Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Rural??

Thank you so much for all your warm congratulations!  I debated "telling" you all until after we completed the inspection and appraisal process, but obviously decided otherwise. For that matter, we actually planned on waiting to tell the kids until then as well, but realized quickly that we had so much to do and discuss it would be hard to keep it from them. 

The inspection is now scheduled for this Saturday....Halloween!  The kids and I will probably go to the laundrymat during the inspection (and I will probably spring for using their dryers to make my life easier that day and use up the 3 hours we have to be out of the house).  I am guessing the appraisal will be early next week.

In the meantime....Moving company #1 came out yesterday to give us an estimate.  Company #2 is scheduled for next week, and I would like another 1 or 2 to come out.  The good news from yesterday is that we actually have LESS stuff than the average 3 bedroom house (the rep has been doing this 20 years, so I am confident that he has a feel for this by now!).  He also said that we are moving at the least expensive time of year (Win!).  The quote came in a little under where we thought, but since it is an estimate, we have to plan for a little higher, just in case.

The kids are excited, although Bossy is having moments of sadness, and lots of moments of anxiety.  For a child who needs routine and predictability....this is overwhelming (heck, it is for all of us!).  Of course he wants to know when the moving truck is coming, what day he starts school.  He is worried about his noise cancelling headphones for when we get a Christmas tree (the noise of the saw bothers him).  Since I don't have the exact answers yet, I can only reassure him that I will let him know as soon as I know....and we will put his headphones in the "first night" box to make sure we can find them quickly.  :)

School knows we are leaving, but I have to have a longer discussion with Bossy's Special Ed teacher regarding his testing (Federal law mandates testing every 3 years).  Since they already started it, they have to complete it.  We were going to meet in mid December to go over it, but I am now shaving at least 3 weeks off of that....and we will probably have to do it before Thanksgiving.  Sorry school!  But I did tell you all of this at our meeting in September....if we get an offer, we are out of here!

G-man and I had a surprising discussion last night regarding the town we are moving to.  He has looked at 4 apartment complexes and 1 townhouse.  He called about another town house and a single family home, but one was already rented and just hadn't cleared the system yet, and the other didn't take pets.  The townhouse and one apartment go to our #1 pick school, but it seems that most of the apartments go to the #2 pick school (which is still excellent).  However, he just sprung on me that the preferred school "side" of town...is also more rural.  Rural???  When did we talk about rural???

He likes that side better, but he grew up where there was no one to hear you scream if you being murdered in the middle of the night.  But he knows that I probably won't be as happy on that side.  UM.....why is this just coming up now????  This was the key probably that I had with renting a place first....the kids would be starting HS and I don't want to move them AGAIN.  If we commit to school #1....we are buying a house in a more rural area when the time comes.  That is just the way the boundaries fall.  School #2 area is more built up, a little more suburban. 

I can't see any of this.  I told him to take pictures and send them to me.  But in all of our research....rural never came up.  I could certainly live on the rural side for a year...but I keep telling him that while the "house" we rent for a year doesn't have to be our perfect place, the AREA it is committing us to DOES have to be where we want our forever home.

I am only 3 days into this and already anxious!!!!  I better figure out how to calm myself down.....I have a long road ahead.

12 comments:

  1. I am confused...the top school choice is in the rural side? Or top housing choice? If it's the school, you may just need to change your way of thinking. Bear in mind, distance in the south isn't like New England.
    As for your son's spec. Ed. teacher, too bad for them. Besides, do they really need to test...don't they know what he is capable of from their experience? At any rate, not your concern. Your concern is the well being of your family...no need to startle your son by cramming their tests down his throat. He has enough to face with the move.
    Good luck with the new school district. Again, I found the schools in the south very....rigid. But, the housing...oh my! Compared to what we had at the same $ in New England, it was like looking at mansions! So excited for you.
    Finally, as for the cost of the move, (I have done crossword country moves several times) remember it's weight that costs....often, unless you LOVE an item, it's cheaper to replace than ship. Ie: glassware, pots you never use, that waffle iron, wok, books, canning jars, old linens.....
    GOOD LUCK! Would love pics of your new place...actually, I'd love them of your old place...where I live now, antique homes are those built circle 1970!

