For Sale...SOLD!!!

Over spring break, Grant and I had a lot of time in the car and we usually enjoy that time dreaming about our future, playing "would you rather" or "what if" type scenarios out, etc. We were realizing that we had only 1 short year until we both graduate and leave Lexington...and that made me, start to stress about selling our house. I have been thinking about selling the home since before we even bought it...that was always the biggest "stress" to me, especially knowing that we would definitely be moving after graduation. So, on the drive, we thought "what if" we put our house on the market now, see if it sells...if it does, we rent for a year, if not, we try again next spring. The obvious downsides to this plan were that we would have to move (which is a pain) and we wouldn't get to live in the house that we put so much sweat and love into.
However, when we got home, we talked with our realtor, did a few last minute touch up projects...and put the sign in the yard a week later! We liked the idea of getting to be pickier with offers, not stressed about selling right away, etc. since we really had an entire year to sell. But...we were so blessed and two and a half weeks later got an offer on the house! We did some negotiating and finally settled on a number, and the reality of the sale of our home was getting nearer.
And here is the big reveal...the first time I have posted pics of the outside of the house on our blog (for "safety" reasons, I refrained from doing so while we lived there since it is definitely easily identifiable and unique). I left for my trip, knowing that the day I returned home, we would have to begin moving. I was sad about the thought of moving, yet excited for the fact that it was really happening. So, Monday evening when I returned home from Hickory (still sick and tired from the drive) we started to move.

Here are some pics we took right before going to closing....our last time to be in the house :( I have to admit that I was a bit nervous that the house wasn't going to look as nice once we moved all of our stuff out of it...but in some ways I liked it more, as we got to appreciate all the work we had done (like the bamboo floors, venetian walls, etc).

The loft we added (one of the greatest parts of that house).My kitchen! I really will miss this kitchen. There was SO much storage, tons of counter space, great lighting, and I had always wanted a white kitchen :)

All locked up and ready to hand over the keys...

We unfortunately never got to go to the closing of our home when we bought it (because we closed before we actually moved out to Kentucky), so didn't get to participate in the ceremonial passing of keys, etc. It was fun to get to be a part of that this time. I was definitely sad about moving, but the couple that bought it was so cute and called it their "dream home." They were very complimentary about all that we had done to the house and were very excited for their life in that home to begin. Because of their enthusiasm and love for the home, it eased my sadness of leaving. And because when we bought the house, we never got the picture of us holding the keys (and the buyers took one when we were closing), we thought we'd take a picture with our realtor and our checks...the benefit to selling the home :) Ideally, you get keys as a buyer and a check as a seller, and this reality came true for us. I really feel so blessed about that.
And as a remembrance of all the sweat, time, money, and love we put into this house...here are some of my project blog posts from the last couple of years!