Dream forever home!

[makingmyway10]

Well just need to get this off my chest. I cant talk about in real life as I don't want to jinx it! We put our house on the market in the Summer as we saw a house that could be our forever home. I love our current house, my children have grown up here and it is spacious and has everything we need. We have lovely neighbours and work and school are a good distance away. But it has never been the home I want to grow old in, our final stop as it were. In the Summer we spotted a house we liked, had a viewing and loved it, some reservations but liked it enough to put ours on the market. Then in the Autumn it sold and we had not sold ours. However, I was not upset! I thought that I would be and saw this as a big clue it was not meant to be the one! Then we saw THE house. It is everything I wanted and more. It means a longer commute to work by 15 mins and is not in an area we thought it would be. But it is stunning, rural location with views, In a style I love and picture perfect, every feature I could ever want ( well no swimming pool) head over heels in love with it. Literally my dream house. Then.... we sold ours. Just found out our offer has been accepted on the dreamhouse.

I know that I need to remain calm. A long way to go yet. Anything can happen, we are not telling anyone in real life yet at least until we exchange. But I could burst and had to share somewhere!

I was beginning to lose faith that ours would sell as the market has been dead. We have had lots of viewings but no one who wanted it until now.

So much running through my head. I am over the moon, trying to remain calm and also feeling sentimental that this will be our last Christmas in the home our children grew up in. And how much I have to do!

Just needed to share

[Annasgirl]

Congrats OP.
Get a huge skip. Involve all your family. Tell them to sort out their possessions into what they want to bring to their new home, what they want to throw away and what they want to donate.

Throw all the broken items into the skip. Donate all good stuff. Be ruthless with what you take to your new home. Recently, I cleared out a storage unit, 11 years after we left our house, there were items we had never unpacked!!! We rented for 2 1/2 years before our forever home, moving twice in that time!!!

A big clear out before you move in is my lesson learned - do not pack and unpack and pay for the removal van for something you will donate or dump next year.

Good luck and congrats again.

[makingmyway10]

Annasgirl great tip re skip. I am pricing some up now! Lots to clear as my children were small when we moved in and are almost grown up now! The baby things are still boxed up in the loft from our last move!

You are right time to be ruthless! DD1 is coming home from Uni for a weekend soon to pack up her room and sort stuff to go to the skip/charity shop.

Its amazing how much junk you accumulate!

Hoping that now we have booked the removal firm the packing boxes will arrive towards the end of this week and I can get started

[makingmyway10]

Any more moving tips greatly appreciated everyone

[FaceClothParty]

Pay for the packing service. And de clutter as much as you can first.

[FaceClothParty]

Oh and label leads and put all in one box and have a couple of boxes of stuff like important papers that you move yourself, also anything of great sentimental value.

[Annasgirl]

If your children are older and will have a room each in the new house, let them take charge of packing for their room (I mean possessions not beds) and then get it put into that room for them to unpack and distribute. That way you don't throw out their most treasured possession, but you remind them that they are 100% responsible for finding a place in their new room for that.

Do not get into the habit of keeping your grown up children's items they cannot use but want to keep in your attic - when my DM passed away, we had to clear the attic - nothing belonging to DM who was a minimalist, loads of items from my DSis, who was 36 at the time, that poor DM was keeping for her (DSis had travelled the world and amassed an attic full of "memories and keepsakes" - which she then decided she didn't want in her new home and so dumped in a skip!!!).

Also, really examine the items you have, I have some beautiful antique china from DM and I decided in this house that it would be on show to remind me of DM so I made a place in my dining room and searched until I found the perfect antique china cabinet in which to show it off - remember, this move is about creating your forever home, filled with your most treasured possessions, but put them on show, not in an attic.

I'm a minimalist but if I love something, I find a way to show it - my children's first shoes are framed and haning on a wall in the family room, family photos are framed and on a shelf, but the 3rd set of saucepans were donated before we made this final move.

[Annasgirl]

hanging!!!

