Tuesday, August 11, 2009

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.


78 comments:

Debbie said...

It must be a wonderful feeling to help people find just the right home. Great photos.

Michele said...

7.5 acres is the perfect size. That is about what JR and I will be looking for come next spring. Fingers crosses it doesn't take 3 years.

Mama-Face said...

I love that it's all about the horses; no pictures of the house! Also, to work so hard to find your friends the perfect home and farm must have been so rewarding for you. Congratulations to all of you.

Badass Geek said...

What a good story! I'm glad when things like that work out.

Crone and Bear It said...

What a wonderful story with a happy ending! I'd love to be able to find a piece of property in the country where we could just live the quiet life and not be so surrounded by neighbors here in suburbia. One of these days, I'll get Devoted Spouse outta his recliner and get out of this too big house and find a place where EmmaLou can run to her heart's content. *sigh*

A New England Girl said...

Aw, what a beautiful story! And I love the photos. Those horses are gorgeous- makes me miss mine! I'm so happy they found the perfect home for themselves. :)

kayerj said...

great story and pictures

dadshouse said...

Wonderful pics! My brother and his wife were lucky enough to live on a farm in VA with horses for a while. We had a blast visiting them. :-) Hope your friends love their new place for a long time.

Sandy said...

M....I could have been interested in this property had they not been. The barn could have been put to use in lots of ways.

Crone....As I said above, I could have bought and lived on this property very nicely.

Dadshouse....I think they are all set for a good long time. The house is one story and although they were picturing a two-story colonial, I told her not to underestimate the comfort of continuing on one level.

The Blonde Duck said...

The horses look like they're wearing socks! How cute!

Sandy said...

Duck.....something to do with protection for when they are in the trailer. They had about an hour's ride.

Delaney said...

How fun! When we first moved onto our 9.8 acres we immediately thought "horses!" then we dropped back into reality and remembered we know nothing about horses.

Best wishes to this family and there beautiful horses.

Anonymous said...

beauuuutiful pictures!

thanks for stopping by my blog :)

Housewife Savant said...

This is a great story. Who wouldn't want you for their realtor?!

Sultan said...

Nice story. Heartwarming.

Alex the Girl said...

What beautiful animals...you took some really amazing photos. The story ain't bad either =P!

BONNIE K said...

What a heartwarming story! I found myself sitting here rooting for those horses!

Unknown said...

Thanks Sandy,
We couldn't have done it without you!! We can't wait for you and Julia to come ride with us!! N

Pam said...

Those horses sure look happy. Home, Sweet, Home, indeed.

~Kristen~ said...

I love a story with a happy, heartwarming ending!!! Those horses are GORGEOUS!!! I don't know much about horses but they are such beautiful and majestic animals!!! I am so happy your friends have their happily ever after!!!

betty-NZ said...

I love stories with happy endings!

The Redhead Riter said...

Wow! Beautiful horses. I have to love and appreciate them from afar because I am scared of any animal bigger than 5 lbs...LOL

Vanessa Rogers said...

I tear up at Kodak commercials, it's sometimes hard not to get emotional- especially with your friends.

roadrunner201 said...

Beautiful pics. Glad you were able to help your friends. Stopping in from SITS.

BeaWrightThere said...

As the former owner of that "little piece of horse heaven" I, too, wanted to be there to see the new arrivals (4-footed as well as 2-footed) enjoy their new home. Thanks so much for sharing the wonderful pix! We still miss it and wish all the best to Chet and Nellie. You really seemed to know what to look for for them and their equines and how to evaluate this little gem when you found it. Thanks for everything. Bea & Craig

Melissa Papaj Photography said...

What a fun experience! Stopping by from SITS! Come and visit if you feel up to it :)

Darcel said...

What beautiful horses! We would love to have a house with some land someday.

Maria @BOREDmommy said...

Beautiful horses - Great pics too!! Stopping by from SITS!

Lacie @ Creative Attempts said...

wow what an amazing story and great photos. Your blog is so much fun

Jessica said...

Stopping by from SITS . . . love this story. So cool when things work out that way.

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

Pretty cool!

Happy SITS day!

Marshmallow Circus said...

Great photos! I love the one where the horse is first peeking out.

Leiah said...

Oh my goodness ~ they looked like little children running room to room checking out all the rooms of a new house.

said...

Gorgeous horses! I never tire of seeing horse photos. Congrats on your SITS day!

Sara E said...

what a great property.. I'm sure all those horses were happy

mom2kmjx2 said...

The picture are so pretty and the Property sounds Awesome. Also sounds like they will be very happy.

Happy SITS Day!!!

Miss Dot said...

Oh I'll bet those horses were in HEAVEN! I love the pictures!!

HAPPY BIRTH/SITS DAY!! :D

♥Miss Dot

Unknown said...

This was such a wonderful story! So very exciting.

Tonya said...

Beautiful pictures! Doesn't it feel great to be able to help others?

cat said...

Oh I love horses! Great to see them in a great new spot. I am also an only child.

alessandra said...

It seems just a beautiful place to stay.

Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry" said...

What an interesting story. I always thought it would be kind of fun to be a realtor, except for all that paperwork! I'd love the part of showing the houses though.

