It was never my plan to document the process of selling the house, and that’s primarily because I knew I’d want to respect the privacy of the buyer, but also because…well, because packing up an entire house is exhausting. If you noticed that my post volume last week was on the slim side, that’s why. I’m tired. I’ve taken a couple of days off work, but mostly this is all getting crammed in on the weekends and late nights if I’m able to take the train up after work.
But let me back up a little, because I never actually said anything here on the blog about there even being a buyer. It all just kind of happened. Evan and I kind of thought we’d put the house on the market, I’d write a blog post, and maybe six months later someone would be interested and maybe put in a low bid. HAH! That is not at all what happened. Within a day of the listing going live, there were multiple offers—some from people who hadn’t even seen the house in person—in place. Within a week, we’d watched bids compete for the top spot to a point far beyond what we’d even dreamed of the house selling for (that number won’t be public until after the closing, so don’t bother trying to sleuth). My real estate agent had his hands full, and he did an amazing job.
So yeah, there’s a buyer, and we’re in contract. We don’t have a specific date yet, but the closing should be happening in the first half of September, which is really soon. The word “bittersweet” gets overused, I know, but that’s exactly what this is. We are lucky to have been able to sell our house so quickly in a tough market (a house we bought at market peak, by the way), but man oh man is it hard to say goodbye.
A few things I’ve learned in the course of packing:
✚ Taking apart a David Trubridge Coral pendant sucks. Of course, assembling them also sucks. It all sucks. Good thing they look incredible hanging up!
✚ I’m good at letting go of things. I’ve gotten rid of (either by donation, loan, or sale) maybe 80% of my possessions during this process, and it hasn’t been a struggle. If anything, it’s been liberating.
✚ IKEA is awesome. OK, I didn’t just learn that. But seriously…considering I’m only holding on to the items I love the most, it’s cool how much of that stuff is from IKEA. I don’t think of IKEA as a source for “temporary” things. I shop there with an eye for quality of construction and design, and I’ve had very few letdowns.
✚ Fritz and Bruno are adaptable little guys. I don’t give them enough credit, but much of it is due. Fritz in particular has a tough time when things are “off” (Daniel once witnessed him cry for an hour straight because there was a light fixture sitting on the dining room table), but they’ve both been super solid even when there are strangers in the house and everything is totally out of order.
✚ OMFG, POSTERS. I have a poster problem. I always have. I thought it might be “fun” to unroll all of my old Cure posters just to see what was there, and sdlfjhsdfhoskdjfhsukdbf!!!!!! GUESS HOW MANY CURE POSTERS I HAVE? I don’t know, but I stopped counting at fifty. FIFTY!!!!! What is wrong with me?! (Yes, I kept them all.)
✚ I’m so proud of the renovations we did here over the years. I remember really clearly what this house looked like empty on Day One, and as it empties of its furniture and rugs and so on, I can truly see the house for what it is without all the nice décor. The difference between now and 9½ years ago is pretty amazing.
So that’s where I’m at. Please bear with me for the next few weeks, OK? I’m going to try and keep up with posting since I’ve really been having a lot of fun with the increased volume, but I’m also going to try and not die from exhaustion.
79 Comments
This post comes off as entirely tone-deaf. Congrats on your privilege.
Privileged, yes. Absolutely. I try to recognize that fact every day, though, both in my politics and in my actions. Do you want to comment further on what you see as being tone-deaf in what I’ve written here? The thing about deafness is that the person afflicted with it sometimes needs to be told. I’d like to know more about what you’re reacting to.
Alex, it’s sad that you can’t take any joy in Anna’s news. There’s absolutely nothing ‘tone-deaf’ about candidly sharing the good times as well as the bad. Anna has shared many of her struggles over the years and it would’ve been disingenuous of her to gloss over this huge accomplishment, plus a huge disservice to those of us who have followed her journey and are very happy to celebrate with her.
Moreover, Anna’s so-called privilege is 99.9% due to the fact that she and her husband worked extremely hard — and very meticulously — for the better part of a decade to restore the home. Having followed the blog for years, I never fail to be impressed by the quality and attention to detail Anna brings to the table.
Really Alex, you are not obliged to come here if it irritates you. What do you mean by tone deaf by the way?
