Looks like I might be buying a new house this summer.
My wife wants to get back to full-time work and is searching for a full-remote position. Our current home is a raised-ranch (quad-level) with an open-ish floor plan. No rooms have doors aside from bedrooms and bathrooms. We don't have a spare bedroom for an office. So she wants a bigger house. With the pandemic over the last 2 years, we've all been in the house more often and on top of each other most days. We have nowhere to hide when we need to take important phone calls for work.
She has her heart set on a certain neighborhood in our town with bigger houses and bigger prices. If nothing works out, we can still stay here. No biggie. Our agent sent out mailers and we prepared our house and had photos taken, should we decide to move. There was no action in that subdivision. I tried to join their restricted Facebook group and messaged back and forth with the resident that admins the group. He put a feeler out in the group on my behalf and connected me with a homeowner that is moving out of state this summer. He was going to sell his house "for sale/by owner."
We were able to tour the house last weekend and fell in love with it. It's perfect for our family and needs, while still being in the same school district and boundary, so my daughter doesn't have to change schools. It's a great, friendly neighborhood, at the end of a quiet court/cul-de-sac, and within walking/biking distance to our town's brand new library and a public park. My current home is close to the school, but on a main artery street where cars and delivery trucks routinely do in excess of the 25mph speed limit. Over the last few years, more people have moved in with louder cars, which affect all of our sleep, as well as the safety issue of them playing in the driveway with cars zooming past all the time.
We'll be submitting an offer next week. The homeowner seems to be working with our agent for now, which is a good sign. The downside is saying goodbye to our home of 12 years, where we brought our kids home from the hospital and raised them for the first several years of their lives. I know this house inside and out, having put blood, sweat and tears into it, and that bothers me a little to walk away from my hard work. A few months ago, i was dreading this process, but I'm realizing that we do need this change as a family and it will be better for all of us. More to come in the following weeks/months, if all goes well!