Q&A: On Moving + Our New Home
I have received SO many questions regarding our big move from why we decided to move to the neighborhood we are in now and what are plans are for the new house. I thought I would share some answers here for all that are curious.
Why did you decide to move?
We knew we were ready to move around the time Ford turned 6-months. He had just started to crawl (early, I know) and was into everything! Once baby is mobile, nothing is safe. Our first home was old - like, built in the 1920s and the layout worked so well as a young, married couple, but didn’t make sense for our growing family (no, I am NOT pregnant). But we definitely couldn’t see our family staying in that home for much longer. While our bedrooms were really big (for living in the heart of the city), the actual family living area was small. Our living room was not designed for a modern family, obviously. So, we would cram everything into one space and we realized it was no longer working for us.
We also had been in that home for almost 7-years and from a financial perspective, were in a really good place to sell. We bought the house and put a lot of love (and manual labor) into it to make it our home and we were out of things we could realistically do. After looking at the numbers and meeting with our financial advisor, we knew that it was the right time for us to sell and buy.
Where is your new house compared to your old one?
Our old house was a 1920s Tudor-style home in the Brookside area. Our new home is a “modern” 1950s ranch in Old Leawood that was recently fully renovated including the kitchen and bathrooms (a must on my list).
How are they similar/different?
The old house we bought for next to nothing in our 20s - we purchased right after the housing market crashed for an incredible price that was in the right neighborhood - and was a great investment for us because we were willing to fix it up over the years. It was in pretty bad shaped when we first moved in. We think someone was crashing in it and actually had stolen copper from the basement the night before. So crazy! But we did so much to make that house our own and by the time we moved, we loved (almost) everything about it. It was hard to leave.
The new house needs very little work, mostly cosmetic, in order to make it feel like “ours.”
We are painting (already have done some of the rooms), changing light fixtures and adding personalized touches to make it more our style. With having a baby in the mix, we didn’t want to take on another “fixer upper” but did want to know that they are little ways we could customize the home and improve it. I love the open flow, but that there are separate areas for my husband and I to have our own space. I also love the finished basement, which creates a nice family area for us that we were lacking before. Oh, and you probably have seen our outdoor entertaining area, but the custom pergola is a total dream!
Are you keeping your furniture or selling it?
We decided to keep a lot of our furniture! We love our furniture and most of it was in good shape. My strategy has always been to buy quality pieces and to finish each room at a time. So, we had acquired furniture that was truly our style over the years. We did get rid of a few small things and will eventually swap a few things out, but it’s nice not having to start from scratch.
A few things I have my eye on or recently ordered…
How was the moving process - any tips?
It was a a blur! A few things we did right…we started moving little by little the week BEFORE listing our house. This was kind of crazy because we listed Easter weekend (and sold within 48-hours), but then didn’t get moved into our new house until June. So, a lot of our personal items had already been packed. But it made the process easier. Each weekend, we would pack a few more things away, so we didn’t have a ton to deal with at the last minute.
Also, we hired movers. I would 100% recommend going this route if you can, especially if you have kids. The day of the move (we had to move out and into the new house within 24-hours), we put Ford into daycare so we could be 100% focused on packing, cleaning, moving, and unpacking. It was a long day, but very productive! if your kid(s) are not in daycare, I would suggest asking a friend or family member to come help watch the little ones so you can be focused. Even with movers, we needed to be present to tell them where to put things, etc.
What is your favorite part of the new house?
So many things! To be honest, we had really cold feet the week of our move and were so anxious about it all. I was worried we made a mistake. Even though our old house to new house is not far (less than 5 miles), it felt like a “big move” for us because we were going from Missouri to Kansas, plus the style of home was so different.
But now that we are in, we are SO happy - for so many reasons - and know this was the right choice.
I love the main area and that there is plenty of space for our family to enjoy time together. I love that I have a separate office space (before I was using one of our bedrooms for an office/dressing room). I love that my husband gets the basement of his dreams and room for a pool table. I love that Ford can easily play and that there are not tons of stairs to worry about him getting hurt on our rusty nails and other things that come along with an older home. I also love the neighborhood. Every home looks different - not cookie-cutter - and there are big trees and lots of kids running around at all times. Our neighbors seem SO nice and welcoming and the street is quiet, so we can actually plan and enjoy the outdoors together.