Ok. So I think we have our plan set. And we’re moving on Friday, so it’s probably time to fill everyone in.
As you’ve probably guessed – if you’re my twitter or facebook friend – since I’m selling everything we own: we are moving.
Where, you might ask?
Into B’s mom’s house.
Which sounds a LOT scarier than it is. I kind of enjoy scaring people with that. Because it’s actually a REALLY sweet deal, and we are so very lucky to have B’s mom and her partner helping us like this. They own a large home in a suburb of Indy, but moved to Michigan for work. They chose to keep the house in Indiana, and have had their kids move in and out when needing a place to stay. Currently, B’s brother A, and step-brother M are living there. They will be on another level of the house, and we get along with them great, so I’m actually kind of jazzed.
Why are we doing this? Well B is in school. And making only a fraction of what he used to. It felt horrendously irresponsible to keep hoping we wouldn’t be short for our bills. We will save due to the generous deal to live there for cheap.
What about our house? Many of you know that B owns our house, he bought it in December 2007. A LOVELY time to buy homes. We considered many options of what to do with our house after B’s mom made the offer to help us. This was where many people in our lives gave their (non-requested) two cents, mostly well-meaning. But it really almost set me off, because it was between me and B- or really, mostly B, because it’s his home per the papers, not mine.
We have decided to rent out our home, by ourselves and not through any management company. And honestly, I am so sick of all the discussion about this that I don’t feel like going into why we made this decision. But if you have done this, let me know, so I can reach out if I have questions. I do appreciate you all!
So here are the pro’s of our new place:
- Our room will be 12×14 instead of our current 11×11
- We will have our own bathroom
- The suburb we’re moving to is really nice
- Not much farther from my 8-5 weekday work at all
- Close to some great stuff- Kroger still! Woo!
- I absolutely LOVE our new “roommates”
- I will be able to bake and have more taste-testers than just B
- B is happy to have other people to practice cooking for
- Full cable!!!!!!! BOARDWALK EMPIRE BABY!
- Be able to see B’s family more easily when they’re around
- The pugs can still sleep with us
- Closer to my cupcake job!!!
There are some con’s of course:
- We have to fix everything wrong in our current home
- Renting our home is a risk (YES, WE KNOW THAT.)
- Having roommates isn’t always all fun and games
- The pugs have to be crated when we’re not home
- (This is an issue I AM taking advice for. Wah. We don’t currently crate so I do need advise.) - Pugs cannot have full run of the house – pretty much just our room and the enclosed sunroom (for TV.)
- Step-bro-in-law has a cat (named CHEESE) and you know how pugs + cats = chaos…
- B will have a more significant commute
- Because B will drive more, he’s taking back the nice Camry and I get the POS Jeep
Mostly, I’m just nervous about the pugs, and about renting out our house.
Oh, and we’re not bringing any furniture except our bed and dressers. So we’re selling EVERYTHING. Full circle entry right here people.
So the packing / throwing tons of stuff out / making donation piles / meeting with hopefully not serial killer craigslist shoppers has taken up a bunch of my time right now. It makes me wish I actually had Indiana friends to come help me. I *hope* to be settled in and back to normal for September. THANK YOU to everyone who has reached out- not caring what has been going on- just to say they care. I have had many tears over this, trying to decide what to do, and your blind love and support really made a difference.
So yeah… anyone want to rent a house?! :-)
Wow that’s a lot to deal with! Here’s some advice on crating your dogs: We crate our dog the majority of the time we leave the house. He actually seems to be more comfortable with being in his crate than when he is left out of it. I think it’s a safety thing. When we were first crate training my dad always told us to feel positive when you put your dog in the crate. Dogs feed off emotions and they will feel good if you do. They don’t see the crate as a positive/negative thing until you put emotion with it (if that makes sense). We are the ones who see the crate as negative or “feel bad” for putting them in it. As I said before, our dog prefers it to being out of the crate. Also, NEVER use the crate for punishment. This WILL create ill feelings towards the crate. We trained out dog to go to the bedroom door when we say “crate!” and he gets treats when he goes in. He now RUNS to the door (taking out anything in his way) to get his treats.