I just read a post by someone explaining how things are going with her. How is that tone deaf?
I really wanted to share this mini film I came across called “I’m offended”….. It was a light bulb moment for me.
http://youtu.be/Bb2mVGE63YU
I personally don’t think I could blog with the waves of misunderstood negativity that sometimes flow back, so bravo Anna for keeping going
I actually disagree with much of what’s in that video, since I know that the microaggressions it addresses can absolutely be cumulative, and that holding people accountable for their words is necessary. That doesn’t mean I don’t think Alex was way off base here, but I’m not about to suggest that everyone needs to pretend that the only issues worth caring about are ones that affect the entire world on an immediate and grand scale.
I see the message in that video played out on Twitter every day among white people telling people of color to “stop being so offended.” I see men telling women to “stop being so sensitive.” As though the person on the receiving end of microaggressions is somehow responsible for resulting divisiveness! I get your point in the sharing the video, but I’m not down with that attitude.
Very well said, Anna. And, congrats on space well created 🙂
Must respectfully disagree, Alex. It’s not necessary to apologize for good fortune, or for misfortune, or to put a socioeconomic slant on everything. This is a blog, not a textbook, and it presents the blogger’s perspective. Anna noted that she was lucky to have a rapid sale and bidding war. Privilege isn’t the point of feelings associated with a place one poured sweat and dreams (and funds) into; it’s a diversionary side track here. This strikes me as a ruefully honest post with a touch of humor, a hard balance to achieve. Privilege Police comments that do nothing more than point fingers add nothing to the conversation. They neither enlighten nor spur thoughtful discussion, calling into question the motivation behind them.
Back to the bridge, troll.
Congrats on selling the house, and good luck with the rest of your move! I am very interested in what you chose to get rid of and what you decide to keep (and dang—I wish I had known there were goods for sale )!
Joanna, I’ve been selling some things on Instagram—mostly shoes and bags. Donating and loaning furniture and housewares made more sense.
Gah! Where are you donating things, Salvation Army or Goodwill or other some such places? I’m a local, and love your style.
Heather, I don’t know what would still be there at this point, but a lot of stuff has gone to the Goodwill in Vail’s Gate. If you want several hundred REALLY GOOD CDs, you’re going to be very happy. 😉
The rest was privately donated.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us. Your aesthetic and attention to detail is so inspiring. Take plenty of time to pack/unpack/say goodbye privately. I’m going to miss the documentation of this home, but am so excited to see the next chapter. Door Sixteen forever!
Thank you for your response. It’s– “Within a day of the listing going live, there were multiple offers—some from people who hadn’t even seen the house in person—in place. Within a week, we’d watched bids compete for the top spot to a point far beyond what we’d even dreamed of the house selling for…” This part just came across to me as SO rubbing it in the face of all of us for whom the shit cards don’t fall like this. Do you have any idea how freaking rare this is, what happened for you, and how it hurts probably a lot of your readers to have you rub it in their faces? I honestly would compare this to, “hey, we started to try and then got pregnant in the first month! go us!!” It is seriously tone-deaf. but again, congrats.
If it makes you feel any better, Alex (and I suspect it will), we’ve been dealt a whole lot of “shit cards” over the years that we’ve owned this house. After almost ten years of manual labor in the most violent city in the state with an astronomically high poverty rate, we’re breaking even. There is ZERO profit happening here.
You know what I’m celebrating? The fact that we didn’t come out of this owing money. We’re lucky that we’ve been extremely careful to live within our means with our renovations, and to do nearly all of the work with our own hands and on a SUPER tight budget. This wasn’t some kind of magical thing that just happened, and we were fully expecting to take a big loss.
You know what’s way worse than being honest about something good that’s happened? False modesty. I think it would be totally disingenuous if I sat back and acted like the whole sale process was super grueling and horrible and a big financial loss and boo-hoo-hoo poor me, because that would be a lie—and everyone would know it as soon as the sale price goes live post-closing. Now THAT would be some tone-deaf, privileged bullshit.
1) anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows how much blood, sweat and tears you’ve put into this house. i’m not sure how “privilege” plays into that!
