As many of you may know from my previous announcement, I am saying goodbye to the northeast and hello to the sunshine state very soon! This decision to move to the Tampa Bay Area was made for many reasons, the top ones being:
I am too old to be cold
A more family-friendly environment
Access to a healthier lifestyle
Better year-round recreational activities
A more favorable business and regulatory climate
The list could go on (plus, who wouldn't want to live near some of the world's best beaches?!), but the short version is, Connecticut just isn't the right home for us anymore. Though we love our house and property here in beautiful North Stamford, we are ready for a new life (far) south of here.
The last few months have been a whirlwind.
We welcomed our third child into the world this past August, the same day we put our house on the market. Since then, we've had it up to rent and purchase, while we tested out the current real estate climate here. It's been an emotional rollercoaster. Getting our house "showing ready" over and over again with a newborn and two toddlers has been nothing short of nightmarish. I keep a tidy home, but the constant rush of having to hide my breast pump parts, throw little shoes and socks into the nearest closet, put every single toy and book back in their place, and pack up what feels like a clown car to "disappear" for an hour at a time has been nearly impossible. But it would all be worth it if we got a good offer, we thought. After a few showings, we did get one, and we accepted. Except there was one caveat... we had to be moved out in less than four weeks. This was nothing short of an insane ask, especially during the holiday season. But the option of moving to Florida with less ties to worry about here, and some cash in hand, was enough to make us agree.
Once we started getting moving quotes, we quickly realized it would be easier and more cost effective to sell most everything we had and just start fresh down there. We decided to do a short-term rental while we get our bearings, and possibly some back-to-back AirBnBs to explore different neighborhoods of the Tampa Bay Area so we can really get a feel for where the best fit for us lies. This idea, most people have told me, is smart but nuts with three kids three and under. But for anyone who knows me, the fact that I wanted to do something nuts, and was serious about it, was just par for the course of how I do life! Plus, home prices in this area are still incredibly inflated right now, with demand high and supply low (even after two recent hurricanes! And no, that has not changed our minds about moving either!). We can't afford to make a mistake buying into the wrong property, so taking our time to figure this part out while down there is definitely the better strategy for us.
For the last several weeks, I've cleared out nearly half of my house. Facebook Marketplace is both a blessing and a curse, as I am equally impressed with how much I've earned reselling my possessions as I am with how many wacky people there are out there. From furniture, to the contents of our gardening shed, UTV, plant collection, old ski gear, and everything in between... I've literally reached five figures and have covered the costs of our move! Big win. My husband and I were in a crazed rush selling and packing what we could fit in during nap windows and between work calls every single day, trying to meet the fast-approaching December 13th deadline.
But then the offer fell through.
The buyers had already signed the binder and completed inspections. But suddenly, it became apparent that one of them clearly had no interest in actually buying our house at all, and was very obviously going through the motions for their partner. They made a claim that they "couldn't build what they wanted" on the property, per their contractor. This was a very obvious attempt to wiggle out of their offer as there was no merit or evidence to back their claim, but our real estate agent said the deal was dead regardless. We were distraught, as the train to move was already in motion. Though the silver lining is that we'll now have adequate time to pack up without killing ourselves and get to spend one final holiday season up here with our families, we are now looking at a house with empty rooms and shelves, and having to start over with our move planning and logistics. I just want to be off the ride! Moving has so many ups and downs to begin with, but doing it with a new baby, two toddlers, and trying to make arrangements 1,200 miles away... it's not easy!
So we made a new plan.
Â
We are now in the process of targeting an early January move date. We plan to utilize a moving pod to ship our things down, and get our cars sent down as well so we can just do a quick flight to get there. We're sorting through different furnished rental options and taking a much "lighter" approach to relocating. After much discussion, my husband and I decided we will go with only what we need. That means losing all the heavy winter clothing, anything we haven't used in the past year, and any items we don't absolutely love or need anymore. Some essentials in suitcases should get us through the first month easily, and we hope to enjoy a lot of beach time in the St. Pete's/Clearwater area while we wind down from the chaos of getting there. We are fortunate that we both run our businesses remotely now, and it's so cool to know that we can make this transition so seamlessly. (I look forward to taking client calls with palm trees in my background!)
Everything felt so scary at first, but nothing worth having comes easy, and we know that. But why have I been so nervous after all? When I broke it down, it was really just about the unknown and doing something so different. The instability with my small children worried me. Though I knew if we had adequate time to plan, they would be just fine - it's me that needed to come to grips with the changes. I feel like I've been so conditioned to be in the same cycle that is "safe," but what's so wrong with a little adventure? So we told our real estate agent to pull our CT house from the market for now, and resume showings once we've officially left. No more displacing us and stress from that end - go crazy once we're gone! We know it will sell in the new year, and will probably be a better timeframe for buyers then anyway. I will not miss living in a house that is actively on the market, I can tell you that much! But I am glad we have the ability to do so.
This is why we've worked so hard.
Â
Would I have preferred to sell before we left? Yes. Am I willing to take the risk needed to get where we want to be, given the present circumstances? Also yes. So that's that! Some say I have lost my marbles, and others tell me it's freakin' awesome. I will land on my feet. I always do. But I am embracing this unique season of life we're in and grateful my husband and I have made the sacrifices necessary all these years to put us in the position where we can take these calculated risks to make our life better for ourselves and our children.
So our farewell tour continues!
Â
In the next week we'll have all our ducks in a row and purchase our one-way tickets to Tampa. In the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing our loved ones one final time before we make the big move. There will be a lot of interesting stories to come, and I intend to chronicle all of our journey, while promising myself to embrace whatever life throws at us along the way.