What I Haven't Told You...

There is a part of this crazy story that I haven't yet shared on the blog. I've kept thinking that it wasn't going to happen, but turns out that it is. What's the story? Oh, we sold our house. And before you ask, no, it wasn't on the market.

About three weeks ago, Parrish and I got a letter in our mailbox. It was from a real estate agent, and it said that she had a couple looking to buy a house in our neighborhood. They hadn't been able to find anything they wanted, but they liked the look of our house. Would we be willing to show it to them? Now keep in mind, I am married to a commercial real estate guy. In his world, everything is for sale...for the right price. Still thinking this might just be a joke, we called the real estate agent. Oh, it was for real. She made an appointment for her clients to come see the house. We sort of laughed and thought, this will never actually happen, but at least someone thinks the outside of our house is cute.

The couple and their agent came by on a Sunday afternoon. Not twenty minutes after they left, the agent called and said that they would like to make us an offer. Even at this point, Parrish and I thought that there was no way that they would offer us enough to entice us to unexpectedly move...and in the middle of cancer. We got the contract on Monday (that same night, Parrish went into the hospital to receive the second round of chemo). The offer price was good, but not really enough to make us move. So, Parrish (using his keen negotiating skills), just said he thought we were too far apart. I mean, we didn't even counter, sort of thinking that would be the end of it. Nope. They came back with a new price. And, it was one we couldn't turn down. So, from the ninth floor of the hospital, Parrish and I signed the contract (witnessed by the nurse no less).

Of course, we still thought this wasn't really going to happen. There would be something in the inspection, or the house wouldn't appraise. Something. Nope. The inspection came back virtually clean, and the house appraised. So, we are set to close April 30...you know, four days after Parrish has his battery of pre-transplant tests. A couple weeks before the transplant starts. Perfect timing, huh?

It is crazy. Crazy. (Yes, I have used that word too many times for one blog post, but there is just no other way to describe it). The truth is, though, that if someone had made us this offer six months ago, we would have jumped at it. With two little kids, we have outgrown our house. We have toyed with the idea of moving, but couldn't find the time to actually get it ready to put on the market. So, even in the midst of cancer, we just couldn't turn down the opportunity to sell our house without even listing it for a price that was almost too good to be true.

So where are we moving? Good question. Sure wish I knew the answer. We think the smartest plan is for us to find something to rent for the next year. I just don't have time right now to look for a house to buy, and I definitely don't have time to do any work on a house. Plus, I don't think buying a new house when your husband has cancer is really the smartest thing to do. We need to take the next year to regroup...work on getting Parrish healthy and take time to look for the best house for our needs. In the meantime, I am frantically looking for a house to rent. If you are in this area and have any leads, please email me. I am getting a little panicked. Thankfully, the precious couple buying our house will let us rent it back from them for a little while if we need to. But, ideally, we would like to get into a rental sooner rather than later.

I am writing this blog post as if I don't have any worry or hesitation about moving. That really isn't true. I am very, very torn. We have the most perfect, Mayberry-esque neighborhood (which is why things tend to sell off-market), and our dear friends live a stone's throw away. This is the house that I brought my babies home to...where they took their first steps...where we became a family. Neighbors have rallied around us during the last couple months in ways that I never could have imagined. All of that is very hard to give up. But, at the end of the day, our house selling feels like divine intervention...and I don't write that flippantly. It does. We are trusting that this is the right thing to do. Putting our faith into action and hoping (and praying) that this isn't a terrible mistake.

Now, let the packing begin!