Life has a funny way of reminding you of things you said and things you did.
Many years ago I told my parents "As soon as I graduate from high school I am out of here. I can't stand living in Tacoma!" I also said "I could never imagine having kids!"
For many years I did just that. I lived in Seattle and I worked at a variety of jobs that I allowed to suck the marrow out of my bones. The one good thing was that I was lucky enough to be a dad to two fantastic kids. The problem with being their dad was that I lived in Seattle and they lived in Cincinnati. Needless to say quality time with my kids for a number of years was lacking. Funny, didn't I just say I could not imagine being a parent?
A little over eight years ago my oldest child informed me that he wanted to leave Cincinnati and move in with me. This was great news! at least at first it was great news. I was in a long term relationship and when I told her the good news that my son wanted to move in with us she gently corrected me and said "He will be moving in with you" I had one month to figure out what I was going to do. I was working for a large corporation in downtown Seattle so I had to chuckle when my parents said "Why don't you move back to Tacoma? We could help you keep an eye on Nick" The first thought that went through my head was TACOMA! are you CRAZY? I won't live in Tacoma again!....25 days later guess what. That's right I was living in Tacoma.
I moved to the north end of Tacoma an area filled with classic homes and wonderfully tree lined streets. At first it was hard for me to say anything positive but the truth of the matter is North Tacoma is fantastic. It is a great place to raise kids. My son was doing well and I was working for a non-profit that was only slightly more gentle at sucking the marrow out of my bones. I was living in Tacoma and I was cough, cough enjoying it.
Four years of living in the north end and my next bit of news was that my youngest wants to live with me now. Deja Vu I will spare you the details but I can sum it up by this statement "It's either me or your daughter." Wow, again really? I sure do know how to pick them...
My daughter moves to Tacoma six weeks later and the three of us are all living together. It took a year to work the bugs out of the arrangement but the end result was that we became a happy well-functioning family.
My daughter is presented with an opportunity to be an exchange student for her senior year of high school. I am presented with an opportunity to purchase the home I grew up in from my parents. A month before my daughter leaves for Norway we move into the house I grew up in the Summit View area between Puyallup and Tacoma.
Guess you can go home again. Oh, and for those who know history repeats itself. Guess what my daughter told me before she left for Norway? That's right " I am out of here! I can’t' live in Tacoma!" So far she has lived up to her word. She is living in Seattle working at a job that hopefully is not sucking the marrow out of her bones.She visits frequently not sure if it is Tacoma calling her back or the free meals.
What does this have to do with real estate? Not much frankly. Does it need to?
Well for one thing I got my start blogging here on Active Rain. I stopped blogging here in 2010. I think it just might be time for me to come home to the Rain.
Without moving to Tacoma I would most likely never put myself in the position to sell real estate. I would have sat on the sidelines wondering what if? By living in Tacoma my life was disrupted enough that I was able to seize an opportunity. An opportunity that I have not looked back on in over six years! I am lucky that I have moved home to Pierce County and that I am helping people buy and sell homes in Tacoma, Puyallup, and throughout the entire county. Maybe, just maybe you can go home again....and maybe you should.
Comments(30)