Home, Sweet, Home

Buying a house is a very emotional experience. And no matter whether I represent the buyer or seller, as a realtor I often become involved with my clients and those emotions. Of course, as the professional on the team, I'm the one who is supposed to stay unemotional and level-headed during the transaction. And I do, to a point. Last Friday I represented some buyers in their purchase of a horse farm, and I got more emotionally involved than usual, and it was wonderful.

Chet & Nellie are friends as well as clients. They were acquaintances first and fellow members of a local grassroots organization we have all been involved with for a few years. I have known Chet's sister and his parents for years but he's a few years younger and I had never met him until recently.

A year or so after I first met them, Nellie lost her mother. Because Nellie and I are both only children, this especially touched my heart and endeared Nellie to me even more. She and Chet live in the house she was born and raised in. After they married they stayed there to be close to her elderly mother. After the loss of Nellie's mother, they started seriously talking about buying a horse farm.

Well, another horse farm. They already had one, sort of, in her property. They have a nice little ranch house on nearly an acre of land with a 5-stall barn and small paddock for her two horses and one pony. By horse standards, a small property, but with good maintenance and attention to all, they manage to keep three happy horses there.

But Nellie wanted more for Skip, Pumpkin & Blondie, and she wanted what she calls a 'husband horse' for Chet. She is the original horse person in the family but in their years together Chet has gotten very involved with the horses, too. It's not like he had a choice. Owning a horse is a huge responsibility and involves a lot of work. I have learned a lot about horses, too, since getting to know Nellie and during our search for a horse property.

So within a year of the loss of her mother, we started looking. With the number of horses they hope to eventually have and the garden Chet wants, Nellie thought they needed at least 9 acres. We looked and looked and looked.

Finally last week, after a search of nearly three years, we closed on their horse farm. A totally horse-ready property that had two horses living on it right up to their purchase. It has a very nice 7-room house, 7.5 acres with several fenced pastures and a 7-stall barn! Plus gardens, fruit trees & outbuildings; this property was just about perfect.

This was such a long road for them with so many ups and downs, as Nellie and I hugged after the closing we were both in tears. I am so happy for them! And I asked Nellie if I could be there when she brought the horses home. I knew that would be a very special moment, and I wanted to see it. So last Sunday she called me and asked "Can you be here about 4 p.m.?" Paul and I were there about 30 minutes early. I wouldn't take a chance of missing it.

So here are some photos of their arrival and introduction to their new home and pastures. It was a great success and a beautiful thing to watch.

Here's Skip getting his first view of his new home.

Pumpkin on his way in to check out his new stall.

In one door and right out the other!

They couldn't get enough of that sweet grass

Here's Blondie.

Skip going to check out his new 'digs.'

Not bad!

Blondie dug right into her fresh hay.

What a beautiful sight! They kicked up their heels and ran from pasture to pasture.

They kept checking back in with each other.



Finally! Everybody is home.