The Big Move: Selling Our Condo

Our desire to own a home has been a long journey, and the answer we have received from the Lord has always been, “Not yet.” Even so, we’ve kept our eye on the market, recently decided to save up for a down payment, and waited.

The short version of events is…

• We looked into whether it’s a good time to sell our home (condo) and were surprised at how expensive it is to buy.
• In answer to our individual prayers, we did not receive a “Yes” or “No”. Instead, we both got the same answer separately, “In my father’s house are many mansions.”
• I studied the answer: John 14. At a time of frustration and confusion, this was a very meaningful love letter to me.
• I did not feel like I needed a house, or that I should ask for one. My prayers changed to asking God to lead us to where He wants us to be, and I would go.
• As soon as our hearts were prepared, accepting, and happy with not moving, God’s answer changed to “Yes- it’s time.”
• Within a week after receiving that answer, we matched with our perfect real estate agent, our home listed and went under contract in less than 10 hours, and we signed for a new house that had just reduced to exactly within our budget.
• My family in California were so gracious to take our kids so we could complete this huge undertaking in such a short time, so we road-tripped to drop them off and got to packing!
• Our BFFs let us move into their basement, so we downsized for 1 bedroom and got a storage unit for the rest.
• We are so grateful for the exceptional friends and family who have celebrated this milestone with us, and have been such a blessing to us. I will always remember the beautiful ways we have felt so loved in this busy time.

Listing our house in a seller’s market was so fast-paced it became stressful, but there are benefits! Our condo has never looked so clean! When they say, “I slaved over a hot stove,” now I know what they’re talking about since I was ridding it of 4+ years of grime! My husband finished the honey-do list I’ve had for him for 4 years—all those things I wanted him to fix or do for the house were all done in a week…

Condo Living has been awesome, and we wanted to make the most of it while we could! Though many were not available from the pandemic, we have access to private trails, an indoor pool/spa, clubhouse, gym, and playgrounds. During our last days here, we slowly said goodbye to each of our favorite walking trails and friends.

Our ward came over to help pack, load furniture and boxes on 2 separate occasions, and clean which always makes me want to cry thinking about all the people I miss and the way they loved and served our family over the years. With the pandemic, we hardly saw anyone for weeks prior to this. It was so nice to see them in person coming out to support us with gloves and masks on. If it’s not obvious, we LOVE our ward!

Yes, I cried. So. Much. I cried thinking about how much I love our ward when the last person left. I cried when we put our mop away in the van after I cleaned our beautiful floor for the last time. I cried watching Jeremy take videos on Marco Polo to send to his family of our strangely empty, perfectly spotless kid-free space. I cried as I left a note to the new owners explaining where to find the mailbox, codes and keys, and instruction manuals. And I cried as we closed our door for the last time, and waved goodbye from the van. It’s amazing how much we can appreciate the things we’re leaving behind as we realize the growth and joy we experienced there. This is where we celebrated F’s first birthday. We took W home from the hospital to that room for an entire year of isolation. Here’s L’s favorite tree spot. That’s where our wonderful neighbors live. We honor this truly wonderful home where we spent a beautiful time in our lives, and are excited about our family’s next chapter!