[makingmyway10]

Thank you! Faceclothparty (great name!) I am packing myself as I am way too controlling to let the removal company do it! Also gives me a chance to declutter whilst packing.

Annasgirl my DDs are 18 and 20 so will most definitely be packing themselves! However you are quite right about getting rid of baby things! I need to be ruthless, we definitely do not need the pram and the chests of dressing up clothes! I still have a chest full of pasta pictures and junk modelling! I need to have a huge wardrobe clear out too.

I also have my DDs first shoes in a little frame I love it.

Keep the tips coming

i am so excited though, its like a dream!

[pollyglot]

So excited for you! Good wishes for much joy in your new nest.

[cafenoirbiscuit]

Just catching up ....
your dream house is almost yours - how exciting 😁
Have you got a moving date yet?
Our next lot of surveys have been sent off, all saying positive things but no progress yet. I’m hoping we aren’t far behind you

[Liveinthepresent]

Ohh OP what a lovely thread your excitement bursts through the pages !

We made a similar move a few years ago from London to an old farmhouse in a village .
We were besotted as with our house as you are and it was such an exciting time moving here and making it home .

Good luck with it all - exciting times ahead !
Yes there is loads to do but it’s all positive so you will be fine !

[makingmyway10]

Oh Thank you! Cafenoir I have everything crossed for you and hope soon you will be packing too
Liveinthepresent you are very kind and right! I am bursting with excitement.
Boxes arriving tomorrow from removal firm. I have 4 weeks to pack it all up! Moving just in time for the Easter hols.

I have contacted a charity about taking unwanted furniture and my DD2 has done one charity shop run with her things. I think that there will be a few more trips yet.

I have started a notebook, very old fashioned with lists in and every time I cross something off I add something else.

I must run down my freezer! Although I am now regretting not labelling everything I put in it! Tonight's dinner is a surprise!

[makingmyway10]

Liveinthepresent I forgot to say your move sounds very romantic

[makingmyway10]

Boxes just delivered in the pouring rain! Drying out in the garage now. Plus they brought packing paper and tape which I thought I had to get so that is a bonus. I am loving the wardrobe boxes, very clever.

I have booked the charity collection for the unwanted furniture and I am booking a skip for a weekend to clear the garage and shed.

Today I am starting on the old playroom which is now a dumping ground! Oh Lord it is a big job. Can not start packing until it is cleared and sorted. I think I could fill a charity shop from this one room!

[makingmyway10]

Hello just posting an update if anyone is still
around and interested!

We moved into the house on Lockdown day! It was a close call but we did it! So we have had plenty of time to unpack.

I am totally in love with the house. It is my forever home and I fall a bit more in love with it every day . I hope every body else’s moves worked out .

[sbplanet]

Thanks @makingmyway10 I started your op and then skipped to the end - didn't want to spend ages getting to an unhappy ending! Hope you're very happy. :)

[makingmyway10]

SBplanet that made me smile It really does have a happy ending .

[busface999]

Oh wow, congratulations!

[Rhapsodyinpurple]

Congratulations. I hope you are very happy there.

[chopc]

Lovely! We allowed to see a link now?

[makingmyway10]

Chopc thank you but no! I can’t be identified on here, I have said too much

[Liveinthepresent]

Ah OP just saw this as have logged in for the first time in a good while am pleased to hear you made it before lockdown - hope you are having a wonderful time nesting and settling in !
We have some new neighbours who made it just before lockdown - it. Just have been quite strange but they are grateful for all the time at home.

[makingmyway10]

@Liveinthepresent thank you very much. As you can imagine moving day was very stressful knowing that Lockdown was imminent! The removal company was shorthanded due to some men having to isolate. Our agent called at lunchtime when our old house completed and said that we were the last move as they were shutting up as soon as she had made the call to me! All the moves after ours were cancelled, so we were so lucky! It has been lovely to have all this time at home to settle, although a little frustrating that we can't have work done that we wanted straight away, some may have to wait until next Summer now.
Also very odd that we cant explore the area, so we are looking forward to that. I still can't believe that we are in 'THE' house