A New Chapter: Selling the House

We did it. We put the house on the market and within the first 2 days we had 3 offers. Over the course of 3 weeks, we had more than 20 showings.  Ron and I had decided at the beginning of this adventure that we wouldn't settle for a price less than what we felt was fair market value.  Sticking to our decision paid off in the end. One of our earliest buyers, who originally withdrew their offer because we wouldn't accept it, came back and offered full price. Our closing date is set for September 25th. 

Spending the last 11 years in this house, our neighborhood, and with our church family has been the happiest of our lives. It may seem strange that we would choose to sell; but, we have had a life-long desire to travel and see the many wonders of this great country.  It is time to stop dreaming and act.

There were several events that led us to believe this was the best time to sell.  First, my parents both passed away within 2 years of each other. They followed us here to Texas many years ago. We have felt so fortunate to have had them be a major part of our lives, the lives of our children and of our grandchildren.  They were the anchor that kept us all in this area.  Next, several of our children made moves of their own. Ryan met a special young woman, Jamie, and began his own family near Austin. Then, Leslie's family left Temple for the Ft. Worth area. Between the geographic distances and the busy lives of young families, it became more and more difficult to have weekly family dinners and spend the quality time with them that we wanted.  We have come to realize that we need to have the flexibility of traveling to their houses and spending time with them as individual family units.

Deciding to sell the house and buy an RV for full time living seems crazy to some people. But more often than not, friends have expressed how envious they are. I think the day to day grind of working to provide a home for your family, keeping the home in good order, and trying to "find time" to travel and explore is fulfilling yet burdensome.  Our rationale is; if we are going to do this, we better do it while we are relatively young and healthy. There will always be a sticks and bricks place when we've reached the point where we can't travel any longer.

So, this post is to say goodbye to a home we have work hard on, shared many happy moments in, and have loved. 

Our little house started out an ugly brown. We've freshened up the exterior with much lighter colors.

When we moved in, there was horrid paneling and nasty wall paper in
every room. 

We stripped wallpaper and replaced sheet rock to bring it up to date.

There was ugly, dull, carpet or vinyl on all of the floors. One of
the first changes we made was ceramic tile. Much more pet and grand baby friendly.

Saying goodbye to this table will be hard. It was the first piece
of furniture I bought when I finally had a dining room big enough
for family dinners.

The cabinets in the laundry room were the first ones I painted.
I wanted to make sure they turned out okay before I painted
those in the kitchen.

The house has 2 full bathrooms and our sweet little WC.

One of the main reasons I wanted this house was this room.
It may not look like it, but, it is large enough that I could put my quilting machine in it.

The master is much smaller than our bedroom at our yellow house .
But, putting the bed in the corner opened up a lot of floor space.

The master bath isn't updated. However, I believe in the saying,  "Fix it up, wear it out. Make it do,
or, do without." So, we made do by painting the dark walls and keeping everything clean and bright.

The hallway bathroom is also out of day but well built.

This room alternated between guest room and office. 

The enclosed porch was used as a play room for the grandchildren.
Not my favorite room in the house. Hot, dusty, and oddly shaped.

The shed in the back was so convenient! Lots of space for tools and
assorted home owner's essentials.

The back deck has been one of my favorite features. I've spent many
hours sitting under the trees and enjoying the shade.

Back view of the house.

Assuming the sale proceeds as expected, we will pass the keys on to the new owners. They are an older couple and their single daughter. Evidently, the couple will retire within the next 2 years and move into the house. In the meantime, their daughter, who recently graduated from nursing school and got a job at Scott and White, will live in the house.  I'm sure they will love the place and I'm as excited for them as I am for us.  

Goodbye 4201 Eagle Road. You have truly been home sweet home.