Suddenly, amidst the packed boxes and chaos of moving the situation sunk in to our tired, overtaxed brains.
THERE WAS NO WHERE TO MOVE TO!
We had sold our home and we were past the point of being able to back out, gracefully or otherwise.
Two (2) kids, one (1) dog, a hamster and various fish were counting on my husband and I to provide shelter and that possibility had just disintegrated – literally gone up in smoke! This is how we survived, what we learned in the process and how it just might be useful information to others who are living in less than their ideal housing situation and feel stuck.
We felt like that. When we bought the adorable starter home with the postage stamp size yard it was just the two of us. Our eyes were only on each other, newly married, fresh out of college and the world was our oyster. All the things we’d done right meant all the things we did would turn out right, or so we thought at the time.
Along came a canine companion, 2 blessed little ones and a housing crisis we were no more prepared for than any of our neighbors or friends had been.
When the boys were babies, it wasn’t too bad and we thought for sure we’d be able to move in the next year or so. That stretched to 2, then 4, then suddenly the preteens loomed larger than any room in the house and moving to larger digs was an absolute necessity.
We quit procrastinating and started looking in earnest for a bigger house.
We quickly discovered the “housing shortage” was no joke! There were homes for sale, but the ones we loved most were out of our price range, out of our school district or so far out of commute range we would have to be out of our minds to move there!
Diligence paid off and in spite of slim pickings, we found and made an offer on a home we believed would be perfect for us. Selling our starter proved to be a fast turnover, and for the next couple of weeks we coordinated the many details of closing and moving. We signed all the paperwork at 10am, turning our house over to the new owners. We were on the way to close on our new house, then back to the old house where we expected the movers to show at three.
What we got was a nightmare call from the agent. The home we were just about to close on had caught fire!
There was no family we could move in with.
There were no friends we could bunk with.
There was nowhere to go!
The reason it all worked out, even though we didn’t have much money to work with, is because we didn’t panic.
Our agent worked with us, making calls and helping smooth things over with the moving company. We secured a rental home for that weekend and enjoyed a few days vacation by a hotel pool until we could settle down. Thanks to the agent we were working with, our rental was month to month so we could continue the search for our forever home.
Yes, it was a chaotic and unsettling experience. Yes, we could have seen it as a total disaster. And yes, a fairy tale ending would be lovely, but that isn’t what happened. We did experience a bit more frustration, making offers on several more homes before securing the right one for us. Seven months later we finally moved again, but we couldn’t be happier!
Find yourself worrying about selling your home only to be left homeless? Don’t panic! Working with the dedicated, experienced agents from your local RE/MAX Alliance office puts you in the best real estate company you need to get where you want to go!