The Mover Becomes the Movee

The following is a recent article I wrote for the University Downs Neighbourhood Association Newsletter:

 

This summer my family moved. A whole new ball game for this Realtor! We lived in the same home for the past 10 years—to the week! I was pregnant with my third child when we first moved into our new home on Exmoor and she was born about 6 weeks afterward. My kids all started school while living in this house, we had first words, first steps, first lost teeth, first stitches. We received calls celebrating births and sad news of loved ones passing away—all in this house. And if you look closely in the laundry room behind the bathroom door, beside the trim, there are markings. I’m not sure if the new owner has noticed them yet, but they’re there. I’ve painted around them over the years, but never over them. Those markings recorded the height of my kids, and even some of their friends, as they grew up through the years. A little piece of history we’ve left behind—a little piece of our family. The decision to move or not to move is a huge one. For some it is a quick decision when they see a sign in front of a house in a neighbourhood they’ve always loved. For others the decision may take years from when they start talking about it to when things come to fruition. Take some time to weigh out the pros and cons. Don’t let the emotions of what you’re leaving behind keep you from enjoying the next adventure you may have. Sometimes moving just makes sense. For example, the need for space, investment of money, convenience to work, stress of a house that doesn’t suit your family. Other times, it just doesn’t—when your price range just doesn’t match your wish list, when you’ve haven’t built enough equity in your current home, or when you’re not gaining enough to warrant the financial costs. For my family, this decision took us about 2 years. Our next home holds the potential of suiting our family better as our kids grow from teens into adults. I’m sad to leave our current home and neighbours. But we’re embracing our next adventure. We’ll take our memories, our family traditions, and some framed pictures of the markings we’ve left behind in this home and we’ll remember that a home is a home because of the people inside.