Hubby and I closed on a townhouse in Rapid City a couple of weeks ago. It has a million dollar view but didn’t cost anywhere near that much. It didn’t check many of our gotta-have boxes, but it called to us and that’s what persuaded us to write the check. A lot of prayers were said about it, asking for guidance in this decision and I won’t go into all that. Suffice it to say that we asked God for help in knowing what to do. As soon as we walked out of the title company, we wondered if we did the right thing, but I have faith that we did.
In an earlier blog, I talked about how hard it was to find a house to buy. We wanted something that had room for Hubby’s workshop, room for the RV, was updated and ready to move into, and didn’t have stairs. Most of all, the house had to say “welcome home” when we walked into it. This place hit only one out of five, but we bought it anyway. Now we’re scratching our heads and thinking, what have we done??? But then we’ve done that with all the houses we’ve purchased.
The new place is the middle unit of a triplex which means we get heated and cooled by two other places. It’s three stories, with the kitchen and living room on the main level and bedrooms above and below. The garage isn’t all that big and needs a lot of work. The interior is mostly upgraded and looks great, but there are two rooms that need redone. Places need painting and some of the floor coverings may need to be replaced. The driveway and sidewalks are cracked and uneven which means we’ll be replacing them all. Not really what we started out looking for. But on the plus side, it’s got big windows for lots of natural light, the HOA takes care of all the exterior stuff, and it’s got two large decks to sit on and enjoy the view. Did I mention the view is amazing?
Since we’re housesitting until April, we have time to get stuff done to the house before we move in which is nice. The construction can go forward, and we don’t have to put up with the dust and noise. Once it’s all done, we can move our things in and set up our house. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to that. I won’t feel homeless anymore.
So what can I say? We bought a house even though it wasn’t exactly what we were looking for. Our kids think we’re crazy, my parents think we’re crazy, and sometimes we think we’re crazy. But when we walked in, the townhouse said “welcome home, come sit on the deck for a little while.” We couldn’t resist the invitation.
Hubby and I plan to make it a happy home and make good memories there. We may only stay three to five years, but we’ll enjoy it as much as possible. We’ll turn our what-have-we-dones into so-glad-we-dids.
Nice view! You’re not crazy!
Thanks, Carol! I’m glad to have your affirmation that I’m not crazy. haha I really need that.
Beautiful view!! Glad you found your place. Best wishes.
Thanks, Mary, but I’ll miss seeing you.
great view! The home we have been in since 1980 – only had one of all the wants, being close to a grade school. over the years, our home is our home. We have remodeled, added on to it, have new windows in those we kept, took some out, added some, but it’s our home. I am happy for you Carol and Craig! It will be fun to see this Spring (or summer). Welcome to being a SD Resident.
A little side note, when we moved into our home, the kitchen was so small that I had to get out of my chair at meals if I forgot something in the fridge because it was right in the way of each other. I love our “little home”
How lucky you are to have lived in the same house so long! In some ways, I wish we had, but then I wouldn’t have all the friends I do or had all the experiences we’ve had. When you get one thing, you give up another. It’s nice to be back in South Dakota! I look forward to seeing you more often.