Farewell to Our American Dream

Dale and I have made the decision to move to the U.K. next year, which means we will leave some of our family behind, which is a really, really hard thing to do (the ragged emotions surrounding this still hit me unexpectedly some days). It's tough, and it hurts A LOT.

We will also have to sell our lake paradise, which has given us so much joy, serenity, friends, knowledge and experiences over the years. We have been wavering and contemplating for some time, but now that our very difficult and soul-wrenching decision has been made, we realize that we have a new adventure to look forward to together. The 'adventure' comes with many unknowns and much bureaucracy, waiting, forms, financial investment stress, and leaps of faith. Unfortunately the stress of it all is weighing heavily on Dale, so we are focusing on pacing ourselves as we move through this process.

Our Massachusetts house is now on the market, so our 10-year long tenants are currently packing and having to look for a new home.

The listing for our house is available here - Our Chelmsford Home. Please share with anyone you know who may want to buy in Chelmsford, MA, or just take a look yourself to see what our family home was like. Once this is sold (hopefully before year's end), we can look more actively and seriously for suitable properties in England.

In the meanwhile, we've been searching online for areas and houses we'd like to live in, but we are coming across so many walled-in gardens and properties (welcome to a densely populated island) that we find unacceptable for our lifestyle and needs. Nevertheless, I keep falling into the rabbit hole of possibilities, whiling away hours and hours of time, in the hope that the next one, then the next one or maybe the one after that, will be the house of my dreams.

We want a free-standing, detached building that is separate from surrounding ones. Though detached houses don't share a common wall, there is usually a fence or garden wall that runs between their two end walls ... not my cup of tea. Here is one example of how close to property lines the building are butting up against each other (from On the Market.com):

And I don't want a yard that makes me feel hemmed in by walls and boundaries when I'm outside. Here's another screenshot from the same site, of 3 detached houses and their claimed gardens.

 

I'm lucky enough to be able to choose something more private and remote, though hard to find. The search continues ... This one below is described as "rural," which it is not to me, so I'm going to have to redefine what I'm looking for ...

We anticipate moving between April and July, depending on how long each of the steps and hurdles take.