Sorry it’s kind of long…but hopefully it helps!
Thanks Debbie! They are older dogs and two of the three are puppymill rescues. They haven’t ever had to be crated… I guess it’s more the transitioning that I’m worried about. Wanna come help? LOL!
I’m not quite sure how to deal with older dogs/puppymill rescues. I know my dad (who helped train guide dogs) got a lot of his opinions/dog training tips from Caesar Milan’s books. Maybe you can check your local library for a copy of one of his books? It might have something that could help you!
Our dog (a goldendoodle) is crazy enough to have to deal with for now! He has separation anxiety, so he might freak if I left him to see other dogs, LOL!
Debbie has said some great things, but I’ll add to it:
*First a quick side note – steer clear of Cesar Milan – better training aids are ‘Don’t Shoot the Dog’ and things by Victoria Stilwell. Don’t believe him just because he has book deals and a tv show, he uses outdated ideas and ineffective principles. Rant over.
Okay, Rule #1 with crate training – no marathon sessions of crating to begin with. Work them into it. Little bits at a time, starting with while you’re cleaning or cooking. Work up to an 8 hour work day.
Rule #2 – mental stimulation. They need something to occupy them other than scheming up ways to get out of the crate, chew their skin raw, or just make horrendous noises to drive roommates or neighbors nuts. A few quick ideas: peanut butter kongs, rawhides, marrow bones (yes, you can give these raw, mine have one daily). Make sure they have a project!
Rule #3 – Debbie said it right: the crate is a haven, not a prison. Make it comfortable, make it a cool place where they get that special treat to keep them busy (don’t give it to them if they’re out of the crate), and don’t spend time cooing and crying and being anxious yourself. They may cry at first. As long as that’s all they’re doing (not hurting themselves), let them cry it out. This phase eventually ends! Ignore all bad behavior, reward all good!
Email me if you need any support! Good luck with the move and I’m glad you guys have such great family to back you up when you need it!
Sounds like a good decision (but I imagine a tough one!)
For renting, I think the most important thing is a hefty security deposit, background check, lease rider with rules, etc. I’ve only been on the other side of renting, though, and my landlord is amazing (after some not-so-amazing ones.)
As for the pugs, would you be willing to either a) close the bedroom door, and let them have free roam of that or b) set up a gated area in the room so they can stretch their legs/interact with each other instead of being crated? If those aren’t options, I think the important thing is to get them used to it slowly, leave it out with comfy and fun things, give them food in there, etc, so it makes it a happy place.
can I move in? But in all seriousness, I’m so glad you found something that works. Crating is hard for dogs to get used to, can you just let them roam in the bedroom? I wish I was more help. I really hope this helps with the stress, I’m so worried about you!
Good luck with the move, Kelly! If I hadn’t just had a baby, I’d make the drive to help you move… you’re not that far! (If you move again anytime after next month, let me know – I can lift stuff then ;))
Sounds like a good plan. I’m sure you’ll make it all work out. As far as renting goes, we have a Carriage House on our property we have rented out for nearly 25 years. We have had good tenants, decent tenants, and HORRIFYING tenants. My advice…be firm, have a good sound lease, collect first AND last months rent AND a security deposit, ask for references and check them! Tell your renters you will check the property condition while they are renting and do it!!!! Best of luck!
I bet just writing that down felt like a sigh of relief…or I hope it did, at least. I’m glad you guys are doing what’s right for you, and I’m sorry you’re receiving unsolicited advice—that’s seriously the worst.
Good luck with crating—my dog loves being outside, but she also is completely comfortable in her crate. She sleeps in her crate at night, and more recently, since we’re moving, she’s been going in there during the day, too. It’s her comfort spot, which is great!
