goodbye sweet home

Big changes are happening over here – we sold our condo in the city and moved to the suburbs! It happened a few weeks ago but I didn’t want to share anything about it until after we closed and the deal was done. I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason and this condo was truly meant for us – In January 2010 after renting for over a year Marc and I decided it was time to buy our first place. Our realtor showed us dozens of condos all over Chicago. The whole process was a real roller coaster ride for us. We went under contract on a two bedroom condo in the River West neighborhood and were scheduled to close in 30 days. A week before our closing we found out our mortgage company would not be able to secure a mortgage for us because the building was not 50% owner occupied and we had to walk away from the deal. We were devastated. A few days later we went out with our realtor again and saw 15 new condos. This time we saw a two bedroom plus den condo also in River West with a large kitchen, a gigantic walk in master closet, in unit washer and dryer, indoor heated parking and it had recently dropped into our price range. We quickly put in an offer and within 24 hours we were under contract. We closed a few weeks later and moved in right away. There were a few quirks in the beginning – the carpet needed to be replaced, the walls needed to be painted and the fireplace had to be changed but we loved it. Over the last three and a half years we really made this place our home.

Before we said our final goodbye I wanted to celebrate some of the little things –

• the fireplace – It was our first major home project. When we moved in, it was bulky, covered in black granite and I hated it. Fortunately there was some potential and we came up with a plan. We removed the black granite and replaced it with a modern white mantle and glass surround. It turned out to be one of my favorite things in our condo and I had it on every night from October through March.
• my studio – I discovered myself as a true artist here. I needed this space to create and grow and dream bigger than I ever have before. I loved this room, and I will miss it.
• our master closet – It was the size of a small bedroom and it stored all of our stuff. I have a feeling I’ll never have a closet this size ever again.
• our dining room – The place where our friends and family gathered. We hosted dozens of parties and sat here eating and drinking for hours. It was small but it was cozy, and it holds a lot of good memories. See here, here and here.

Saying goodbye was not as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe it was because I didn’t have time to dwell on it or maybe it was knowing we wouldn’t be too far away. At first I didn’t want to sell. The timing didn’t feel right to me, but I’m not sure it ever would have. Then slowly things started to fall into place. Marc and I started talking about buying a house in the suburbs at the beginning of the summer. We went out with our realtor the last weekend in September and saw some potential to buy. Our realtor convinced us to put our condo on the market. We listed it early on a Thursday morning. We had two showings and two offers Thursday night. Then on Friday we had another showing and received another offer. We were under contract just 36 hours after listing. It was surreal. In the meantime we saw a house we were really excited about in our desired neighborhood and made an offer. It was ignored. After going under contract on our condo we revised our original offer removing the home sale contingency and raising our initial offer. It was not accepted and a few weeks later the sellers accepted a different offer. So right now we are temporarily living with my sister until we find a home. We continue to search everyday. We are familiar with how tumultuous the home buying process can be and are committed to being patient. If I learned anything from our previous experience, it’s that everything happens for a reason. We have no idea where we will end up or when but I know it will be the right place for us.

It was sad to pack up our condo and our life in the city. Knowing we only had a few weeks left in Chicago had us grasping to do everything we could – spend time with friends, visit our favorite places and eat at our favorite restaurants. I’m so grateful for the time I spent here. There’s so much opportunity, energy, creativity, and hustle in this city. There is no denying that there is a part of me that will always crave those bright lights. It’s hard to believe it has all come this quickly, but I truly feel ready for our next adventure.

photo credit kate zitzer