We always thought we would stay in this house….. But
In late March 2021… I took note of the price of homes here in Grand Forks going up. Considerably ! And … there was only a few on the market. Bidding wars in Grand Forks.. Unheard of until now. When I mentioned this to the wife …she jokingly said “lets go to Drumheller”
Well that opened a can of worms..
And so after a bit of thoughts on the idea. Living close to the kids and Grand Kids, the pros the cons. I checked out the house market in Drumheller, and WOW lots of homes to choose from and much lower prices than here. So We decided to list our home.
And with a messy driveway and the shop full of stuff… IT SOLD ! In two days.. no conditions and over asking ! Unreal. I guess we are off to the Drum to find a house. We have two months !
This was a very interesting process.. scary too. But it’s better to sell your home then look for another… instead of buying another before you sell your home.
We had a bit of time at home to short list the possibilities. And there was one that was #1 on the list. The home on Pinter Dr was the first one we wanted to see. and the only rural home too.
This home was in a Rosedale area of Drumheller. Just a tad under an acre of nicely treed property , and some very nice outdoor living space. Plenty of flat parking for all my trailers. Most of all QUIET. But the house did not impress Mo at all. The photos made it look better than it was.. It needs some work. To be expected on most homes.
So we were off to see more homes…
For the next two days we looked at lots of homes . And most were worse than the first house. But some were promising too. Some were more money than we wanted to spend, but move in ready. But all were missing the yard space and elbow room from neighbors that we like. Sometime during those two days we got stressed thinking we would have to compromise. On the second day at the last unimpressive house… Maureen told the agent and me that maybe she was too hard on her opinion of the Pinter Dr home, and wanted a second look. Well that was interesting.. We did that and talked about the things that she did not like. I assured her that things can be changed and improved.. So we put an offer in… and after a little back and forth we got the deal we wanted. So we have a place to move too.
Purging & Packing !
Moving sale ! Big one .
It spilled out into the driveway. We sold a truck load of stuff in the first day ! Plus we were filling a dumpster at the same time. Very little of this pile was left after two days. HI FIVE.. Added to that I sold some bigger items & found homes for other stuff. One trailer load of wood to the landfill. Three trailer loads of metal to the landfill. My shop was loaded into the horse trailer.
And I mean loaded… packed tight.
Eric came from Calgary and we loaded two more trailers. So three trucks each towing a trailer.. This was the shop and the toys…
Like the boat and the Kabota.
The ATV and kayaks. We made a trip to Eric’s place and stashed all this there.. It’s now in Alberta and only two hours drive to go fetch.
Mid May.. and we are doing good!
Mo has packed up most of the house.. We are having movers come on the 28 th and taking all the house hold and furniture. I will be making a trip this week to take the travel trailer to the Drumheller house and parking it there.. And talk with the lady who sold us the home. A scouting trip to see where the movers need to put things. Cause we will be making the drive there when they are unloading.
This is the piles of boxes in the garage. Wow! And as for the things the movers are not taking. well that will fit on the two trailers and in the two trucks on moving day. More to come:
The Visit:
It’s the 20 th of May and I’m heading for the Drum with our travel trailer. Driving through a bloody blizard in May ! Another Alberta welcome.. Fortunately as I drove closer to Drumheller the weather got real again. The very nice lady we are buying the house from allowed us to park things in the yard. Nice. This gives me a chance to meet her and learn some things about the house.
Big yard ! I had most of a day to sit on the patio and wander around and take some photos. Ask questions and get answers to some mysteries. All good and I felt better knowing more about the house instead of worrying about what we will find.
But the best part is looking closer at gems like this fantastic cedar gazebo. And the 18 x 14 barn.. It’s legit !
What I thought was and old crappy shed is dry and can be secure storage. I also checked out the house in detail. And there is only the things that we knew about.. A great visit with Tari on the covered porch. And off I go home. I now have a clear sense of where our stuff goes.
Moving Day:
Wow I had a big garage ! The movers have come and gone.. we are sleeping on the floor… sitting in camp chairs.. Cats are freaked out (just wait).
The Big Day Has Come !
We hit the road early. got our selves a CONVOY. Two trucks pulling trailers and the Kia.. Two howling cats.. Dave was the one with the quiet ride. I had the girl cat and she voiced her displeasure for five hours. It’s a 10 hour drive to the new home, and our convoy did not stay together.. I only stopped once for a bathroom break and fuel. While we were driving the movers were unpacking our stuff into the house with help from my Son. They had food in the fridge and supper made. Welcome to Rosedale / Drumheller, Alberta. Also called the Badlands.
And the rural property that I always wanted but far away from Grand Forks. So now that we are here let’s start a new page :