S2 On the Move!
Spencer & Sheila have sold their house!
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Page Last Updated: 02/06/06
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Background
This all started over spring break, 2004, when we visited Tucson. We began thinking about having a place we could winter in. The theory was that we could get enough by selling our house to buy something smaller in Seattle AND something modest in the SW. After running the numbers we realized that to get anything on Capitol Hill worth giving up our lovely home for, we would not end up with money leftover for a winter home.
Even though we let go of that idea, once the door was opened to even CONSIDER leaving our home, a whole new world of options presented themselves. We both love our neighborhood and didn't want to leave it. There's a brand new condo that just broke ground near us called The Braeburn. When we visited their web site we both instantly became excited by their approach. They're including a wealth of amenities such as a fitness facility, Zen garden, pea patch, yoga room, theater, workshop, etc. It's a block from the co-op where we food shop and it’s still easy walking distance to Spencer’s school and our yoga studio. It’s kind of a cross between co-housing and condo living. We're really excited about the prospect of down sizing and getting a fresh start. You can read all about it at: TheBraeburn.com.
So what does The Braeburn look like?
We bought one of the few 2 bedroom/2 bath units. It’s on the top floor, SW corner with a view! It’s small, only 1000 sq. ft (coming from 2200!). At top left is ‘the hole”. The red car is heading west down Pine. The top right image is a model of the entire complex including the east and west buildings. There’s a courtyard between them with a waterfall and the Zen Garden. The 2nd row, left photo is our corner of the model with 14th in the foreground and Pine on the right. Our unit is the top one on that corner. The photo to the right of it was taken August 21. We’re adding photos periodically so you can see the progress. The latest photo still shows tyvek on our corner.
| Click to see the floorplan. |
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The left balcony is Sheila’s office, the rounded area is the living room. The next balcony on the right is off the kitchen and the last balcony is off our bedroom As of September the wallboard is up and siding is done except for our corner. January move-in is starting to look like a reality. Be sure to see the walk-through photos on the home page taken the end of October. We’ve just been told our orientation will be between 1/7-1/13, our closing will be 1/14-1/17, and our move in will be between 1/18-1/28. We’re getting VERY excited! LATER: As it turned out, we were one of 9 units fast-tracked to move in by end of January. The building won’t be fully occupied for more than a month. After 1 week here, we’re settled in. Still doing without any amenities.
Since The Braeburn isn't due to be occupied until January, 2006 we waited until fall to list the house. It sold in five days! You can still visit the house web site to check it out. We worked hard, especially Spencer, on de-cluttering, painting, repairing. We spent a lot on cosmetics such as new carpeting, wood floor top coating, painting the kitchen, emptying and painting the basement, etc. It all seems to have paid off though. We listed on September 6 and had an offer five days later. We closed on October 21 and moved that weekend into a nearby temporary apartment called The Hillcrest. At the October 29 walk-through we were assured of a mid-January move-in to the Braeburn. It’s starting to feel very real. Don’t miss the photos on the home page.
Our New Car: 2004 Jetta TDI
One of the reasons we’re downsizing is because we want to live more lightly on the earth. For that reason we’ve coveted the Toyota hybrid car, the Prius. We had decided if we got what we wanted for the house we would look into a buying a new car. The process of exploring has been a wonderful distraction. We’ve learned a lot about both hybrids and also the benefits of using bio-diesel. After much reading and shopping we’ve just purchased a dark gray 2004 Jetta TDI from the Green Car Company. It’s fully loaded: black leather interior, automatic triptronic transmission, CD, sunroof, and heated seats. We’re excited to be ending our dependance on Middle-Eastern oil and will be adding a sticker that says Bio-Diesel: No War Required. We plan to have the car painted a bright yellow (for increased visibility) once we’re settled into the Braeburn with off-street parking. For an overview on bio-diesel visit: BioDiesel Now. We’ll probably wait until July to have the painting done while we’re cycling in Europe!
Email us at:
Sheila@S2Cycle.com or Spencer@S2Cycle.com
Page Last Updated: 02/06/06
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