Selling our home in California: Part 4
October 4, 2017
The end and saying good-bye
We did our final walkthrough to make sure that we weren’t leaving any trash (or treasures!) behind. The keys were left on the counter, all the utilities were cancelled, and the check was ready to be picked up from the title company.
Then we had a few moments to look around the empty place.
In this home we shared huge milestones.
We lived together for the first time;
We adopted our first dog (Doggle!) together (and redecorated the entire place for him);
He proposed to me there;
We got married;
We “adopted” our second dog together (Seamus remains the perfect dog);
We negotiated several raises and promotions between our two careers;
and had JuggerBaby whose every first of life was there: first solid food, first nanny then first daycare, first steps, first words, first swear word (oops), first friends we made as a family because they had kids.
In this home, we grew together as a couple and as a family.
We learned to fight and make up in person, instead of long distance, which tops the list because if you don’t learn how to disagree civilly and communicate about your problems, thar be a tough road ahead of ye, matey;
We learned how to budget together, and over several years, combined our finances;
We supported each other through two toxic management situations at our respective workplaces;
We grieved the loss of my parent, and celebrated becoming parents ourselves;
He supported my leap from a large established company to a smaller riskier workplace in search of better work-life balance;
He supported my foray into investment property without even batting an eye;
He came around to the idea of aiming for early retirement;
I came around to the idea that spending some money for fun isn’t inviting the Financial Rapture.
SO MANY EMOTIONS!
Awww, hard to say goodbye, even if you are moving on to something exciting.
I had emotional attachments to our place in southern California. We lived there for about 5 years, loved the place, loved the neighborhood, and it was our first home together. The other places were more temporary (<2 years). I willl also have an attachment to our current place if we ever leave!
SP recently posted…What percentage of your assets are in home equity?
I definitely felt your sadness when you moved from your SoCal place – it sounded so perfect for you! But selfishly of course I was happy to have you join us up here š
I used to sit with my mother under the mulberry tree at my house. She died in 2014, and it would be hard to leave those memories. I already sold my childhood home, and it was redone by new owners. They are a young couple and are making memories there, so that is great! But, we still have our memories, and if I ever feel I need to sell to move closer to my kids, I can hear my mom saying “sell”…because she was all about her grandkids…..congrats and we just keep moving forward. Life is fluid anyway.
Oh gosh, that tugs my heartstrings especially since I’ve lost my mother too. I’m sure you’re right, though – we move to be with the people we love, and we let go of the things we shared in the past.
Oh, I’m so glad it’s all happening. Of course I understand the emotion in leaving a place. Of course a place you’ve lived in is more than an inanimate object. It’s like the temple of – not your soul, but certainly a chapter of your life. In my experience, however, the emotion ends with the actual move. The next chapter begins, and it tends to be as all-absorbing as the one left behind – leaving little room for nostalgia.
“We learned to fight and make up …” I’m so glad you know how to do that : )
All the best in your new home. Here’s to the best chapter yet!
Prudence Debtfree recently posted…Letter To Student, Raised Below Poverty Line, at Threshold of Middle Class
Thanks so much. I’ve got some lingering nostalgia though it’s non-specific, mostly. Doing my best not to dwell š
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