Today at 2pm our home SOLD and now we move on too, with our new life, a brand new chapter in our lives. I wanted to leave the new owners more than just a sparkling home and a bottle of sparkle.. and I did leave them both of those. I also wanted to share with them some of the journey of this home with a soul.
Maybe they read the letter I left and maybe they won’t but the process for me was in the giving and perhaps it was also therapy and closure for me… either way I genuinely hope they love their new home.
“Hello and welcome to your new home!
Just thought I would share some of the journey of the home and this family who have lived in it and loved it for the last 15 years.
We bought the home from a family who didn’t really love it to say the least. There were about 20 cats living there and the house stunk like you can’t believe… the yard was full of trees and piles of dirt and rocks still sitting there from when it was built years before. There was household rubbish thrown onto the yard and all over the place….
And still we bought it! We saw the potential (OK, my hubby did), and we knew under all that mess she was a beautiful home in a lovely street on a big block in a beautiful estate right beside a lovely river and surely we could get rid of that smell!
So over the next few years as we grew and changed as a family that house turned into a home and changed with us. We bonded as we gardened, we cleaned we renovated and we carted ute load after ute load of rocks and rubbish out of the place and then ute loads of good soil and pretty rocks back into the place. We put in the pool, extended the pergola, put in rock walls, tiled, painted and loved every minute of it… and we reckon the house started smiling and she loved us right back.
This home has seen so much joy; we have had many dinner parties, wine, cheese and poetry nights, pool parties, new years eve celebrations… and more recently an 18th. Yes, that home of ours has seen so much joy, fun, laughter and friends within those walls.
But she has also seen her fair share of a family’s pain… my hubby having a stroke and then passing away… and so she has also hosted what some said was one of the best ‘wakes’ ever. She has felt the pain of a families grief and when my youngest son’s grief was so raw and his Autism was so loud… well he took it out on this home of ours and kicked in many a wall and broke many a window (the local window man even gave us a free window once… she has known the kindness of a community)… so yes, you will have noticed this home comes with some scars on her walls. But I think any life well lived, any life that has been lived to the depth and width of it will come with a few scars and with those scars a story or two.
And I don’t tell you that to be sad or melodramatic, I just want you to know that no matter what we went through this home stood strong around this family and the good times were far more than the tough times… this is a home with a soul for sure.
So we walked in as four, we leave as three and with my oldest son joining the Army we are now two. So it was time for us to move on and invite somebody else to love and live in this home with a soul.
So enjoy and thanks for buying her and for making the process so easy, stress free and meant to be. I sure hope you enjoy living in this home and in this street with all of these lovely neighbours as much as we have.”
Julie, Jack and Thomas
UPDATE 27 Jan:
You may recall last week about the letter I wrote for the owners of our home we just sold…well this week I received this message from a Facebook friend… yes we are all connected.
“Hi Julie, I had to message you as I can’t believe how small the world is and how bizarre and uncanny things can happen!
I follow you on Facebook and knew of your journey to sell your house recently.
Last night I went to pick up a teaching friend to head out to dinner.
She was moving into a new home and when I pulled up I thought it looked familiar. She took me on a tour through and again I thought some things look familiar, the pool area, kitchen!!
Then she said the past owner left us a beautiful letter telling us about her families journey in the home with her Autisitc son and the loss of her husband. It was then that I said whole cow you brought Julie Cross’ house!!!
Then I explained who you were, how I knew of you and we were gobsmacked! Lisa and Don are a wonderful couple with beautiful children who share so many similarities to you its uncanny.
I can’t wait to bring Lisa to one of your shows soon. I hope you are enjoying your new home and I thought you would like to know they are enjoying your previous home” .