Faith-manor Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) It is a kind of dream home for us. It is at 1200 feet elevation with mountain and bluff views. Blueberry bushes, grapevines, plum trees, garden spot, chicken coop, tree house, 1.6 acres, white vinyl fencing, large front porch, 80x15 back deck, 3280 sq ft on the main floor, 629 sq ft in the walk out basement, two car garage. Apart from paint, and some light fixtures changed out (will eventually sand and stain the kitchen cabinets), it is move in ready. Our daughter, son in law, and two little grandsons who currently live in an apartment will move in and stay for 3-4 years in order to save for a down payment on a house of their own. Then dh will retire and we will move in. Our Michigan home will be for summer vacations and winter skiing, and the Alabama home will become our full time home. In exchange for living in the home, they will take the two grandmas from January through March so they get a break from the winters and we do not have snow blowing and de-icing, worrying about falls and such during that time, a break for us. It also has a wheelchair ramp off the garage, and one of the bathrooms has been converted for handicap accessibility. The set up is way better than what the grandmothers have at their homes now. So when dh retires, if they are both still living, we can take them with us and sell their homes. My mother in law is in very bad shape so it is unlikely, however a possibility with my mom. Edited May 24, 2021 by Faith-manor 47 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 That sounds wonderful! Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eos Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Really sounds perfect for your plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 How wonderful! Sounds like a big win for 4 generations of your family. What gets better than that? Congratulations. Bill 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Wow, congratulations. That sounds wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Congratulations, Faith!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Wow, it sounds amazing! Congrats. And what an awesome way to help the other 2 generations!! So generous of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Spy Car said: How wonderful! Sounds like a big win for 4 generations of your family. What gets better than that? Congratulations. Bill Exactly! Where we live now is just not working, and that is going to get worse as time marches on so with the market so hot, we were afraid if we didn't jump, we would not find what we need at a price we can afford. The home on the mountain outside Somerville, Alabama. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 Our daughter Robin wants a sign for the home that says "Family, " Where life begins and love never ends". Dh is going to make it on his CNC, and she will stain and paint it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toocrazy!! Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Wow! What a wonderful plan for everyone involved. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Congrats! It sounds amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, Toocrazy!! said: Wow! What a wonderful plan for everyone involved. Congratulations! Originally, it would not have been my first choice because I am not a natural born caregiver, and pushed myself hard to cover that up as a mom. I adored my kids which definitely helped! But, the eldercare has been killing us. This past winter we wore ourselves out caring for iced up wheelchair ramps, snow blowing three drive ways, shoveling their porches, juggling all their medical appointments on terrible roads. I love Michigan, but it is NOT easy to work AND help elders in these winter conditions. And our son who has issues ever since the car accident went in the ditch when someone else spun out in the road and he tried to avoid it, and then could hardly climb out of the car, fell on the ice on the road and re-injured his already disabled leg. The thought of doing this for several more years just got us. He will be leaving for grad school this next year, living in a better climate for him. We started thinking about our future here, and then someday maybe our own kids struggling to help us. There is NO employment for any of them in the area. Youngest is planning on working as an electrical engineer in Huntsville so we started thinking about moving. Then when my community fine arts director job came to an end here due to loss of funding, it felt like we were even less moored to this area. Middle boy said that upon his graduation he is going to apply for jobs with the National Park service all over the south, southwest, and west. Michigan just seemed to make less and less sense to us. And our grandsons are cooped up in an apartment in a complex that doesn't even have a playground while mum and dad try to save money for a house. This plan seemed like it would benefit everyone. With the eventual sale of mother in law's house, which we are inheriting, the big, sprawling homestead was something we could afford in retirement. But, the way the last few years have gone, I would not have believed there was any chance this would work out and then was beyond pleasantly surprised! Edited May 24, 2021 by Faith-manor 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Congratulations!! That sounds wonderful and how kind of you to share it with your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Sounds wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 (edited) Granny, mother in law, can be a tough old bird to put up with believe me. But she is kind to the great grandsons which is important, and due to a recent diagnosis