It sounds like this was a well-thought out decision, and one that was not necessarily the easiest to make. Good for you. :) Wishing you the best of luck with everything! Is there any way you can gate off a room/area for the pugs instead of crating them? That’s what we did with our youngest pup, and I think it made him a lot happier. Just a suggestion!
That’s not so bad!!! Sounds like you guys have a great plan in place and while it’s not the most ideal situation (staying in your own house and not having any issues to deal with) it sounds like it is a pretty good solution!
I know you’re super stress and anxious about it now, but I really think you’re making a good move and you will feel relieved and less stressed soon!
Good Luck!
I have worked many years in property management so if you want to send me any specific questions I would love to help! One thing of the top of my head is check the laws in your state about collecting first and last month rent because in some states it is illegal to collect a security deposit and last month rent. Also I would put the security deposit in a set savings account that is used only for that and keep a record of that for when you need to make a statement for repairs after move out.
It sounds like a great deal Kelly! and GO YOU for being responsible! That is sometimes the hardest choice to make.
Good friends of J & I purchased a house about a year ago with the sole purposed of it being a rental property. I’m going to see her this weekend if you want me to ask her if you can email her etc. Just to see what another couple did. Shoot me a Tweet or something if you’re interested :)
My husband and I are currently in a similar situation! We are moving into a 1 bedroom apt. after living in a house so that we can save $$$. Good news is that my sister and brother-in-law own said apt. Good luck with the packing,etc. b/c I feel your pain! I understand the relief of being able to save and not worry too. Others in the house will make you not feel so ‘alone’ because of the time you spend by yourself (husband is gone Sunday-Friday for work).
As for crating…we crate our two babies. We tell them to get in their ‘houses’ and they take off running, knocking over anything or anyone in their way. They will even open the door to their ‘houses’ to get in. We have a Pug and a Boston Terrier (wonder why I love your blog so much?). We also put a blanket, towel, something for them to lay on. And don’t forget the treats! We don’t put things for them to chew on because I am super paranoid about them choking. I do leave the TV on for them, usually on a timer so that they have some noise when we first leave. Like the others said, just make it positive for them. Good luck!
We have crated our puppies sine day 1, because they are outrageously destructive. We’re on 3 homemade quilts they have massacred and counting. Now they only get ratty towels!
Everyone is right, just act like the crate is a positive space. I’ve read books that suggest easing them into, putting their food in there, etc. REMOVE THEIR COLLARS, I’ve heard horror stories of them getting caught on wires and I’m paranoid thanks to Oscar almost strangling to death on his collar. What a horrible thing to come home to, right? We always give them treats when they go into their crate, and they have a bone/toy/blanket to have fun with. Dogs are natural “den” animals, so they’ll be ok. They might think it’s the coolest thing ever! We ordered our crate off of Ebay for cheap, Petco’s prices are freaking insane. Also we crate our 2 puppies together and they love hanging out, so that helps too.
Good luck! Being able to save sounds like it’ll be such a relief for you guys. I’m sorry it worked out like this but it sounds like you’re making the best of it, good for you!
First of all, I’m really excited for you and B! I know this is a big transition, but I also know its been a possibility and talked of for a while. Anything to save money is awesome, so yay!! I’m so happy that the pugs are welcomed too :)
On the crating, I don’t have much advice. We crate Dallas because if not she has temper tantrum accidents. She has a blanket and a toy or two and she’s fine. She goes right in every morning and is happy as a lark. If we’re too late getting home, she may be barking a bit to get out, but only because she needs to potty. She’s been crated since she was a puppy though with on and off bouts of freedom during the day. I will say, her crate is out in the living room and we leave the door open when we’re home with her. She often goes in there on her own, when we’re home to nap or get away from the chaos of Loucie and Sonny!
Loucie, she’s a rescue and we got her around 1 year old. Not sure if she was crated before us, but she took right to it. She does in voluntarily, but since she’s never had an accident in the house, she isn’t crated during the day. When we travel to my parents or on vacation, she is crated while we’re away and she’s fine with it. In fact, she’ll sometimes go into Dallas or Sonny’s crate when we’re home to nap and chill out too.
