’ll be 10 years I’ve owned my house this coming April, and everyday as the projects and little things pile up, I ask myself “Why are we doing this to ourselves!?!” Moving back to a rental situation is not far off in our minds. Good for you guys for recognizing it was time to move on and best of luck in your new place!
Stephany
November 26, 2018 at 9:09 amI can understand not wanting to talk about something when you’re in the throes of it, especially when the decision is a difficult one. But it sounds like you made the best decision for you and your family and that’s all that matters. I don’t have any interest in being a homeowner, so I totally understand where you’re coming from. I hope you’ll share more as you get more settled in!
Beth A Kondrick
November 26, 2018 at 11:01 amThat definitely is a tough decision, but obviously one that you thought through and did the best thing for you right now. And I’m sure being closer to work is definitely a perk if nothing else! I hope you continue to settle well .
Megan @ Meg Go Run
November 26, 2018 at 5:12 pmWow! What a life change but good for you guys for choosing what works best for you. I look forward to hearing more about it when you are ready to talk.
I totally get not wanting to blog about or through stuff. Just because we blog doesn’t mean we want to say everything.
Maribeth
November 27, 2018 at 3:40 amI understand. I am facing something similar here as Jack is now 80, unwell, and we get a lot of snow! (It is snowing now!)
I did send your Christmas Card, yesterday to the old address. I hope you will get it. Please PM me your new addy.
Hugs!
Zoé
November 27, 2018 at 4:15 amWir könnten uns (im Moment) nicht vorstellen ein Eigenheim zu besitzen, dafür ziehen wir zu oft und zu gerne um. *g* An der aktuellen Adresse sind wir seit 4 Jahren, das ist ein neuer Rekord. Aber ich verstehe, dass dies keine einfache und eine grosse Entscheidung im Leben ist. Es soll für euch stimmen und näher am Arbeitsplatz ist doch immer gut! :) Bitte gib mir doch per Mail oder FB noch deine neue Adresse an. Danke :-*
Marie
November 27, 2018 at 4:36 amLots of hugs friend. Send me your new address soon when you get a chance. <3
Eva
November 27, 2018 at 6:39 amI think we have this romantic idea of home ownership. I know we went into it completely clueless in terms of how many projects and responsibilities our little house would bring. They never seem to end! It’s a lot of work and money, and I totally get how someone would rather not own. Good for you for figuring out what you need, and following through!
ANya
November 27, 2018 at 11:38 amThere’s nothing wrong with renting. It can be liberating. When we sold our home of 10 years before moving out West, it was bittersweet. We have good memories of our first house – it was going to be our forever house. But letting go of it meant the start of a new adventure and a big shakeup in our lives. And honestly, I’m not particularly looking forward to buying property again – although we’ve started the home search in our new state. I like being a renter and knowing that I’m not tied down.
Lisa of lisas Yarnsrhb
November 28, 2018 at 10:49 amThat is a big life change but I understand not wanting to talk about it in the midst of the decision. People love to give unsolicited advice (Aka ass-vice). You have to do what is right for you guys! It’s good that you were in the home for 3 years so you won’t be subject to capital gains tax if you (hopefully!) sold it at a profit! Owning a home isn’t the b-all end-all IMO. It can be a good decision but it really depends. For us we want to own our home and pay it off so we have less expenses in the future but we are SUPER picky about our house so who knows when we will find the right one. For now we are in a very affordable house and I would stay here if we didn’t plan to have another child!
Sanna
November 28, 2018 at 12:41 pmKann ich total verstehen! Ein Haus zu besizten kommt mit so vielen Sachen die man tun und bezahlen muss!! Wuensche Euch viel Vergnuegen euer neues zu hause einzurichten und weihnachtlich zu machen. Drueck dich!!
Stefanie
November 30, 2018 at 5:34 pmHomeownership is a huge commitment and I completely understand your decision of not sharing the process. Whatever the reason may be, I hope you are in a happier place and can make your new house a home in time for the holidays.
I enjoy being a renter again after owning a home. I feel like I can finally enjoy life again since I’m not working on fixing things around the house on the weekends. In all honestly, I feel like my quality of life has improved!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
December 1, 2018 at 12:34 amOh wow, that sure came as a surprise but I am glad that it all worked out for you and that you were able to make a decision that is best for you. Hope you settle in nicely in your new home. (P.S. I obviously now need your new address for your xmas card)
All the best, Tobia
tinna
December 8, 2018 at 9:15 pmi recall the excitement of when you first purchased, but yeah, must have been a difficult decision at the time! i think homeownership isn’t right for everyone or every situation, so it’s good that you figured out what works for you. :)