I’m so happy to be back after taking some time with my family this summer. The time away was filled with so many wonderful memories and some personal changes that tested our family’s perseverance. One of the biggest changes was deciding to list the home my husband and I purchased before our son was born. Although we truly loved our home and the location, the space was not feasible to grow in and hardly gave my son the space he needed to run and explore. So when mid-May rolled in I was given the name of a realtor to work with and after meeting him I knew it was time to get the ball rolling and that we did (almost immediately).
I never imagined how emotional and exhausting the process would be, but am thankful to have worked with owner and broker , Jerome Duval of Red Door Real Estate of New Hampshire who made the process all more manageable and less taxing (more to come on why we had a great experience with Jerome). By mid-July we accepted an offer and hit the road running looking for a new home as we were on a time crunch to move out by August 27th.
My husband and I must have driven by 50 homes of which we only went in to 8 (maybe 9). By the end of July we found a home we loved and were able to negotiate the same closing date! Celebrate!!!!! WELL not yet, Jerome was very honest with us from the start of the whole process and made it clear there were “check points” to clear (home inspection, appraisal, etc). Two weeks before closing we received the news the appraisal came in remarkably low. The home was top notch and full of upgrades, but just did not have the comps out there for the appraiser. As hard as it was to move on we decided to keep looking (something was telling me to keep going), BUT it would mean us moving into a “temporary” home. At that moment I questioned my decision to drag my family through this process; double guessing why we would want to leave the space we love, but I kept going back to my belief that with sacrifice, patience, a vision, and love we are guided in the right direction.
Packing was hard, not so much because an almost 3 year old wanted so much to help, but saying good-bye to the place we had created so many memories. I highly suggest taking pictures of your family in each room pre and post packing! We did and I am so happy we have the photos.
Mason says good-bye to mommy’s office
The older I get and witness my son grow before my very eyes I am truly reminded what really defines me … my family! Although being away from the business (a passion), moving my family into a temporary home, and looking for a new place to call home, all were risks I found a deeper love and commitment to my family that confirms the “risks were all worth it!” My goal this summer was to plan adventures and to build life long memories and traditions I’m happy we were able to do so this summer and are able to do so for years to come in our new home. We closed on October 1st and were fortunate to take our time moving in to our new home to allow for a few projects to take place! We officially moved in on October 26, 2014.
Mason hanging out while I met with contractors!
How this will affect the business as we move forward, you may be asking. Fortunately, we will continue to provide our printable and virtual services on a national level. All our on-site planning will continue in the Greater Boston Area.
I’ll be back with more updates!