The emotional side of selling a home

This is not the first time I've sold a home and/or moved. I've had homes in four different states in the US so far during my lifetime. I've moved more than 10 times, not counting my college years, but the home I currently own and live in is the first that I bought and will sell on my own. Besides the home I grew up in, it's the first home I moved into that had never been lived in before, so the history I'm about to leave behind is all my own.

Though the decision to sell has been creeping up on me for more than a year, it still took me by surprise when less than a month ago I returned from a visit with family and knew without a doubt that I was ready to say goodbye to the dwelling I've called my dream home for the past five years…and dream here, I did. Not a day went by that I wasn't thinking of ways to personalize this space that belonged to me and my pets. Many plans and ideas never materialized. As a single woman of a certain age, I didn't always have the means to turn them all into reality, but I improvised - home improv - I called it, on a budget.

If it's possible to love something inanimate, then I can say that I "loved" this house. Despite my growing lists of remodeling projects, the house satisfied more than enough of my "must haves."

The real estate agent who will list my house told me she'll be sending me a form on which I should include all of the things I love about my house. She said those are the best marketing points - chances are that what I so dearly love are the very things a buyer will fall in love with, too. But there are too many to put on a form.

What I'll miss most about the home I'm selling

Like most homebuyers, when I was shopping for this home I had a wish list. Few homes hit every mark for any homebuyer, so no one was more pleasantly surprised by finding every practical wish come true when I first walked through the door of this unfinished, new build house. And living here fulfilled wishes I didn't yet know I had.

• Room with a view. The master bedroom, even after the community was completed, has an unobstructed view of the city's most famous mountain. In June, it still has a snowy cap.
• Front porch. On mild evenings or cooler afternoons, the western sun warms the porch for a place to have a quiet conversation and then watch the sun set behind pink and purple clouds.
• Good-sized fenced yard. Though I never got to landscape the backyard, the dog enjoyed romping in one of the largest yards in our community of townhomes.
• My best friend next door. We bought these duet homes at the same time and have had each other's company for these last few years.
• Plenty of space for leisure and work. I actually had places for desks in at least four different areas of the house and could comfortably work, curl up with a book, watch a DVD or binge on Netflix in any room.
• Two-story living room. The light streaming in from the second story windows or the view looking up from my living room couch made my heart sing.
• Tall pine trees on the adjacent property, visible from the windows over the winding staircase. I once saw this very image during a guided meditation, but didn't think I'd actually see it daily from the home I'd eventually inhabit.
• Garage. This was the very first home I lived in other than my parents' homes that had a garage, and I secretly always wanted one.
• Beautiful neighborhood with plenty of good neighbors. Walking my dog several times a day allowed me to really enjoy the exquisite flowers and adorable homes, but I also had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with so many of my neighbors.

This was a wonderful place to call home, but now I'm excited about the next phase of homeownership - selling and moving on. I'm already making my wish list for my next home. I can only hope that I'll be this lucky again.