has two years or less left. So she will have a visit this fall, and then a big family Christmas in the new house which she will love. By spring of 2022, she could easily be on hospice but she hopes to still be in good enough shape to attend youngest grandson's college commencement. Then it will just be my mom. And on some levels, emotionally, that is a stretch for me after what she did to us when my dad did his horrible thing after his cancer metastisized. She really threw me and two grandsons under the bus. I won't go into details, but for a very long time, I barely tolerated her. Things are better for sure, and dh and those two boys are doing well with her. The nurse/medic in dd is just profoundly talented with the elderly so I feel like I can make it through because in Michigan, mom has her own place and I can have my privacy, in the Alabama house, it is sprawling enough that I can have down time away from her. Plus, once the pandemic has winded down and international travel is easier, she will be spending 3-6 months a year in France with my sister for as long as her health allows her to travel. Then after that, my sister and brother in law have promised to give us their one month August vacation each year. They will come care for mom, and we will hit the road in our van camper. My brother? He won't do a thing, not one blessed thing. It is what it is. And who knows if I am right about this. The house will go up in value, so if we all can't manage it, it can be sold at a profit. Edited May 24, 2021 by Faith-manor 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 This is great. Families prosper so much when generations can work together. I came from a background where everyone launched broke and had to make it themselves from the ground up and wear it like a badge of honor. I’ve tried really hard to instill in my kids the idea that we all work together pulling in the same direction and we all benefit. This is a perfect example. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 This made my day. Everything from how perfect it is, to how you are all working to help each other. Bless you. You don't see family helping family as much anymore. I know my grandparents helped my parents with quite a few things, and my mom is threatening to send some cash help to us to finish up our remodel so we can move closer, they let me live with them for 2 yrs after my divorce to give my son stability, etc...it's a real blessing. I see friends with out that family attitude and it is really sad. Individualism can be great...but really, helping each other is even better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Congrats! That area is just as hot real estate wise as every place else right now but has been so almost constantly for the last few years. There is a lot of growth in & near Huntsville. It sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Congratulations! So happy for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Amazing story! Huge congratulations!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 6 hours ago, teachermom2834 said: This is great. Families prosper so much when generations can work together. I came from a background where everyone launched broke and had to make it themselves from the ground up and wear it like a badge of honor. I’ve tried really hard to instill in my kids the idea that we all work together pulling in the same direction and we all benefit. This is a perfect example. I especially think my children's generation face a real uphill battle that we did not face because wages stagnated for so long in the face of inflation, and the gargantuan increase in college and trade school costs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 4 hours ago, ktgrok said: This made my day. Everything from how perfect it is, to how you are all working to help each other. Bless you. You don't see family helping family as much anymore. I know my grandparents helped my parents with quite a few things, and my mom is threatening to send some cash help to us to finish up our remodel so we can move closer, they let me live with them for 2 yrs after my divorce to give my son stability, etc...it's a real blessing. I see friends with out that family attitude and it is really sad. Individualism can be great...but really, helping each other is even better. I really feel for some of our sons' college friends. They are just simply on their own, trying to survive, no family stable enough to help or in some cases even to care about them. We help middle ds's best friend whenever we can because she an only child whose dad ran out, and whose mom had a major stroke and is living on disability, sold the family home to pay for assisted living. Her two aunts either can't help or won't. She doesn't even have anywhere to go at the holidays. We already had to honorary daughters, but it looks like we have a third. That's okay. We adore her! So the more the merrier I guess so long as income and savings hold out. No matter what, the house is a really good investment. Market analysis indicates it will appreciate 8% or more per year for the next 3-5 years as Huntsville is a rapidly growing city. We will be just far enough out for the urban sprawl not to meet up (the entire mountain area between is almost all state land and nature preserve), and yet close enough to be lucrative. So I'd the intergenerational situation is untenable o r if we need to seriously scale back expenses, we can sell it and not lose money, very likely come out ahead. I went after paint samples today, and am working on a floral arrangement for the living room. It was a happy day! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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