Ten years ago, on a somewhat of a whim, I bought a small condo in Ames that I could use while attending Iowa State athletic events. I never missed football and men's basketball games before that, but it was hard to attend many of the other sports on a regular basis and some of the men's basketball trips were treacherous. I could now attend women's basketball, volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics and in the last few years softball. I even attended my first cross country meet when Iowa State hosted the Big 12 championships a couple years ago. We were fortunate in that our jobs allowed us to work remotely. As a result we would spend about 90 nights a year in Ames. It worked out far better than I ever anticipated.
It was a nice place out by the basketball practice facility, that used to be the model condo for the development in the area. I loved that fact it was was in a lower level of the building and was the only unit on that level. The view was great across North Dakota. Most residents were young adults and maybe a few graduate students. It served me well.
But times were changing. Investors were starting to buy up units. The big effect of that is the population density rises. A two bedroom apartment now houses four people and requires space for four cars. And the demographics were changing from young adults and maybe a few foreign grad students, to undergrads. The trend was clear. It was time to move on.
I bought a new condo in The Crawford. It's a refurbished elementary school near campustown. I love it. I put the old unit on the market last fall, but based on sales history on my old condo, didn't expect much activity until March through July, when every single one bedroom apartment had sold in the past (except mine in August). Then the coronavirus hits just as the market should heat up and Ames is vacated as students are sent home. With all that uncertainty the timing wasn't great for selling a place like this. Less foreign students, possibly lower enrollment and a glut of available rentals were a concern.
But finally I got an offer and it closed yesterday. That chapter of my Ames life is now closed. While the end was a bit nerve racking, I am happy I owned it these last ten years. It has worked out far better than I ever imagined. The new place is an upgrade and I'm spending even more nights in Ames. 116 so far is my count which starts August and runs through the end of July each year, coinciding with the school year. Eventually I may sell my house in Cedar Rapids and move to Ames permanently, but that's probably a few years off as downsizing is hard.
It's only the second piece of real estate I've sold, but closing sure feels good. Depositing that check in the bank felt even better.
That is one big house across the street. The trees, before the leaves fall, now obscure those houses. The view is a natural park-like setting with a wooded creek running behind it. I will miss that view.
It was a nice place out by the basketball practice facility, that used to be the model condo for the development in the area. I loved that fact it was was in a lower level of the building and was the only unit on that level. The view was great across North Dakota. Most residents were young adults and maybe a few graduate students. It served me well.
But times were changing. Investors were starting to buy up units. The big effect of that is the population density rises. A two bedroom apartment now houses four people and requires space for four cars. And the demographics were changing from young adults and maybe a few foreign grad students, to undergrads. The trend was clear. It was time to move on.
I bought a new condo in The Crawford. It's a refurbished elementary school near campustown. I love it. I put the old unit on the market last fall, but based on sales history on my old condo, didn't expect much activity until March through July, when every single one bedroom apartment had sold in the past (except mine in August). Then the coronavirus hits just as the market should heat up and Ames is vacated as students are sent home. With all that uncertainty the timing wasn't great for selling a place like this. Less foreign students, possibly lower enrollment and a glut of available rentals were a concern.
But finally I got an offer and it closed yesterday. That chapter of my Ames life is now closed. While the end was a bit nerve racking, I am happy I owned it these last ten years. It has worked out far better than I ever imagined. The new place is an upgrade and I'm spending even more nights in Ames. 116 so far is my count which starts August and runs through the end of July each year, coinciding with the school year. Eventually I may sell my house in Cedar Rapids and move to Ames permanently, but that's probably a few years off as downsizing is hard.
It's only the second piece of real estate I've sold, but closing sure feels good. Depositing that check in the bank felt even better.
That is one big house across the street. The trees, before the leaves fall, now obscure those houses. The view is a natural park-like setting with a wooded creek running behind it. I will miss that view.
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