Mike and I bought our current home at 6413 Cranbrook Street NE on September 21st, 1996, so we've lived in our house for 23 years! I've never lived anywhere for that long. So I've been wanting to move for quite some time now--even after updating our home and making it better over the years.
Since Mike is retiring from Sandia Labs in two years, I decided it wouldn't hurt to look for a house to buy if we stayed in Albuquerque. I LOVE looking at houses anyway.
I found the ideal home in September of this year. It's located on 8320 San Diego Avenue NE in North Albuquerque Acres and is in a lovely, quiet neighborhood on a .89 acre lot. All the necessary rooms are on the main floor, including the master bedroom and laundry room. The only rooms on the second floor are a large family/game room and a 4th bedroom with a full bath--perfect for an exercise room or third guest room.
We had two choices when it came to selling our home--either list it for top dollar or sell it to one of our children for a reduced price. Jessica and Sebastian were the only consideration since Jacob will be leaving Albuquerque in the spring or summer next year, and the others live out of state.
Jess and Seb love their west side home and had a very difficult time deciding whether to buy our home or not. Seb intended to stay in their house till it was paid off. But he said that if they bought a bigger house, they would buy our house or they would stay put.
Jessica on the other hand had been looking for a bigger house for at least a year. Their boys were outgrowing their small bedroom; Jess was needing more storage space; they always needed an extra bedroom for company; and Seb needed a quiet place to work whenever he worked from home.
The schools on our side of town are ranked higher, the work commute for Seb would be shorter; our home is in a prettier and better maintained neighborhood with wonderful neighbors; we have tons of storage space inside and out; we have two additional bedrooms; we have an updated kitchen and bathrooms with high end fixtures and appliances; we have an R/O system; we have two newer furnaces and A/C units; and we have new stucco, new windows, and new blinds and shades.
Sebastian liked the idea of buying our home, but he let Jessica make the final decision. We were happy when they finally made the commitment and we could move forward. I almost wish they didn't like their home so much, because that way they'd be more excited about moving into our house. The boys have been unhappy about the thought of moving, and Hudson has especially been upset about it. I hope that they will make new friends instantly and love their new school and teachers at Hubert Humphrey Elementary and in the High Desert Ward. A good friend and neighbor of mine, Amanda Slade, told me that even though Hubert Humphrey hasn't been remodeled after all these years, her children have loved their teachers and have had an excellent education there. It's the same school that our Jacob and Sam attended.
I know that Jess and Seb will miss their single-level floor plan, their beautiful backyard waterfall, the tree-lined streets in their neighborhood, and the paved walking path around a big park in the area. We do have a beautiful park a few blocks from our house, and our backyard is pretty and spacious with a big tree house, a sandbox, garden boxes, and fruit trees. Hopefully they will find the changes equally enjoyable. I picture the back patio with twinkly lights, a fire pit, and nice patio furniture.
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| My beautiful, hard working girl |
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| I'm so glad Jessica is still young and full of energy! |
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| The upstairs windows minus rods and valances |
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| A new kitchen ready for its new family to move in |
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| With and without the rods and valances downstairs in the living room |
