We sold our house during a global pandemic – and it wasn’t easy.
Rewind to March 2020 – we are all told to stay home due to COVID-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus. No one really knew if the virus remained on surfaces (or for how long?) and basically, everyone was freaking out. What did my family do? We let complete strangers into our home, day after day and we were terrified about bringing extra germs into our home, where it was supposed to be safe.
Why did we decide to move in the middle of a global pandemic? An opportunity of a lifetime.
We have three kids – all under the age of 3. Two-and-a-half twin girls and a 16-month-old boy. Their grandparents (my husband’s parents) lived 15 minutes away, which is not too far away; however, we had the opportunity to live next door to my in-laws and we couldn’t pass it up. Even during a pandemic.
I pictured weekly (maybe even nightly) meals together. The kids could run over to grandma and grandpa’s for a change of scenery. When they’re older? They can get off the bus at their grandparents’ if we aren’t home. So. Many. Benefits.
So, we found a realtor and put our house on the market. For our area, it should have sold fast; however, it took us over two months to sell. We found that people do weird things during pandemics, things that our realtor couldn’t really explain, other than it being a volatile time in our nation’s history. Interest rates are low, but unemployment was at an all-time high. We had two accepted offers within the first two months, but both fell through for one reason or another. We were devastated and exhausted.
Keeping a four-bedroom home clean with three kids under 3 is not for the weak.
Even if we contained the kids to their bedroom in the morning, hurried them over to their grandparents’ house, then returned them promptly to their rooms, we somehow found cracker crumbs and blocks in every inch of our house. I had to vacuum and rewipe everything down each day for showings and somehow maintain my full-time employment (as did my husband).
In addition, I had the reoccurring fear that anyone that came into our home would bring the coronavirus with them – so each night, I would Lysol all the light switches, doorknobs, and countertops until it felt clean again. Finally, we set a date of June 1. If we didn’t sell the house by then, we would sadly pull our house off the market and remain in our home.
By May 31, we had an offer… and by the first week of July, we closed on our home. It was a whirlwind experience and I am thankful we had the patience to wait it out, despite all the pressure and uncertainty it put on our family. I am thankful for my in-laws for taking us in all the days we had showings and for my children for the patience and their trusting nature that there would be better days ahead.
Today, we spend a lot of time with my kids’ grandparents and it was entirely worth it. We have extended-family meals and my kids love visiting for an hour or two in the afternoon. My father-in-law has been working diligently on our home, while we juggle the kids and our jobs. Any time I need a stick of butter or a cup of sugar, I can easily get it from my mother-in-law.
It is truly the best time of our lives. Even during a pandemic.