2) it’s inspiring to hear that people appreciate your work – and also to see that investing in a community that others might overlook can be a GOOD thing! i bought my house in the silverlake neighborhood of LA about 10 years ago – yes, at the peak of the market. and for all the years that I had the stress of being under-water on my mortgage. if we can sell it and make a little bit of money, i’ll be telling anyone who will listen!
Can I ask, is it ever okay to share exciting news? The issue of privilege is real and shouldn’t be ignored… But is there an appropriate way to share a true experience without having to qualify it? Anna’s description does sound unusual and like a massive bolt of luck, but if it is her authentic experience, I don’t think it’s rubbing other people’s nose in it. She doesn’t have a track record of that.
However, I can see where it would bring pain to someone who has had the opposite experience. So where is the compromise?
A caring question. I do wonder, though, how it can be any blogger’s responsibility to anticipate how unknown readers will react to anything? Anna’s not crowing, she’s stating facts and her understandable relief about those facts. It’s nice that Alex took the time to explain what rubbed the wrong way. That was a highly personal, situation-specific response, and it’s as legitimate as Anna’s. Still, the only way to avoid stepping on toes is absolute blandness–not worth writing or reading.
The deciding factor for me is the level of smugness that comes with it. All I got from this post was how grateful she is about how things played out. Anna acknowledges that she has been incredibly lucky with this transaction and was totally prepared for it to turn out a lot worse.
The thing with privilege isn’t the presence or absence of it but the lack of acknowledgement. So it’s okay to me that you were born a white, upper middle class male and achieved a lot. What doesn’t sit well with me is that you fail to acknowledge that your white-upper-middle-classness (read: luck) has a huge part to do with that success and instead credit it all to hardwork(read: it’s all me).
Xing, I’m not sure if I’m reading the second part of your comment correctly (“What doesn’t sit well with me is that you fail to acknowledge that your white-upper-middle-classness…”), but I actually think I do acknowledge that fact pretty regularly and without hesitation. I am acutely aware of the fact that anyone in the position to even buy a home in the first place is in a position of extreme privilege to begin with. How does your opinion that I don’t acknowledge my privilege jive with the first part of your comment (“Anna acknowledges that she has been incredibly lucky with this transaction…)?
I’d love to respond since this is an area of discussion that’s very important to me, but I first want to make sure I understand where you’re coming from since I feel like the two parts of your comment contradict each other…but I could certainly be misunderstanding!
Sorry for the late response to this entire thread of comments, but have been reading with interest as privilege (and who gets to say what and not look like an asshole) is compelling stuff. I can’t put words in xing’s mouth, but i read the second part as addressing a general “you” and not “you” (Anna) specifically. (Especially given Xing is talking about an an upper-class male, which unless i’ve missed something, you are not.)
Love your blog, btw and congrats on the sale! (Wish it was me who bought it!)
I’m so confused. What part of Anna’s post made her seem privileged? She writes a blog that so many of us enjoy and she’s sharing a huge change in her life. Nothing about her post makes her sound like the kind of person you’ve described. Follow Anna on twitter and you’ll find that she’s more aware than most about the human condition.
This is delicate because I think it must have hit some emotional strings for you Alex – I can imagine having that response myself, but overall I don’t see anything here other than a person describing their experience honestly. If anything, it’s clear that Anna feels quite privileged to be in this position. The only thing that struck me as a little bit disingenuous was specifically the part about expecting a really low offer in six months, it being such a successful and fantastic blog – but that’s in part because I know nothing about real estate in that part of the world, and after Anna’s description of the area it maybe makes more sense. This isn’t an overall criticism – I had no other issue with the post.
Overall credit goes to you, Anna, and many other commenters for having a very level and thorough discussion about the topic in response to this criticism, which could have easily have.. well, not gone as well. 🙂
On another note, I can imagine how heartbreaking it must be to lose a house that’s had such emotional, let alone financial, investment. That I feel like we can all relate to.
Anna, personally I didn’t get any of that vibe Alex was talking about at all – and I thought that that was pretty clear from this line: “We are lucky to have been able to sell our house so quickly in a tough market (a house we bought at market peak, by the way), but man oh man is it hard to say goodbye.”
