Time for all my readers to weigh in!
The decision: to rent our house or sell it?
The
back story: Nate got a job in California! We're moving in early June.
There are a few sad parts of this exciting story and one is that we
have to leave our house. I absolutely love our house. So does Nate. So
does Ries. So does Louisa. But, do we want to not only accept new jobs
in California, but new jobs as landlords? I'm really not sure how to
make that decision, so we've enlisted the help of our favorite relator,
Gene. He is coming next week to list our house. That way we can let
the market decide.
That
being said, here are some pictures of our house. If you know anyone
looking to buy a beautiful house close to downtown Madison, send them my
way.
 |
| Manageable garden and a lovely front porch |
 |
| I'll never forget the lion above the front door |
 |
| A new, two-car garage |
 |
| New cherry cabinets, quartz counters, glass tile blacksplash and stainless sink |
 |
| New hood, vented outside and Bertazzoni gas range |
 |
| New Bosch dishwasher |
 |
| The backdoor and slate sided cabinets |
 |
| New oak breakfast bar with laptop charging station underneath |
 |
| The dining room...so many good meals shared here |
 |
| Bedroom #1 |
 |
| Bedroom #2 |
 |
| Living room |
 |
| Living room |
 |
| Upstairs office with sun porch |
 |
| Bedroom #3 with door to walk-up attic |
Gorgeous home. If you like the area....and if you like your house....perhaps you hang onto the house and rent for a few years?
ReplyDeleteNegative:
* Might be a financial stretch to buy in CA with a property back in WI. (or maybe not)
* May need to find a good handyman you can rely on to handle landlord-like maintenance and repairs.
Positives:
* You keep an income stream that covers your WI mortgage
* You buy some time to build more equity and let the market improve
* You retain the flexibility to sell in a few years, if you want to (with more equity and higher selling price)
* Or, if for some strange reason life eventually brings you back to Madison, you still have the home you love.
KEY: do some due diligence and make sure you get some good renters....not a couple of frat guys. Caveat: Remember this is free advice and you get what you pay for! Ha!
(BTW, I moved every 2-4 years until I was about 45 years old. A bit extreme, yes, but I thought it was normal and always enjoyed living and learning about new places. You guys are young/fit/adventurous and I expect you'll make the most of it and have a blast out West!)
Good luck. Chip Acton
Alicia,
ReplyDeleteOur mutual friend, Elisa Zwier, forwarded me this post. I am a PhD student with Elisa, and my husband and I are thinking about making the move to Madison. Can you give me more specifics about your house? Location and potential price point?
Congrats on your husband's new job and the move!
Kindly,
Annemarie aketterhagen@gmail.com
Congrats on the new job! Even though I don't live in Madison anymore, I'm still really sad that you guys are leaving, but happy for what's ahead for you! If we were in Madison, we would want to buy your house:) Seriously! But we're not...alas... Also, can you give Lou our belated birthday wishes? Looking forward to pics from the party!
ReplyDelete