Pied a Terre

Time to start planning your home leave. It is always good to buy the plane tickets way in advance so you can fly on the days you want. But do you still have a home to go back to? Yours or family?


In our case, we didn't. We got transferred to Brazil when the house market was crashing. We had also switched companies so if we moved back we would likely move to a different state. Then, my husband decided to put the house on the market and we ended up selling it for the asking price - how could we not sell? And I'm glad we sold it when we did. But we became homeless. We only realized it a year later that we had nowhere to go. It was liberating and frightening.


I lost my parents many years ago and my husband lost his father a few years back, right before our daughter was born. His parents were divorced and we had a closer relationship with his dad. I don't have their home to go to. Staying at my husband's  mother and step-father's home once was something a little awkward to all of us. The best thing to do is to stay at a hotel. We all feel more comfortable this way. Plus, we have the freedom to go to other places and tell friends and family that they can meet us there. We did it once and it was awesome! The whole family dynamics worked out much better.


Financially, you have lots of costs to consider. And if you can sell your house for the right price, then you will realize that even tough staying in a hotel for a month and a half is really expensive, it is still cheaper then the costs of keeping a home - mortgage, lawn/snow maintenance, tv, cable, phone, internet, power, water, propane... But if selling your house is not a good alternative, at least you know you'll have your home to go back to. And having a home is a very comforting feeling.


If we move again - and now it's looking more like a matter of when, not if - we'll keep our home. I'm at a point in my life that I just need a place to call home. I need a place for the kids to call home. Where they'll have friends. A place they'll look forward to come back to. That will be part of their identities. 


As you can see this is just another tough decision to make. And wether or not you'll keep your pied a terre is only up to you.