House Sale

I'm sure all of you know that David's house in Wamego has been for sale for close to a year now. It has essentially been a drain on funds and energy for David since he bought it around 5 years ago. Unbeknownst to him when he bought it, the foundation on the old farmhouse was faulty, and he almost immediately had to make the decision to either fix the foundation to the standards at which it should have been when he purchased it (spending the money and not seeing an increase in value), or to dig and finish a basement so that the square footage and value might increase. He and a few friends have spent countless hours of intensive labor on the basement project over these last few years. It was on its way to completion when a certain girl unexpectedly showed up in David's life...that's me!

After our relationship became more serious, we realized that my plans to go to 3 years of graduate school in Wichita didn't really 'jive' with David continuing to live alone in the (now) 5 bedroom, 3 bath house near Manhattan. Coincidentally, at this same point in time, David's company (Mathis Rehab) had its sights set on opening a new clinic in Emporia, KS. David decided to assume the role of starting up the new clinic, as he would then be closer to me while I was in school in Wichita.

To make a very long story short, we have been working on completing the basement project and/or getting the house ready to sell ever since we began dating. Knowing that we will be selling it (and thus, not getting to "enjoy" all of our hard work), "the house" has been a huge weight on our shoulders. Most of you probably know that we spend many weekends making the drive to Wamego, and for a year now, have been paying a mortgage on an empty property, not to mention upkeep and utility costs. After having the house on the market for a year now, we have FINALLY gotten closer than ever to having it sold. It has passed all inspections and appraisal, and we are slated to close on it on April 30. It is hard to express the mix of feelings this brings for us. While the sale is a HUGE relief for both of us and is sure to make our lives easier, it is difficult for David to "let go" of his house in the country. The reality of the market at this point means that we are definitely not getting out of the house what we have put into it both monetarily and in sweat equity. It is hard to swallow, though we both know that leaving it behind is a positive thing in our lives.

I can only speak for myself of course, but I am looking forward to the future, including us purchasing our first home together at some point. It has been a long time since I have had a true "place to call home". Right now, we (finally) have our belongings in the same town, although some are in our rental house and some are in a storage unit. We are both eager to someday have it all in one place! The month of April has been and continues to be long and hard for us, as we concentrate on clearing out the house, finalizing paperwork, and all the while keeping up with work and school. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go into the sale, and finally close this chapter in our lives, so that we may start another!