Friday, August 21, 2015

Puzzle Pieces


It was the spring of 2014 and we were starting to make plans to move back to our hometown. At that time we'd lived away for about 2 1/2 years and had recently spent about 6 weeks back home for the birth of our 5th baby. I had started searching the real estate website, one of my favorite hobbies! We looked at a true fixer-upper, which wasn't going to be the right fit for our family, but it was exciting to start the process of planning to move back to home.

There began a long series of house hunts and plans for the future. It was like a box of puzzle pieces had been spilled out, and we didn't know quite how to put them together or how long it would take. We looked at old homes, new homes, homes on acreage, and homes with guest apartments. In the end, when we finally moved back last October, we actually moved back to our old home (after the tenants left)! It was our best option at that point since our other house hadn't sold, and we figured we'd revisit our plans after settling in. 

As the months went by and our other house finally sold, we started to lean towards renovations of this older home. It was built in the 1970s and needs many updates. It's a bit smaller than we'd prefer for our large family, but I aimed to find contentment in this space and make it into our dream home. The location can't be beat.  But still there was a nagging that this wasn't quite the right way to fit these puzzle pieces together. My parents wanted to move near us and needed to downsize from their large home. Then my dad had a health crisis this summer. We were just starting the repairs on our home and weren't quite ready to make another big moving decision. 

We replaced the siding, we ordered all new windows, and we got a new roof. We went to a model home neighborhood and started working on a plan with our contractor. And then one Sunday morning before church we started thinking about that puzzle again in a new light. We spent a few days at the beach and considered it some more, letting the options wash over us with the waves and the sunshine while I worked some literal puzzles on the kitchen table with the kids.

We came home and decided we were serious about revisiting this different way to fit the puzzle pieces together. We were finally at a time when it would be possible for us financially to buy a bigger and newer home in our little city. We had looked at this house before, but at that point it was newly listed, and we knew that price negotiating wouldn't get us far. Now the sellers had moved out and were ready to negotiate.  It wasn't exactly what we had been looking for in a house, but it had exactly the right location. We made an offer the next day and finished negotiations by the next morning. At this point, it's looking likely that it'll go through, barring something unexpected!

I'll share some photos once we close, but for now I'll share a little more about this little "puzzle" as the pieces are mostly fitting together.  We love our little city. It's surrounded by a bigger suburb and has lots of great amenities. We also love our old home. It feels cozy and homey and we're excited to continue fixing it up. But now, we will actually be fixing it up for its new residents, my parents! It'll be a great size for them, and most importantly, it'll be just a few minutes away from our new home in the next neighborhood!

From our new home we can walk or bike over to the old home; the park and pool are about halfway between us. Our new home is only about five years old and is a very nice two-story with a rustic/traditional feel. It only has about 400 more square feet than our current house, but the space is utilized well and the layout is ideal for our family. It'll be similar to our home when we lived in Corpus Christi, with a nice dining room with french doors downstairs for homeschooling and the master bedroom downstairs too (with a great bathroom and a JACUZZI BATHTUB!). There are three bedrooms for the kids upstairs, two full bathrooms and a large gameroom.  Going from 2 to 3 1/2 bathrooms will be wonderful! There's an awesome covered porch that even has the hardware for our hanging swing! The yard is nice and green, but not very big. We do have a greenbelt behind us so there are lots of nice trees to look at!

We are getting really excited and should be closing on the new house in about a month. During that time we'll be getting new windows, new shutters, a new front door, and a renovated hall bathroom in the old house. After we move out, we'll be updating the master bath and kitchen so that my parents can move in.  I'll share photos along the way. We'll also be starting our homeschool lessons, ballet classes, baseball teams, and all the other excitement that happens this time of the year! It's time to gear up, because this is going to be a very eventful few months!

We're all so happy that the puzzle pieces appear to be fitting together and hopefully we'll have a whole completed puzzle of two beautiful homes to share with you soon!


1 comment:

Neen said...

I would feel like Christmas was coming, meaning time was going slowly but we had lots of work to do all mixed with pure excitement. So happy for you!

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