"My question to you is: would you do it all over again? Has it been worth it?"
In my case I really didn't have much choice. The neighborhood had declined to the point it was now or never. I would have never left primrose if the barbarians had not forced me out. The once well kept homes and lawns evaporated into the past, replaced by tenants and owners who had no pride of ownership. I had folks roaming the streets to all hours of the night, my poor 09 Civic was backed into 3 times in a year, and 5 times in 7 years. Sometimes I had no choice but to park on the street.
We were married 8 months when we bought primrose. It was a new spec house, and at the time (1977) a nice home. It was way more than newlyweds were suppose to have, but my sister helped us with the downpayment, and we were in. Only 10 houses on the block, the early years all the homes lived in were young families like ours, but like many, most upgraded and moved on to bigger houses, leaving a core of about 4 old timers. We were not in a position then to give up the 300 dollar a month payment we had on prirmrose, so we stayed. Besides, we liked it. It was home, we were kids when we bought it ( I was 22 she was 20) so we grew up there.
Last summer I was on a motorcycle trip through Colorado and South Dakota. Riding the backroads of South Dakota, Kansas, and the Colorado Front Range, allows a individual to immerse in great swaths of solitude, and it was on this ride I began to think it was time to leave Primrose after 38 years. I was cruising through the Sandhills of Nebraska, it was early morning and I rode East into a bright, almost luminous sunlight, that seemed to bleach the farmhouses I passed along the way into radiant boxes. Having spent the last few days thinking about the subject I thought-
"If I'm EVER gonna move, I have to now, before the damage is complete. We can cash in, turn in a good profit, and capitalize on all our work of the last 39 years."
I came home from that tour and had this exchange with the DW at supper.
"I think its time to move"
"really?? Where will we go?"
"I dunno, but they are making it where we can't stay here"
I told her all the positives of moving, but mostly if we didn't cash out now, we might not be able to later, and lose all that we have worked for.
Two days later I found a new patio home at a great price. I took her to it and she agreed. We spent a few days thinking on it and made a offer. That offered was countered and we sat on it. In the meantime I left for another trip, it was Fall so it was time for the Blue Ridge Mountains. "We'll make another offer when I get back." The sticking point on the first was the builder wanted to close in 30 days, and I wasn't sure how to do that. A contract was put on the house before I could get back.
Dissappointed I went back to looking. I found our present community and did some researche. At first we figured out of our league, but after checking around I saw guys without the resouces we had, buy like homes. So I stopped in the office here and found out I COULD do this and the rest is history.
Would I do it again? Given the same circumstances? Yes. But I'll say this- It was long and sometimes daunting experience. Not having bought a house in 38 years I was newbie. I had to educate myself into what was going on, and run numbers all kinds of ways everyday.
Prirmose was paid for, it took 5 months to sell it. At one point I went forward with the process under the assumption it would not sell, that didn't seem to bother me, in fact I liked it, becaue then Primrose would still be mine. When the offer came in for it, I was almost sad. It was a good offer however and in the end the head over ruled the heart.
I would not be here if I was still working. I had been mortgage free for 8 years, and now I have sizable house payment, but I weighed that with the fact we have a guranteed income rest of our lives, with state pensions, and soon social security. I do not have to worry about loss of income. I would not do this at my age while trying to work. At my age a loss of job, is almost insurmountable, and couple that with huge mortgage, you're looking at dire circumstances.
We are still trying to make this feel like home. I see many of the samethings just in different places now. DW wife had frog and mushroom thing that sat in the front flower bed at Primrose, that now occupies the front bed here. It is shiny,new and modern, but it will never be Primrose, where the memories are so thick that when it came time to close the door and lock it the last time, I had to swat them away from the door. The house there had that often repeated appeal called "character".
Our new home has the biggest doors I've ever seen-9ft. I think Primrose was 5 ft?? LOL. Yes it is hard to find stuff here, because everything is so spread out.
We'd love to have y'all over to eat in the auditorium Pfarro.
