Write a letter like this and leave it on your counter.
To the potential owners of XXXX,
We found this house probably much the
same way you did, scrolling through hundreds of web pages, sipping wine and
dreaming. Our kids were young, three and seven. We wanted a safe, family-oriented
neighborhood with a pool and playground and good schools nearby. We hoped for a
flat, fenced yard and beautiful big trees on a cul-de-sac, a house that we
would make a home.
That was eleven years ago. Our son is now in college and our
daughter's a freshman in high school. They were born on different coasts, but
this is the house they'll speak of when asked about their childhood. This is
the place where Christmas magic happened, where baby birds fell from trees and
were handfed until they could fly, where puppies grew into dogs, where slumber
parties and birthday celebrations and over ten years of mystery parties were
forged into lifelong memories.
This house has a distinct soul. You'll
feel it on quiet mornings sitting on the patio with a cup of coffee, on cool evenings
burning twigs in the fire pit as owls hoot, cooking and baking in the kitchen,
scents drifting into the dining room where guests wait, lounging in the family
room on movie night, or hosting outdoor barbeques on game day—even in those
times when the pace slows and the bubbling aquarium tells you to relax.
We have been very blessed in this house. It has, what some
call "good juju." We welcomed that and tried to add special touches
along the way, upgrading features whenever possible, yet always honoring the
bones of the home.
This is a special community. We've
made many wonderful friends here and enjoyed pool parties, bunko night, book
club, and swim team. We've even kept in touch with neighbors who moved away. It's
that kind of place. You'll meet people who grew up here twenty years ago and have
returned with families of their own to call XXX home again.
I know we'll miss living in the yellow
house on the hill. And we really hope she finds someone who will love her and
care for her as we did. Maybe that's you.
*** also called, how to make your family cry***
