Mom is being placed very soon. Just waiting for paperwork, etc. When I sit in here looking around I start getting so sad. This house is fabulous, historical and right in downtown Silverton, OR. It is paid for, so I would only have utilities but it is huge and I don't know if I can take care of it myself after mom leaves. What would you do? I also need the money to place her. This whole thing is sooo stressful and painful. It's almost like the house is calling out to me to keep it.
I had similar feelings as you do but eventually realized that selling their home was necessary and inevitable. It was a relief afterward.
Not only that, but I felt a healthy amount of anger that they’d left me with the tangle of belongings and junk and legal issues that I’d had to resolve, taking away more than 5 years of my life, enjoyment, and earning power. I didn’t deserve that. They should have dealt with their own issues while they still could. My resentment made it easy not to want to hang onto things that would bring them too much to mind.
It was sad but the house was simply too big and a lot of upkeep.
Like others here, I fantasized about moving in and then fixing my house up to sell, or renting to family, which would turn into a disaster. Either way, I would ultimately have to sell it, and I feel like the market could go down from here. Plus I'm exhausted from the last year of mom's life.
I know selling it is the right thing to do, and you said you need the money to place your mom, so you probably have to make the same decision. I'm trying to do what grandma1930 suggested and picture a young, happy family growing up there. It makes easier to let go. I wish you the best.
Know that anyone who can afford to buy the house appreciates it. They are buying because they like the history behind it. Probably will not change a thing and will love it.
When my aunt and uncle died. Mom rented out their home. It was a nightmare. The home had to be renovated before the house could be sold later.
If the home is registered as a landmark in the area, you cannot go to a big box store to purchase anything.
You have to go to an architectural supply shop to get authentic period replacements for anything that needs repairing.
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