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To give the background, for the past year or so, I had been giving some casual thought to selling my current townhouse and moving to a different area in Denver. I started to look at the real estate listingd in that new area, to get a feel for what would be available if I did that, knowing that I had a lot of decluttering and cleaning to take care of in my current house first. In June, I decided to check out some new construction in the new area, knowing that if I bought there, the odds were extremely high I would end up in a similar home built by the same builder. So we went to the model house, and I fell in love. The plan has so much of what I wanted. And this is the final phase in this area and they've made some adjustments over the years, such as the availability of basements. So the new construction has some tangible benefits over the existing housing stock, plus the ability to customize options to my own taste.
Coincidentally, another townhouse unit in my current location went on the market at higher price than I had anticipated the comps would be. And I made the decision to take the leap and buy the new construction as there were only a couple of lots left. I spent the next 5 weeks accomplishing about 3 months worth of work in order to get my place ready to list. And things moved quickly, I'm now under contract and scheduled to close in 2 weeks.
I'm happy and excited about the new house, but it's also still not quite real yet. We'll be staying with local family for the next 3 or so months, waiting for construction to finish, and I think that is part of why I'm not as excited as I might be, since I'm not moving from my current house directly into a new one. And I'm also feeling emotional. We moved here when my son was not quite 3, and now he's 10. There are so many memories from those years. Of course the memories come with us, but I'm still feeling a bit sadder than I anticipated.
Has anyone else had similar feelings at moving time?
ABSOLUTELY. My husband felt this way about our last house in Mesa, AZ. I felt that way about the house we sold in Chandler, AZ to buy the Mesa house. Now, we've moved to Raleigh, NC - to new construction, like you, and had to live in an 'apartment' for 9 months that we accurately called our storage unit.
Frankly, I didn't get truly excited about the new house in Raleigh until our new furniture arrived (most of our AZ furniture was sold before we left) and we were somewhat unpacked. I got REALLY excited when were started having people over for dinner and parties.
And we've visited those two AZ houses a couple of times since we've left. It's bittersweet.
I don't want to sound contrary but I have no emotional tie to our house and I built it myself. We've lived in it 34 years now and I could leave it tomorrow. Felt the same way about our first house although it was a small starter house and this one is 3 times as big with a 1/2 acre yard. I'm the same way with cars, or anything material, it's just something I have but if I lose it or sell it, it doesn't give me second thoughts at all. To each his own I guess.
Count me as one who totally gets it. I had strong emotional ties. It wasn't our first house, but our first single family home. We lived there for over 34 years and raised our two children there. Downsizing and cleaning out was hard because of the time we spent. I did a couple of things to help ease through it. For the now adult children I put together a "house book" on Shutterfly that showed pics of it under construction, renovations, family events, births, holidays, seasons, etc. it was as much for me as for them. I also found myself on the last days taking pictures of every room, every angle, out every window, outside, all around the house. Due to a conflict I wasn't at closing which was probably just as well as I would have been teary eyed. I know, it's an object, a building, but it's the memories you take from it. That's what's important and that's what I remember.
I certainly don't think I would ever feel emotional about a tract builder's house, where there are sometimes hundreds if not thousands of identical or nearly so "models" like it around the area or even country, so easy to replicate.
But a historical, one of a kind home that also is blessed with mature landscaping and architectural detailing found only in old homes (not all), that is located in an equally special historical neighborhood, or even a newer custom build in a prime location, then I would definitely have some attachments to.
It is definitely to each his own but I know that I wouldn't feel so fulfilled and settled in my life if I didn't love my home and have an emotional attachment to it so I don't think it is that out of the ordinary. The term "Pride of Place" didn't come from nowhere.
My first place is a 2/2 750sq ft place condo, nothing special. Which led to my second place an adjacent unit. I'm dragging my feet listing it. It has been my "Giving Tree" and selling it makes me feel like I'm cutting it down. I've always found "The Giving Tree" somewhat sad although they always said "And the tree was happy"
I still miss my first house which was a cute little 1940's bungalow in a great part of my older neighborhood. But it was a little too cozy with 2BR/1BA, small kitchen, and no garage and was next to a rental which was not well maintained. I now live in a larger home in the same neighborhood but I live by a popular park and a street that can be a little busy during rush hour. Never quite got used to the extra noise although my realtor assured me it would not be an issue. But it is a trade off. I occasionally drive by the old house and wonder if I made a mistake in moving; however, I don't think I would miss moving from a condo or a tract home for very long.
Many folks get emotionally attached to a house they've lived in, whether they owned it or just rented. As Choff5 wrote, take photos. I, too, took photos of every room before moving out. I also cleaned every part of the house exceptionally well, and said goodbye to the house. Remember, you are likely to become just as attached and happy with your new home in very little time.
I could barely function at moving time, I was so emotional about leaving my old house, even though we were moving to a location I had wanted to live in for 17 years, ever since we first visited. And the house is so much nicer, there's no comparison. But I was attached to my old house, the good times and the memories, and it was hard to leave it behind.
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