I just hope the new owners don’t move in and rip out/repaint over all the hard work you’ve done! I would cry.
Anna, I’ve never posted to your blog before, but I need to step in and say that I never saw the tone deafness Alex saw. In a tough housing market, I can totally see that as I live in a very hot seller’s market in Seattle and I’m trying to buy in Seattle (it’s true for most of the area outside the city too) and I’ve yet to find a house in my price range (180K, max) even the condos are too high even with the price point being OK, it’s the HOA that needs to be factored in with the escrow payment and that is often what kills it – and add to that, rent is high here and many of us can’t really afford that either.
So congrats on selling your home.
Congrats on selling your house! I don’t get the tone deafness, either. It really doesn’t come across to me that you guys are trumpeting that you just hit the jackpot or something. I feel like you’re getting fairly reimbursed for your financial investment/labor/materials/hours of blogging/etc. Good for you!
Anyway, I was only going to comment that I feel your pain with the packing. My place is currently filled with stacks of boxes in progress. If only the children would stop trying to unpack things and the baby would stop finding random bits of box trash to try to eat…
And even if Anna did win the Jackpot and was really really happy with that, that would be Fantastic (she could buy a brownstone in Brookline and write about that, win win for all of us). As a person expressing yourself, it is nearly impossible to take into account what feelings your writing conjures up in other people. You just can’t be held accountable for that, people are responsible for their own feelings.
Wow. Congratulations! All I can say is, enjoy the success of the sale—it’s well deserved. You and Evan did a phenomenal job and it’s not surprising in the slightest. I’ve enjoyed watching the house evolve over the years and learned a lot. Thanks.
Good luck on the next adventure and I look forward to seeing what’s next.
I personally appreciate how quickly you were able to go into contract and I’m not surprised either! It’s a gem of a house! If I had any desire to live in Newburgh and I had the cash, I’d be all over it. It took forever to sell my apartment in the Bronx and I would not wish that on anyone or begrudge anyone the good fortune of selling quickly! So, congratulations! Here’s to the next chapter. Are you going to have to change the name of your blog now? LOL
I was surpised by Alex’s comment – I certainly didn’t read (hear?!) the tone-deafness. Considering I thought you’d sell for less than you bought it for (and I thought that was really tough given all the hard work you’ve put in), I’m really happy for you both. Good luck with the packing and unpacking. I hope the future looks bright!
Ooooooh lord I feel this post so hard. Do I sound cuckoo if I say I feel emoreader melancholy? Will you still be D16? Whaa!!
PS. Never should we make ourselves smaller to make others feel bigger…and
PPS to the naysayer above. Don’t issue congrats when you very obviously do not mean it.
I didn’t perceive any tone-deafness in your post, either (and as someone who has been going through a rough financial time for longer than I care to admit, I’m pretty sensitive to that). In fact, when you first posted that you were selling, I could see based on sale history in the listing that you were asking pretty much what you’d bought it for. And my heart sank, because I know how much money (even with your budget-conscious approach), time, blood, sweat, and tears you and Evan have put into rescuing this house. I am SO happy for you that the demand it generated means that you can break even. Congratulations on the sale, and good luck with the rest of your packing and downsizing!
Congrats, Anna!!! You and Evan put so much time and effort into restoring D16, that it’s wonderful to hear you were able to sell the house so quickly!
I’m also very impressed by how you’re able to let go of past treasures you’ve outgrown, that’s something I struggle with sometimes (though I’m getting better with practice).
Hey, guys…just to follow-up on all the replies about Alex’s comment, I want to make a note that I know how stressful, defeating and emotionally draining it can be to be on either end of the home-buying process. I also know that it is HUGE privilege to even be in that position in the first place, since the majority of people in the U.S. will never even have the opportunity to experience the home-buying (or selling) process at all. Hell, it’s a struggle for a great many people to put a roof over their heads as renters.
So, on that note, I want to suggest that we all cut Alex some slack here. It’s clear that s/he is going through something difficult right now, and I don’t need to belabor a defense of my words under those conditions.
