How To Sell A Cute Cottage In 30 Days

At the end of February Dennis and I decided to sell our sweet red cottage and move to Texas. Of course, when we made that decision, the garden didn't look like this.





It looked more like this.





And, frankly, that made the decision much easier. I'm just not a winter person. I'm a summer girl, born in late June. I like sunshine and flowers, green grass and frost-free windshields. Snow and frigid temps don't do it for me.

This past winter just about did me in and I found myself fighting depression daily. Since Dennis and I have a choice as to where we live, there was no reason to "brave the cold"; we could relocate to a warmer climate. Texas has been on our radar for a long time, and so we explored the possibility of selling our cottage and relocating to the Lone Star State.

Within a few days we had talked to a realtor and were considering listing our home. Before we got that far the word spread around our little town that we were thinking of selling our cottage, and within a few days a cash offer was made by a local resident and we were in escrow. 

Our house closed on April 2 and we hit the road. Along the way we had several layovers. The first was Moab, Utah, where we met up with one of our children.



Next stop, Colorado to visit another child.




After a few days we drove to Taos, New Mexico, one of our favorite spots.



Finally we arrived in central Texas, where my soul has found rest.



Before we left NE Oregon we sold everything, except for some of Dennis' paintings and sculptures, some clothes and a few books and personal items. We left with no household items -- no furniture, no dishes, no pots and pans, no family heirlooms; no lawn mower or garden tools. Basically, whatever didn't fit in the back of our Subaru had to go. (The artwork and a few boxes are being shipped to our new address.)

We've rented an apartment for now. Not sure if we'll buy or build again, or what we'll do. Ridding ourselves of all we owned in such a short time was exhausting,  but I can tell you that the freedom I feel at having let go of all that stuff is exhilarating. It's totally worth the effort, and starting over at our age is so much fun. We're like a couple of kids. 

I wanted to sit down and share the news of our relocation before it actually took place, but between the shortage of time and computer problems (my laptop died), I just couldn't make it happen. So here I am, folks. With a new life chapter. The way this all came together so quickly, and the peace I've felt at every turn is completely God's doing. I know this is part of His plan, and that everything He's been teaching me about letting go of things has led me to this moment. I'm so excited about the future. Is it going to be perfect? No. It never is. I know the summer here is going to be hot and humid, and there just might be a day or two when I wonder why we made this change. Although I have to say that the summers in NE Oregon are pretty darn hot, too. Maybe not humid, but definitely hot. So, we'll see, won't we? 

Now that I don't have a lot to take care of I'll be turning my attention to writing again. I'll be blogging more, sharing the happenings here, such as furnishing our new digs on a budget. Chatting with you about downsizing, purging, keeping life simple. These are things that I've learned a lot about, and maybe I've got some ideas to share that will help others who are on a similar journey. To be honest, I don't know exactly where A Joyful Cottage blog is going, or what my life is going to look like here where the bluebonnets bloom and folks are mighty nice, but it surely is going to be fun to see God's plan unfold. He's so faithful.

Thanks for hanging out with me, y'all. I've missed you so much.

Major hugs,

Nancy

P.S. Dennis gave me his computer -- which he recently purchased but no longer needs -- to replace the one that died. I've got a power cord problem, though, so in the next few days I have to ship it off for repair or replacement. All this is to say I may be offline for awhile. I'll try to stay in touch, though via other devices.