What an exciting thing for this couple. Love that you wanted to see the horses reaction to their new home. It reminded me of when I'd bring a new cat into our house!

Visiting from SITS.

Unknown said...

What a great photo essay on a great moment! It looks like it was worth the wait.

Elizabeth D. said...

That was wonderful!!!! I'm such a dork, I teared up a little bit as I looked at those pictures. I had a really rough day yesterday, so I needed a little bit of good cheer, like what you brought here. Those horses are just beautiful and they looked so happy. Thank you for sharing!

Herself said...

I wish you were my Realtor! Not licensed to sell in the mountains of North Carolina, are you??

Judy@grammyreads.com said...

That's so sweet!! You are an amazing realtor!

Melissa said...

We are in the process of buying a home right now. Short sale, going on 8 months now. It is such a blessing to have a realtor who we know has our best interests at heart. We've had some bad experiences dealing with other realtors. Your clients are so fortunate to have you on their side! What a crazy business!

Quasi Serendipita said...

Those are lovely photos. I grew up with horses and really miss them - a combination of living in central London and working shifts as a doctor makes horses impossible right now :(

Kristen said...

Sounds like paradise! What a wonderful job you have.

sweetjeanette said...

I loved every detail. The horses DO seem to be loving their new home too! It's refreshing to hear from a realtor's point of view...getting in to their job but not treating it as a "job".
Stopping by from SITS

Mommie Daze said...

Beautiful horses. I love to live somewhere that I could keep horses someday.

Stacy Uncorked said...

Looks like you found them the perfect new home - the horses look especially happy! :)

When it's time for us to move from PA, we want to move somewhere where we can keep horses, too. Maybe we'll have to move to your area so you can be our Realtor - you seem to have the magic touch! ;)

Happy SITS Day! :)

Laura said...

I remember buying my first home (and second) and how exciting it was for me.

Happy SITS Day!

Treasia Stepp said...

I bet you love the feeling of finding your clients and your friends the home of their dreams. What a wonderful feeling it must be.

Anonymous said...

Those beautiful horses look so happy!!

Dee Andrews said...

Buying a house usually is an emotional thing for me, but this last one we bought over the internet while we lived in Spain! Friends were incredulous, but we found ourselves really comfortable with it. I think living out of a suitcase for a year had changed our perspective. And we trusted our realtor and had family in town to help us look at the houses.

The best part of it... a house came on the market right behind my husband's parents... we now share the backyard fence and have a gate between so my daughters can run back and forth. It's a wonderful "Leave it to Beaver" experience for all of us.

Multiple personalities.. said...

What a sweet story! I love horses, they are such magnificent creatures. You're so blessed to have been able to meet such great people through your line of work. Thanks for sharing such beautiful pics!

AmericanTribal said...

Oh, the horses are so beautiful! :)

I'm glad you found Nellie and Chet (and the horses) a good place to live, that must be very rewarding.

Anonymous said...

I love horses. And happy endings! That was a very touching story.

Leah Rubin said...

Wow, what an amazing story! You really do have such an intimate input to your clients' lives... Sounds ever-so-gratifying.

Happy SITS Day!

Date Girl said...

I've heard horses are hard work, but just look how beautiful they are. I like how they kept checking in with each other. I bet they were thinking, is this really ours? :-)

ConnieFoggles said...

I guess being a realtor makes it hard not to get somewhat attached to your clients. Moving is such an emotional time.

SimplySandi said...

The horses are lovely. My dad has horses, and they are truly fascinating creatures.

Ali said...

Great story! Horses are so beautiful!

Shana said...

Beautiful horses and beautiful story!

K A B L O O E Y said...

Over from SITS and what a nice surprise to see these photos. One question from the city kid: do horses always wear moon boots when they move to a new house?

Lisa said...

Looks like a beautiful piece of property. Coming by from SITS

Heidi said...

What a lovely story. It's so great that you were able to find your friends there perfect 'home sweet home'.

Crystal Escobar said...

ahh, how cute! I just LOVE horses. They are so beautiful!
www.balancedmoms.blogspot.com

Skooks said...

Just lovely. Everyone right where they belong. :) Happy SITS day!

Andrea said...

Happy Birthday and SITS day! Love the photos, it looks so pretty out there!

Kristy K said...

What a sweet story! I love your blog. I think it's one of the prettiest designs I've see.

Mrsbear said...

Gorgeous horses. I'm sure it's satisfying to know you had a part in them finding a perfect home.

Marit Bockelie said...

such a sweet story! thanks for sharing. ;)

Sarah and the Gentlemen said...

I even get emotional about OTHER people moving. An elderly friend of mine will be drastically downsizing soon and I have been fretting over what she will be able to take with her and the emotions of selling the house her son had built... *sigh*

Thanks for sharing this story. It sounds like a wonderful fit for your friends.

Anonymous said...

We just bought a new house. Every time we see our real estate agent she gives us a hug and a kiss! Lol!

Marie said...

What a wonderful story, I see you love your job too. I am an interior designer and after every single job I get as emotional as my clients with their "new" homes, great feeling.

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

What gorgeous creatures. And YAY for their new home!

 

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