Yes, There Really is a Kalamazoo!

Yes, There Really is a Kalamazoo!

My summer and early fall was an extremely busy one. Kirk and I decided we were going to sell our Battle Creek home and move to Kalamazoo. We spent May through August getting the house ready to list for sale. If you would like to see the finished product check here.

Kirk and I lived here for 32 years. I thought it would be hard to leave, but it wasn't. I was excited for what our senior years would bring us. We decided on Kalamazoo for a number of reasons. We liked the area and felt it had more to offer. It was closer to our aging parents. It was closer to Chicago area, where our daughter lives. It just felt like a good fit. I had lived in Kalamazoo for four years during college. Kirk, Travis, Kirsten, and I lived here for one year before we found housing in Battle Creek. 

We sold our house within 5 hours of opening showings and at a very good price. The housing market is crazy. Kirk and I decided we didn't want to get in a bidding war and the stress of buying and selling at the same time so we looked for an apartment to rent. We started in May and it wasn't until August that we were at the top of a waiting list. Renting an apartment is as crazy as the housing market. Our thought is we would wait for things to calm down and look for a condo. Now, I'm not sure what we will do. I like where we are so much. 

We found just what we wanted. A walk in level apartment (no stairs), 2 bedrooms, in apartment washer and dryer, and two bathrooms. A third bedroom would have been nice, but those are few and far between. We found all that and more at Saddle Creek apartments in Texas Township/Kalamazoo. We took possession on Oct 1st, moved on Oct 4th, and closed on our house Oct 6th. It all came together in the end.

I couldn't be happier. I love it. We have a screened in porch that overlooks Al Sabo Nature Preserve. The entire apartment was upgraded to include new appliances, carpeting, paint, blinds, and bathrooms. The main bedroom suite is big enough for us to finally get a king size bed! I enjoy having two full bathrooms. 

Kirk and I are using the second bedroom as an office. We are sharing it. It is working out so far. It is just nice to be settled. We have a storage area in the basement and that needs to be organized, but for the most part we are done in the apartment.

IF you have been a reader of my blog for awhile, you may remember that I had a very nice office at the Moorland house. It was in a spare bedroom. I had wanted to take the furniture from there. I planned to take anything screwed into the walls down, but the realtor said to leave it because it would show that room could be an office. She said we would exclude it on the purchase agreement. In my excitement to have a great offer on the house I didn't catch that she didn't exclude it. It all had to stay except for two white bookcases. I was disappointed at first but then realized that it was all custom to that room. We asked the buyers if they wanted the bookcases and ended up leaving it all. It made moving easier, I didn't have to patch and paint walls in that room.

Sharing the office has been a challenge due to having less work space, but I know how to pack a closet! The banker's boxes and plastic ones will be my winter project. They are filled with pictures and documents from our parents. Some of it is our mess.

One thing about downsizing and moving to an apartment is no raking the leaves, weeding the gardens, and upkeeping a sixty year old home. I plan to use that time for genealogy and blogging.