We closed on our childhood home today.

[Tuffcookie]

DSis & I have had our late mom's house on the market for 2 years. We finally got a nibble and closed today. A lady in her late 20's, with 2 young children will be moving in. She already rents in the neighborhood and her kids will go to the same school. she lost her mother several months ago. Her grandfather is buying the house for her! (Nice grandpa!)

She told our real estate lady she knows how hard it must be for DSis & me and if we ever want to come visit we are welcome!

Our family was the original owner back in 1955. It is so hard to give up our keys. Goodbye house!

TC

 

[minkydog]

Aww. I know this has to be hard. But you can think of it this way--that house gave you a lot of good memories. Now it's going to be the home for a new family who will make a lot of good memories. It sounds like the buyer is very sensitive. I'm sure your family home will be in good hands with it's new family.

 

[cassiez76]

big hugs OP

i had to sell my grandparents house after katrina (a friend was living there after they died, plus it had to be gutted). i still get sad about how my son won't get to run in the yard or go grab a delaware punch can out of the utility room like i did.

i don't want to have to think about the day i have to do my childhood home.

 

[DebbieB]

I'm still living in my childhood home, both my parents have passed and my brothers have their own homes. We moved here in 1967 and there is a ton of junk I'm still going through. I'm saving money and would like to move into a townhouse and it will be hard to walk away the final time. The neighbor next door died right before my mom and when her son came to the house for the final time after it was sold he walked out with tears in his eyes. The neighborhood is deteriorating and I have to make a move soon. I plan to get my place first, move what I want to keep and then try to get rid of the rest before putting it up for sale.

 

[horseshowmom]

big hugs OP

i had to sell my grandparents house after katrina (a friend was living there after they died, plus it had to be gutted). i still get sad about how my son won't get to run in the yard or go grab a delaware punch can out of the utility room like i did.

i don't want to have to think about the day i have to do my childhood home.

OP, hugs from me too. I even have trouble parting with cars (of course, I tend to drive them until the wheels are almost ready to fall off ).

I solved the problem of selling my folks house. My husband and I bought it a year after we got married. I'm one of very few people whose parents are the ones who move out and move away!

 

[minniecarousel]

TC, that's sad, but it sounds like the right move.

DH & I will downsize sometime soon. We moved to this house, with a downstairs bedroom & bath so that my Mom could move in with us 10 years ago. She died in April & just remembering how much she loved living here, will make it tough to leave. Now that the lavender is in full bloom reminds me of how she loved to sit out back and watch the bees in it.

You always have the memories.

 

[golfgal]

We we lived in South Dakota we had the previous owners of our house come visit. Our house was a 1920's Craftsman and this family was the second owners of the house-we were the 4th. I was out in the yard one day when a man and his young son pulled up and were obviously looking at the house. I asked if I could help them and he told me he grew up in this house and wanted to show his son. I invited them in and they looked around. It was close to Mother's Day and he said all of his siblings were going to be in town and would we mind if they came by. It was a BLAST. They went room to room and talked about the various changes, etc. In the basement they showed us all the messages they left on the beams, mainly things like "Joe stinks" . Their mom was so embarrassed that they asked to come that she would not come with, I told them if she ever changes her mind to let us know. They sent a very lovely floral arrangement not long after their visit.

A couple years later I went to my 10 year college reunion with my cousin who was celebrating her 20 year reunion. I went to meet her roommates and her best friend from college was one of the girls from the family above . We both looked at each other and said "I know you". When we figured it out we just started laughing. What a coincidence. My cousin lived with us when I was growing up so she is more like a sister.

My son is going to college in the town where my Dad grew up so we drive by his old house-where we spent a lot of time when we were growing up visiting my Grandpa. I haven't worked up the guts to ask them if I can come in and look around though.

 

[kirbydog48]

I went through this two years ago. My dad died in 2004 and my mom in 2007. My sister lived in the house for a year, then we put it on the market and sold it fairly quickly (it was on Cape Cod, and some people bought it for their vacation/retirement home). It was really difficult for me leaving that house empty of all my parents' stuff. I actually grieved more then than I did right after my mom died. Sounds like a really nice new beginning for the house with little ones living there.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

It's always hard but it is the right thing to do. You will always have all of the beautiful memories.

 

[Grandmouse]

I know exactly how you all feel as my brothers and I just went through this. OP, our parents were also the original owners from the time the house was built in 1955. It was bittersweet. It took some time for us to go through the junk and we HAD to go through everything (a lot of people thought we should just toss everything out, but we couldnt). We laughed as we relived our lives -- trips we had taken, including one to Disneyland in the early 60s, old report cards, our dad's army things, mom's cookie jar, and of course, lots of photos -- and then we cried as we left for the last time.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Congratulations on closing the house. We're about to close on my in-laws' house on Long Island. Unfortunately, my partner lost both of his parents between Labor Day of last year and February, 2010.

They had moved into the house in 1956, when my partner was seven years old. His sister was twelve, and his brother was a newborn. They were from Minnesota, and moved here because his father got a job writing for NBC.

It's a beautiful home, and I know the "kids" are going to miss going there.

*good wishes to you!*

 

[Snoopymom]

How sweet of her. Dh and dsil were turned away by a really mean lady when they asked if they could see their childhood home. The garage was falling in and the some siding was missing, so she maybe she was just embarrassed.

Got to check this song out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQYNM6SjD_o

I know they say you can’t go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma’am I know you don’t know me from Adam
But these handprints on the front steps are mine

Up those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
I bet you didn’t know under that live oak
My favorite dog is buried in the yard

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

Mama cut out pictures of houses for years
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Plans were drawn and concrete poured
Nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama’s dream

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I walk around I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Cindy. I am sure it must be so hard for you with so many memories, but you will always have them and treasure them in your heart.

Very nice of the new buyer to let you come to visit.

I am happy our family home is in the next state.

When you see the new little kids having fun in the house I am sure in the bittersweetness you will be happy they will love it just as much as you did.

 

[PrincessMomto2]

I know how bitter sweet the feeling (I had to sell my childhood home 12 years ago) is but it does seem like the house is in the hands of a loving family. Like others have said you have all the memories inside your heart and those will be with you forever. Congrats on the closing.