You’ve found a new house, a new place to call home. This is sure to be a very exciting time for you and your family—the opportunity to gain more space, join a new community, or advance your career. And, while the future looks bright for this new abode, it is quite common for a slight hesitation to creep in as you realize this new adventure means you will be saying goodbye to a place you’ve grown to love.
The house you live in now may hold some of the most important memories of your life. It may be the home your parents previously owned, the place you raised your children, a safe haven amid the ebb and flow of life. For those reasons and more, you will want to give your former home a proper goodbye before moving on to the next.
Our Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston Relocation and Corporate Real Estate Services team shares some good ideas for how you can to say goodbye to a home that has meant a lot to you.
Leave a time capsule
Make a time capsule for the new homeowners to discover. Get your children to draw pictures of their rooms. Add a note about your family and the time you spent in the home and neighborhood. Include a photo of the house when you first purchased it.
Picture it
Schedule a mini photo shoot before you move. Take a family photo in front of your home and in a room that holds the most memories for all of you. Ask the photographer to snap a picture of your house that you can turn into a painting if you choose.
Be a tourist
After you pack away your belongings and load furniture on the moving truck, go sightseeing in your empty home. Walk through each room with your family and share memories. It will be fun to discuss the special moments each room holds.
Plan a party
Your neighbors are probably a big part of the love you have for your current home. Host your own going away party to thank your next-door and just-down-the-street friends for being a part of your life. Let them know you will always cherish the special times you shared.
Pick some plants
Dig up some springtime bulbs or volunteer plants from your established flower beds to plant at your new house. When the replanted flowers bloom, you’ll be reminded of the yard you left behind.
Send a letter
Write a letter to the family who purchased your home. Tell them how special the home was to you and your family. Give them some inside tips for the best places to eat, shop, and play. Offer up well wishes and good hopes for what the house will soon mean to them.
It doesn’t matter if this is your very first move or your second relocation this year, leaving your home for another can be bittersweet. You may be letting go of a very special, memory-filled space, but you can be assured your new home will soon mean just as much to you and your family.
Photo Credit: CBHPW/Robyn Morrison