(I absolutely DO appreciate the supportive words, though, of course. THANK YOU. xoxoxox)
jealousy wears well on no one. this is coming from a very remorseful person who has also had some low times. you have been graced with so many gifts. you work goddamned hard for everything you have & deserve every bit of good luck you receive. anyone hating on the good fortune of others is having a very rough time & your empathetic response was totally cool. loving you xx
ps: ALL THE CURE POSTERS!
EVERY SINGLE CURE POSTER! (Three of them are “Bob in blue,” two still rolled. That leather jacket! The Carnage Visors pin! *swoon*) xoxoxoxo
I came here to discuss these Cure posters, too. I have an older sister whose entire room was covered in Cure posters (there might have been one Banshees or Depeche Mode poster thrown in for good measure). She helped steer me on a path to good music enlightenment. (I was 9 when I first saw the Cure live on the Kiss Me…tour!) Anyway. Best of luck in all your future endeavors and congrats on the sale.
That’s great news Anna! I really like the way you’ve entered into an open dialogue here and tackled a comment head on – it’s pretty brave. Anyway, on a FAR more important note (!) it’s good to hear Fritz and Bruno are taking this in their furry stride.
hi anna, i had ever intention of commenting on your earlier post about D16 being on the market, but i didn’t have the time to eloquently say what i wanted to. now, i don’t have the time now either (i am feeling seriously outnumbered by my offspring, and am also in the process of packing up to move house) but i did just want to say that my reason for visiting your blog on the day that you announced your home was on the market, was because we had just that day had our offer accepted on a house and i knew i needed look no further than D16 to get inspiration to renovate our new and first family home.
congratulations on the sale – i can imagine how bittersweet it all is – we own our dream home in a different country and will never live in it again! (now, THAT’S privilege and i know it!). but i am really looking forward to our new home (D26?) and perusing your past renovations to make sure i am as meticulous in my work. you set a high standard! and i would imagine that is why there was such interest in your stunning home. unfortunately i now live in a country without ikea. i know, first world problems.
(p.s. ok, so this is not the eloquent “hello” and “thanks” post i had envisaged. it’s more the ramblings of a sleep deprived woman. sorry about that. p.p.s. adore the blog redesign and all the new posts. p.p.p.s. i tried to buy a print when you had free shipping through society6, but the paypal side of things kept falling over. next time for sure!!)
Alex (different Alex, haha), congratulations on your accepted offer and impending move to a new home! That’s very exciting, and I’m sure it’s also overwhelming, especially with kids. Good luck to you, and thanks for the kind words.
Hey there! One of my favourite columnists Harald Martenstein wrote once something on the realtive importance of problems in the vein of (I’m paraphrasing here…) ‘… the fact that you have cancer doesn’t make my back pain any less bad…’
So congrats on the sale and especially on getting more than you thought you would! I absolutely do think you do deserve it! Also, will you look at that gorgeous marble fireplace? I’m very jealous of those new owners, whoever they are. Best wishes from Germany!
Congrats Anna! I feel your downsizing and moving pain. I just went from an apartment with four closets to just one. This was actually a good reason to get rid of a ton of stuff that I really didn’t need but it’s been hard. I’d love to hear more about your methods and how you pack for a move. Can’t imagine doing a house in a week!
Abby, I’m not sure I have any special methods that aren’t just common sense (e.g. nobody needs 8 cutting boards), but it’s two months of weekends we have to pack, not a week! 😉
Hey Anna. I’m so happy for you guys and I’m very jealous of the lucky future owner of your beautiful home.
Where did your little black smeg wind up?
Wendy, the appliances are staying with the house.
That is so awesome! It was renovated impeccably. Whoever gets it will be super lucky. I didn’t realize Newburgh was the most violent city in NY. WOW. You make it sound so great, haha. For what it’s worth, when I saw the asking price I knew it would sell for way more because of the great design, and the post did not come off privileged or tone-deaf (what?!)…
You know, what I *should* have said is that Newburgh is a city with terrible reputation, because I actually think that’s the issue more so than the actual violent crime rate. Because the problems with Newburgh are so much more maligned in the media than its successes, people researching the city as place to live encounter all kinds of terrible news stories about gangs and drug-related violence that really don’t represent the reality of daily life for the majority of people who live in Newburgh. Yes, violence/drug/gangs are absolutely a problem there, but there’s a whole lot more than that going on—and it’s getting better all the time.
