2. Moving. Number two on my list of 2004 events is our move from Garner to Raleigh. We talked about moving for some time before actually doing it. There was lots of work put in ahead of the actual event, but that event finally happened this summer. Moving is typically difficult, but ours was fairly easy, all things considered.
Our big break (so to speak) in moving turned out to be the ice storm of December 2002 (where is that damn link? I swear I had a link to this somewhere. It’s not in my archives). That was the night a huge tree branch came crashing through our kitchen ceiling. It certainly didn’t seem like a blessing at the time, but it turned out to be. The resulting damage left us with no choice but to remodel our kitchen, which we had planned to do, anyway. Thanks to the fallen branch, we had the money to get things done.
Our other secret weapon was spring. The Garner house is its most charming with its flowerbed of azaleas in full bloom. Its no conincidence the “for sale by owner” sign went up at that time. As a little boost, the sign had a URL to a website with photos of the inside.
Before we knew it, we had lots of attention! It offically sold in June.Our home was on the market a mere two weeks, not bad for first-time home-sellers. We both bought and sold that house without an agent. It was a nice feather in our caps.
Then disaster struck, or seemingly so. I lost my job when my company folded, out from under me. Even so, our home loan was approved, and we were back on track. Why should a little unemployment stand in the way of massive debt?
It didn’t take long for us to find our current house, either. In fact this house is one we saw for the first time in January. It was dirty and smelled, not impressing us at all. Somehow, though, it waited for us to take ownership in May.
And now here we are, in our “Hobhouse Circle House” as Hallie likes to call it. The yard is looking great and already generating fun from Hallie and Travis. Our neighbors are friendly. The kids here are great role models for our own. We’re a stone’s throw away from my parents’ and brother’s houses. All in all, we got everything we wanted.