Our home is a treasure and we are heartbroken to leave it. In my opinion, we have the best lot in all of Saratoga Springs as we have a private, secluded, hoa park that extends straight out from our backyard. It’s a perfect place for our kids to fly their kites or for the men in the neighborhood to get together for a game of Ultimate Frisbee. I love baking pies (in my beloved double oven) on Thanksgiving morning and turning around to see a turkey bowl going on from my kitchen window. And every Easter I put on an Easter Egg Hunt and breakfast for the entire neighborhood in the park. It feels like an extension of my own backyard, but with the benefit of the hoa caring for it. There are also 3 other similar hoa parks in the neighborhood, one of which has a sand pit and basketball court. We live just a couple of blocks from the marina, so that’s just the icing on the cake. Our family loves to go on walks on the pathways by the lake and take in the beautiful view. My husband and I enjoy going to the marina to watch the moon rising. The view where we live is incredible and it never gets old. Being close to the lake is great for those that love to play in the water, and in the winter the neighborhood turns the lake into an ice skating pond. Our neighborhood is like one great big family. It’s a diverse neighborhood with people of all ages which we love. I know and trust every single one of my neighbors, they are wonderful people that serve others selflessly!
When we moved into our home the yard was completely dead in the front, and there was nothing but dirt in the back. We have spent years getting our yard to where it is 
today. My husband took great care in putting in the paver patio, and has lovingly nurtured our lawn. I love our lush green grass, the beautiful smelling lilacs, the rock wall covered with fragrant roses, the many trees that give great curb appeal, and my hundreds of tulip bulbs that emerge in the front flower bed every Spring. I always have comments from the neighbors about how happy those tulips make them every year. I’m so sad to leave our many fruit trees that are finally mature enough to produce good sized fruit. We have a peach, pear, plum, cherry, apricot, and 2 apple trees as well as grape vines and blackberry bushes. We also have a large vegetable garden. There have been many nights of making smore’s and cooking delicious dutch oven dinners in the fire pit while our children play on the enormous swing set that is in the backyard. To me, it’s perfect.
My husband just finished the basement a few months ago (except for the bathroom), and it is beautiful! He made sure to do everything at top notch standards. He added extra insulation in the ceiling, used solid core doors, installed wiring for a projector and surround sound, and installed plumbing and wiring for a kitchenette. I love the huge double door closets that he installed, as well as the large cold storage room with built-in shelves. When the man came to lay our very expensive carpet that we purchased for the basement, he said that he was shocked that my husband had completed the entire thing by himself. He said the quality of work was better than 80% of the contractors out there. In addition to the newly finished basement, we have loved having a formal dining room on the main floor for entertaining, the vaulted ceilings and many windows that let in so much light and make the home feel airy and warm. The loft upstairs has been perfect for a toy room, and we planned on using it as an office later on in life. The bedrooms are all large and spacious, especially the master bedroom. The 3-car garage has been awesome, and it’s been great for my husband to have a workbench where he can store his tools and supplies while still leaving room for a trailer.
I still think we are crazy for leaving this home. I hope that you will love it as much as we do.