Good luck with the move! I helped three friends move earlier in the year and it’s a total nightmare
Hi there! I would frame those Cure posters and have a ‘Cure wall’ I would love to see that!! Your house in the photos, is always immaculately clean!
Here you go, Jane! My bedroom and dorm room in 1992 and 1993, respectively:
Sometimes I wish blogs were like Instagram and I could just like a comment/photo. These photos of your rooms are awesome!! I love the 90s.
Congratulations on the quick sale of your house. I’m guessing it was both a relief and sad at the same time. Moving is hard; especially from a place that has been so well-loved.
you know it’s the same! my posters are all tucked away. waiting to figure out the one or two to nicely frame (robert chair sitting?) but ideally i would go back to cure shrine adolescence x
Congrats on the house selling quickly!
That Cure collage is pretty freaking awesome! It was around college-age that my mom started ragging on me about when I “was going to finally grow out of this goth thing.” Well, as I’m now pushing 40, I think it’s safe to say “never!”
Congrats on being under contract. I know how stressful the selling and buying process can be so it must be a relief to have offers and be able to break even on the house. I’m impressed you were able to get rid of so much stuff. I took all my junk with me and still have a guest room full of boxes 1.5 years after moving.
I clicked on the comments because I was so excited to hear other people wish you well, and congratulate you for the result of all your hard work. I was shocked to see otherwise, and to read that some thought you were “lucky”. Being a silent reader for many, many years, I felt incredible joy and pride for you and Evan when reading this post. I expected D16 to sell fast and have many offers because it is a beautiful home that you have worked tirelessly on restoring (and then also spent time documenting on your blog – which did not give you income most years since you were ad free – and has helped me, and I’m sure others, in countless ways).
There is no “middle ground” for having to be sensitive to other people’s plights. You are one of the most genuine writers I have come across, and I think the integrity you exhibit is a great example to how we all should be.
Congratulations to you and your family!
Congratulations, I am really happy for you guys. What a great outcome for you and Evan (though I am rather sad about the Smeg). I am slightly gutted about you no longer having a garden, I had the feeling you were really in your element with that and you did such a great job. Well maybe your next place is a lofty groundfloor apartment with a wonderful garden behind it. You never know what’s in the cards (winning the lottery?).
Good luck with your packing. Are you keeping the fluoresent Tom Dixon (stool or bench, I forgot)?
omggggggg. thank you for posting your bedroom and dorm room photos!! i wish i had pictures of my room circa 1990. we would have been friends. 🙂
thinking of you, kitten. i know how difficult this must be. here’s to new homes and new decorating. 😉 xoxo
Yay! I’m so happy for you all – I knew that beautiful house would go fast. And I’m glad you got more then you were asking. I hope the move goes smoothly for you (yes, I know it’s awful! It will be over soon.)
Hi Anna,
What a great journey to have. i enjoyed this amazing house transformation into a home. I am sure you guys will miss it but more exciting things will come, I am sure.
Also thank you for Ikea comment. I love ikea, I also dont treat it as temporary solution but as practical.
Anna, best of luck.
Congratulations Anna! I’m glad this is turning out to be what seems like a positive (but surely exhausting) experience for you! I can concur on feeling liberated upon getting rid of a lot of possessions, it is a remarkable feeling. When I last walked out of my house I left feeling that I had left it in better shape than when I acquired it, and I’m sure your house feels that tenfold!
Thanks for the incredible photos of your dorm. sweeeet!!
Thank you for sharing your home with us over the years, D16 was a labor of love and it showed.
That story about Fritz is too cute. Bless him!
Congratulations on the sale of your house Anna. Onwards and upwards. Sadly, there will always be ‘sour grapes’.
Liked your dorm posters. Interested to see the Brit bands, privileged to have seen them all play live (I am old you see ;))
Lorrie
pure grace, anna. go you! congratulations! excited to see what comes next. <3
I don’t think there’s much luck involved when someone with a lovely eye has painstakingly restored and curated their home. It’s a beaut – and I’m not surprised people were so excited to snap it up.
All that hard work paid off – congratulations!
I’ll miss those house posts but look forward to whatever’s coming next.
