I've got a secret, I've been hiding

Last year CSP & I were exploring ways we could raise $ for our adoption. We considered refinancing our home. We tossed that around for a while then last Spring we noticed some new developments being built in our neighborhood. We checked out the homes and while they were too pricey for our budget, they got us thinking. We started looking at our home from a parent's perspective instead of a regular resident's perspective. And while we love, love, love living here- we weren't crazy about some things: the steep yard, the 2 story deck, the open "window" from the upstairs bonus room to the family room. Then one day we were out and about and noticed a familiar sign. It was a directional sign to a community being built by the same builder we'd seen in our town. We went to the community and the prices on the same houses were much lower than they were in our town. There were still some good lots left. So we discussed it and decided to sell our home and build a new one. We would be taking advantage of the growth of our town and subsequent dramatic rise in home prices (the national average is around 5% per year I think and we're at 17%- at least for our personal home). The sale of our home would allow us to build a new, more kid friendly home, pay off our credit cards, and most importantly, finance our adoption. So we chose a lot, signed the papers, put the money down, chose cabinets and made other design decisions on our new home. It's located in a county & town we've never lived in so it will be a new adventure. Our new neighborhood is full of friendly people from literally all over the country. The people across the street are from LA, our next door neighbors are from Kansas, and the entire community is really diverse and full of children- over 100 (!) meet the bus every morning.
I had to have my ablation surgery and recover before we could put the house on the market. We listed it at the end of July and we sold it last week! We close at the end of this month! I didn't blog about it for a number of reasons: didn't want to jinx the sale, and we wanted to maintain some privacy. The thought did cross my mind that some people who read this could gain entry to my house by simply contacting a realtor (and there are a couple of unsavories who I wouldn't put it past).
We closed on our new house 3 weeks ago! I CAN NOT WAIT to get in there and start painting and decorating! And I know you're probably thinking...well, what about the Parade of Homes? What was that all about? Well, I love this house and wanted to give it one last hurrah. Plus, I loved seeing all of your homes.
Now, about the adoption. We had to put it on hold because we're crossing state lines with our move. Yep, I'm leaving my beloved South Carolina once again. =( I've already been in touch with my agency and they've set me up with a new social worker who'll have to do a new home visit to check out the new house. So I've got the ball rolling again. And as soon as we close on the old house and the check's in the bank I can finish up our dossier.
We've picked out which room will be Ling Ling's and we're very excited. A new house means less maintenanace and upkeep. A newer landscape means less time in the yard for CSP. A flat yard is safer for children and easier for us as parents. And a new house meant fun design options for us- choosing colors, making changes to the floorplans etc. We skipped the ridiculously underused fireplace option and built a screened in porch instead (makes a lot more sense since we live in the hot South). And you know what's crazy? We were able to build a brand new house that's almost 300 square feet bigger than the one we're in now (2613 for the new- 2350 in the old) and the base price was almost $20,000 less than what we paid for this one 3 years ago!
So....after much ado (and I gotta rest the wrists- ouch!), here's a peek at the new digs! (click to enlarge)
I'll be sending out change of address notices soon (already took the pugs' pic for that). Let me know if you'd like to be on the list!