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    1. The school SYSTEM is the same for both schools. There are 2 high schools. Our first choice of schools (based on scores, reviews, word of mouth) is on the rural side of town. Our second choice of schools is on the more surburban side. Our rental will dictate where we will ulitmately buy a house. So if we want #1 school, then we are forced to rent/buy on the rural side. But I can't see any of this....so my frame of reference is screwy.

      School does need to test. His testing is due by April. We had to make the decision about when to start back in Sept. He will qualify for SpEd, that isn't an issue. But the federal mandate says the testing has to be done. I wanted to wait and let the new school do it, going on the assumption that we would be there. And if we weren't there, then school in CT would do it after the Christmas holidays. But School felt they knew him better, so they wanted to do it...and now they have to finish quick. Once a test is started, it either needs to be finished, or the whole thing gets thrown out and then a different test has to be chosen.

      New school HAS to accept his education plan for at least 30 days (federal law). We will have a meeting to discuss changes, but I have all sorts of federal law on my side for that.

      Since we aren't buying....most likely there won't be much to show! It will probably be a sterile, boring apartment. The townhouse under consideration is alright....G-man likes it more than I do. But that is in our first pick school area....but that is also the rural side.

      Thanks for the suggestion on the weight of the move. I am much more willing to get rid of things than G-man is!! He wanted to move our dead washing machine.....um, NO! lol

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  2. Just wanted to say that I'm so happy you sold your house!!!

    And, I know it's not your first choice, but I have to say that renting makes a lot of sense. I really wish we would have rented for a bit when we moved to this place. We had a contract on our last house in October, went house hunting in November and then closed on the sale of old house & the purchase of the new house in early December. In the end, we felt pressured to buy and settled for a home that I'm still not thrilled with (nine years later...). Had we waited until late winter or early spring of the following year, there would have been so much more inventory form which to choose. Plus, that extra time would have been great for getting the feel of the different neighborhoods, etc.

    Anyway, this is so exciting! I know it's a stressful time, but it will be so nice to have everyone together again!

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    1. Thank you!

      You basically outlined part of the reason we are renting now...the pressure of having to find something NOW. I would be much more open to everything if the kids were younger. But since we are almost at HS, I feel like we really have to be settled. We will be looking to buy next year, but like I said, where we rent is where we will buy....or we have to move the kids into yet ANOTHER school.

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  3. What does Google Maps show you when you pull up the homes he's looking at?
    That might help give you a better idea of the neighborhood than pics and descriptions. How far away is it from grocery stores and big box stores? How far is it from the school? Doctors? Are there nearby gas stations? What about malls and movie theaters? Hospitals? You should be able to get a good idea of all those things on Maps. Just a suggestion!

    Don't stress the rent thing girl. It's a blessing in disguise. Just think-- for one whole year Murphy will be the landlord's problem, not yours! And I agree that you'll want to get a good feel for the neighborhood. You might even decide switching from one area to another isn't as bad as you imagine it to be or that it's worth the inconvenience. This is a new adventure, let it unfold for you a bit! You deserve a break after all.


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    1. Most of the doctors, shoppping, etc are on the other side of town...10-15 min at most. There are groceries, gas near by.

      We are starting to embrace the idea of renting. And it will probably be an apartment, as that is what is available. The upside is that most of the communities have a pool that is open year round (not heated, but available if you want to just sit outside), gym, media room that is available for movie parties (which I already thought might be fun after the kids start to make friends). And Murphy....yes!!!

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  4. I am just so excited for you and the kids. I personally love moving and meeting new people. I don't like all the work but I love the adventure.

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  5. I live in a rural area. Moving here was the best thing I could have done for my kids. Be prepared to drive a lot if you live in a rural area. My kids friends all live too far to walk but I always know where my kids are cuz I drive them everywhere. The suburbs are nice too if you find a nice neighbourhood.

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    1. In my mind "rural" means farm, dirt roads....and that isn't what this is. Per G-man's boss, who lives in that general direction....it basically is 5 min further to get to stuff. Most of the "stuff" is on the other side of town.

      But based on my definition that I just used....we currently live RURAL! lol.

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  6. I live in the South in a town of 16K and the whole place is considered "rural" by govt standards. You will love rural. Can you say which state?

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  7. Make sure to get the physical address of potential locations - then you can Google Earth them - zoom in and view from street. May be able to give you a better idea. You can also see from aerial view how far things are. Not the best way to have to pick a location, but better than nothing?

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