As if there's not enough going on, what with the pregnancy, this has spurred us to the decision that we need to move. ASAP.
See, we bought our house with the intent that it would be a starter home. We're not in a great school district, we're not in a great area, and the house effectively only has two bedrooms (technically, there's a third on the main floor, but it's small, has virtually no closet space, and currently is our library. Where would we put all our books??)
But on the other hand, our house, especially the kitchen, is really beautiful. We have a beautiful fenced in back yard that's perfect for the boys to play.
Back to the first hand, we're busting out of the house. There's little storage space (no attic, finished basement that we use partially as living space, partially as storage). We're kind of pack rats, so that doesn't work for us.
It's time for us to move, though we'll miss this house.
The housing market is not good. Hmm, can I make a more obvious statement? Of course, the positive side of that is that we're also looking to buy a house, and it's a good time to buy. I just try to remember that if it was a good time to sell our house, it'd be a bad time to buy. We're going to get screwed on one side of the deal! We've interviewed two real estate agents, and both think we'll get more than the number we have in our head as the bear minimum we could afford to sell for. Of course, one agent gave us an estimate very close to the minimum, and the other agent gave us a ridiculously high estimate...makes me wonder if she's even looked at what houses are selling for. Either way, I think we're putting the house on the market, hopefully by the end of the month.
In the mean time, we're boxing up some stuff and moving some extra furniture into storage so our house doesn't look so full. We're freecycling and donating and giving away as much as possible. I've got to go through my overflowing bookshelves and make some tough decisions about books...will I really ever read them again or want to lend them to friends? Because we have FAR too many books in the house!
Anyway, any house selling/buying tips for us? Anyone been through this with kids? B-man is espcially resistant to the idea of moving. Whenever we mention it, he gets upset and says he doesn't want to leave this house.
But we're kind of excited! I'm a little bit addicted to change. We've been in the Boston area longer than we've been anywhere else as adults. I love Massachusetts, and I don't want to leave this general area, but I am kind of excited about even making a small change in locale!
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4 years ago
10 comments:
oh goodness, i wish i could give pointers, but i've only moved in to one house. i only lived in apartments beforehand...
i often wonder if we have children what we will do. we will not want to leave our property...even though the house is kinda small, the property is perfect for us and what we love to do, and will most likely have to add on, make some changes in the house. we have 2 bedrooms (master and guest) and what is supposed to be a third, but the third is too small and like yours, is meant to be my library one day...
good luck as you make your decisions. it is the perfect time to buy, you are right. you should be able to get the perfect house for a price you don't mind so much. and hopefully sell your current one for the same (you never know who could come along and fall in love with it!)
*gasp* There's no such thing as too many books! :O heh :)
Someone once told me to make sure that there are apples baking when you show a home. I guess it gives a "homey" smell?? Although - having gone through looking at houses, I know that you won't be home when your house is being shown....so I don't know why someone once told me that. (Perhaps baking apples right before?? I don't know :P )
No tips for the kiddos - except that when you find a house you like, maybe letting him/them choose a room and get excited about the new place might help? (Our two were still pretty little when we moved...and not talking much at that point. Hey! A benefit of slow-to-talk kids! *grin* )
No tips on moving with kids, although we will be doing it, hopefully before they start school.
We did move into our house while I was pregnant and I will say this - don't unpack things with the plan to reorganize later! I was on bed rest and our friends unpacked everything in one weekend. Huge mistake. With babies, it took us a year to get everything organized the way we wanted it!
(I felt like I was being too hard on Twilight but MY GOD the writing!! I'll definitely check out the Peeps sequel but not right away bc I hate reading sequels right after I read a book.)
I've moved 1,2,nope 3 times with the boys so far. Organization, organization, organization is the only tip I can give. Do a little bit each day and you won't get overwhelmed. Though I was never pregnant at any of those times so I imagine your stamina will not be at your highest level.
If you need help, let me know :)
I'm assuming since you're packing and decluttering you don't want any clothes for the boys? I have a pile I've been saving up for book club to give you. Includes 2 suits! Let me know.
I'm moving in two weeks :) (over Pres. Day weekend, to Watertown, condo to go on the market soon after). If I come up with a plan that works, I'll let you know.
Good luck! I will say that after years and years of moving around, I finally forced myself to get rid of TONS of book for my last move, and I have never once regretted it. Can't even remember what they were. It was horrible and painful and awful when I did it, and I hope someday to live in a place big enough to build my collection up again. But for now, can't do it.
I've never bought our sold a house, but I've moved a lot in the last 10 years of my life. My biggest tip is don't pack ANYTHING without going through it to make sure you want it. What's the point of busting your back to move dusty, broken, and unneeded things into a new space?
Good luck! I'm realizing that I have boxes and boxes of books in my garage that either need to come out onto shelves or be donated somewhere. It's painful, but you have to be honest with yourself.
Some books are re-readable, and and some you just have to admit you never will.
I used to move a lot (my dad was a real estate broker, and I grew up viewing houses as a commodity), but Old Dog has flatly refused to move anymore. So it's lucky we're in a house I actually like, and not just one I wanted to turn a profit on.
My advice (which, unfortunately, doesn't deal with the kiddie aspect) is: have the place as neat and clean as possible. If the house is sparkling, it gives people the impression that you're the kind of person who keeps up on maintenance items -- whether or not that's true. Also, don't settle on a new house until you've sold yours. It will further compromise what you're likely to get for yours. Especially in this market.
I didn't know you were expecting - congratulations! Clearly I haven't checked in on your blog enough. One good thing is that you know what will work for your family now that you have kids. We bought pre-kids and if we had done so after I would have bought a different house! Don't let the real estate agent waste your time looking at places that aren't in your budget or have ALL the things you want. You can do searching at ziprealty.com with photos and stats. Also for your house - b/c it is 2 bedroom mostly childless couples will be looking at it as a "starter" house. So PURGE, PURGE, PURGE! Take all your stuff and put it into storage. Leave one bedroom as a nursery (maybe with one crib) so the prospective buyers can envision their sweet future kid sleeping there (also baby furniture is smaller).
Good luck!
ok, I started a few times to comment and just wrote DON'T DO IT:0, but ha, I know thats no help. We were in a similar situation when we HAD to move out of our 2br condo last year. anyway my advice, write down your goals and what you're willing to sacrifice in a house b/c who knows where your mind will be if this process takes you far into your pregnancy. There was a point where I just would have picked any house to be done with it all and thank god we ended up reasoning it out before making the offer. Also do as much as you can now as far as packing and organizing and such. As for the kids, make it fun, take them to look at houses, find books about moving and keep them involved, but not in the stress parts of it obviously. Good luck and maybe you'll end up in southern NH!
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