I am happy to hear that Fritz and Bruno are doing well with this change. Hugs to them. Great new to hear that after you decided to sell, everything went so fast. Wish you all the best and hope the blog name will stay teh same 🙂
Hi Anna,
So much to comment on your beautiful journey, but I can’t think of anything that hasn’t been said yet. Just wanted to comment that at first glance I thought you wrote that Fritz and Bruno were ADOPTABLE and that you were packing them up too! Good to know the critters are coming along for the journey. Best wishes.
Haha, oh no!! They are most definitely NOT adoptable. 😀 😀
Wow that happened fast! Moving is never easy, let alone a space you’ve put so much love into! I hear you on the joy of letting things go and Ikea for the long run. 🙂 I moved at the beginning of the year and donated enough to finally qualify for the donation tax credit! Looking forward to seeing where you guys wind up.
It was a pleasure to silently read your blog as you renovated the house. And having done a weekend back-and-forth for years myself, I can easily understand getting to the point where you love the house but realize that getting to it has become a rare and ardous trip, especially with the upkeep. So I congratulate you for recognizing that and having the courage to sell something that was much loved.
I also suspect there’ll be another house or a bought apartment with a garden in your future. The current sale may be your down payment some day, or part of one. I can’t see you wanting to keep moving as rents continue to rise in New York and you love to renovate and remodel. So…in the meantime, I wish you the best and look forward to someday reading about another property that you’ll own and blog about.
Your suspicions are unfounded, Tanta, but I hope you’ll continue to enjoy the blog anyway. 🙂
Personally, Anna, what I read about over the years was this thing called”Sweat Equity.” A crapton of it. You worked like the dickens on that house and so you reap the rewards. I don’t get all the whining.
So i’m a little late here on a response…but feel compelled after seeing a post today on The Snug about Newburgh Restorations. I didn’t read all the responses you got here on your moving plans, but have been following your blog for longer than I realized and am not surprised that you are starting new chapters! I’ve enjoyed your style, hard work, decisions, your day job, music, food, well, the lot! Bonus to all this, is learning about even more like-minded creatives…it’s been eye-opening for me, as a creative! The post about before and afters in Newburgh showed a funeral home that has been adapted for a new use, by architect Jeff Wilkinson, as his future office and space for 2 more offices! I met Jeff when he was a quirky creative high school student doing amazing things. It feels pretty good to read about good things happening and recognizing the name of someone you know (I think we all get jazzed when that happens!), right?!?!` This got me intrigued to check out newburghrestoration.com. Well woman, you are too modest. Not only have you shared the good, bad and the ugly of your house adventure and creative nuggets, but you inspired the creation of the blog sharing the movement and organization that is reinvigorating a city. You were mentioned in the About as the inspiration and I was excited to read that and feel it’s well-deserved. You sparked something bigger than you. Well done. Thanks for sharing with all of us…
We just bought our first home and are in the process of packing up our apartment… ugh, I sympathize. It’s exhausting. After spending almost a year looking in superhot Seattle, I’m shocked at your shock about the sale – I’d gotten so used to the madness here, it just seems normal now! Funny how different markets are. Anyway our new house was given a charmectomy at some point so we have a road ahead to infuse some character back in to the 1925 structure. Your canvas may be changing but your blog will always be a source of inspiration!
I just saw this post because, the procrastinator that I am, thought i’d check in on door sixteen. I am in the process of moving, having sold my house in seattle on august 4, closed on august 25th, bought a house in Arlington, texas on august 30th, and closed on September 15th. I am moving in two days. the movers are coming on the 22nd, and me, and my basset and bloodhound will be on a plane for dallas Wednesday morning, the 23rd. my car is being picked up for shipment tomorrow. I am not packed other than what I packed since January (I have packers coming), and I have completely shut down. I’ve lived here for 18 years and i’m ready to leave but i’m really starting to freak! just putting the airline kennels together and getting the dogs to get used to them starting tonite will be an effort! well, my bloodhound is pretty easy…my basset is a little more fussy! let’s just say I will be very happy when we all land in dallas Wednesday afternoon!
and btw…congratulations on such a fast sale!!! it’s awesome being in a sellers’ market 🙂