Sonny, our newest adoption and also rescue. He’s about 2.5 years old and he HATES the crate. Despite blankets, toys, TV for noise and making sure he’s in the crate where he can see the other pups 100% of the time, he just doesn’t like it. He’s gotten better over the past 4 months, but its still a chore to get him to go inside in the morning and once he’s in, he barks. I know he stops barking during the day, but once he hears the key in the door, he starts barking again. We’re working with him, but yea, he’s not a fan. He has broken out of the crate numerous times, chewed through zip ties and Rick finally put a padlock on so he couldn’t break out (we have the folding crates so he could push the sides loose).
But remember, these are 3 Siberian huskies ranging from 40 to 55lbs! Hopefully with some toys, open accessibility to the crates and easing them into the situation, your babies will do great!! As someone else said, you need to not worry about them. They’ll be safe and sound in the crates and will learn to love their new little homes!! :)
Good luck to you guys! It sounds like even with the cons, this will be a great thing for you guys! I’m sure the pugs will adjust, and who knows, they may even eventually make friends with Cheese (which is the cutest name EVER for a kitty!).
I think renting the house is a great idea! Anni makes some good points & I’d also say, a credit check & references. Only cuz this is not necessarily an “investment property”, this is YOUR home you’re renting. The one thing you guys might want to look into (should be pretty cheap since it’s standard) is a lawyer to draw up the lease/contract. I’ll ask my Dad if he has any advice too – he’s our landlord & owns another 2fam too.
It looks like you got a lot of good responses already on this! I just want to tell you that I’m happy for you that you’re doing this for you and your husband. It’s such a great thing you’re doing. As for crating your dogs – my first dog, Clover HATES her crate. I found these treats that she will jump over herself for. She will run into her crate for one. She will also go in for cheese, turkey or any type of human food, really. My dogs have pretty sensitive stomachs (boston terriers) but they do well with the Milo’s Kitchen treats. Those are the ones that help them get in their crates. :) Good luck to you! I wish you guys all the best.
Good luck with everything heart sis! I’ll be thinking about you!!!!
I was wondering why you were selling everything! I’m not giving you my 2 cents re: renting a house, but I just wanted to say that my fiancé and I are the ones who will be RENTING a house from a couple who is moving overseas for 2 years – the only reason they decided to hire an outside management company is because they are going to be in Brussels. Otherwise, they would have just done the renting themselves. Also, my good friend rents out a few bedrooms in her house on her own – no management company. So I just wanted to give you some positive thoughts and well wishes – I’m confident you’ll find someone (or a few someone’s) to occupy the house and it will be just fine!
No words of wisdom on the pups, but it sounds like they will have enough space to play. On the bright side, they are smaller dogs, so the rooms and crates will likely work just fine. I wish you luck, love!
Use treats to get them in the crates. Basically, bribe them. :) Buddy isn’t crated but we’ve been crating Scout since we got him and he actually loves it. Just make sure the crate is a 100% positive thing for them. Make it cozy, give them a toy and some treats, maybe a chew thing and they should be ok, i would think. Especially since pugs like to sleep alot.
And about the renting the house thing- I really don’t think getting renters is a bad thing. Charlie and I are renting the house and its better than it was before (other than the fact that Charlie went through the ceiling from the attic, but we fixed it). Just be really picky about the renters.
I know it probably is hard selling your stuff, etc. but I think the less stress with the money and bills will be so good! And at least you found a place that is good for you to live! How nice that his mom has that house!
Good luck! Keep us posted! xoxo
Ok, so I have been way behind on life and blog reading lately, so I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to read/comment for a while! I just wanted to say “go you!” for making the right choice for you guys. I am sure it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I hope that it will prove to be positive in the end. And yay for saving money – can’t complain about that…
I have been renting out my childhood home for the past couple years. Feel free to email me. Id love to help if I can!