Retirement, Real Estate and Moving On

Selling one's house in the middle of retirement seems a risky and somewhat overwhelming decision. But here we are. Ten years after building our dream home on an acreage that has been in my maternal family since 1850, we are in the throes of another experience in separation anxiety. It is a show case home set in the middle of the piney woods of East Texas.

Our initial intentions to build and locate here were solid. Our regrets that we built a magnificent dream home are none. However, the reality of physical limitations slowly began to set in. Forty two acres is a rather large yard. My ambition has been and remains to have it look like a park. It does, but with sometimes exhausting demands.

Oh, I know all the arguments. Why don't you get someone to do all the exterior work? First, it is costly. Second, we live 15 miles from a community where such help might be available. And the "might" in that sentence is often a major roadblock.

So, the process is underway. We are in the middle stages of finalizing the listing. We are being very cautious, intentional and relying on considerable professional guidance. Our realtor has been and will remain a major ally in the presentation of the several acts of this play.

What have we had to do?

>We had to process the decision. That took a lot of very intense conversation. We had to be okay with this decision and to be ready to take the several steps to get to it.

>We had to do considerable research . We needed to know how our home would be marketed, the value of it in the current market, how to go about being sure it shows well, and addressing any warts that may have developed with the house in ten years.

>We realized that a home like ours would not sell quickly. Therefore, we had to be prepared to be patient.

>When we looked at our financial needs for the future, we had to come to a decision regarding our bottom line price. We cannot be stampeded or rushed into a final sales contract. No pressure!

>We had to begin sorting out all the "stuff and things" that we no longer have any use for and don't want to move. Already Goodwill and several other non profits have been the beneficiaries of our largesse.

>We had to be prepared to have perfect strangers come into our home. Our realtor has put several checks and balances in place to deal with that.

>We will need to say goodbye at several pauses in the process along the way. Waiting for one final goodbye would be just too much.

>During this process, we have relied on the counsel of family and numerous friends who have helped underscore our decision and remain objective about it.

All of this is just to get to the point of putting it on the market. Now comes the real test. We will see if our creation (we designed the house with guidance by our architect) will attract others and become their dream.

I can only say living here has been one of the best dreams we have ever had. In order to do it, one must be ready to say goodbye!