January had Robert and I diving headfirst into creating a real estate investment business. The hardest part was coming up with a name for the business and we finally settled on Red Daze Real Estate Investments LLC. We filed the paperwork with the state, got set up with an accountant, opened bank accounts and credit cards. By the time we went through all the setup, the housing market was insane. We looked and looked for properties to invest in that we could then rent out profitably. Unfortunately, the housing boom was still in full swing for the first half of the year and the prices continued to skyrocket out of control. In general, houses and land prices in Tennessee have doubled in less than 3 years. What was affordable when we first made the decision to move had become untenable for the business model we wanted to pursue.

With the housing market booming, Robert decided to get his license to sell real estate. He went through all the classes and then took his test, passing with flying colors. Robert was sponsored by one of the largest real estate brokers in the Knoxville area. After obtaining his license, he went through extensive training through the brokerage.

Starting in January, we were also seriously looking for a house to purchase for us to live in. With the market prices of houses rising so fast, and the demand for houses so high, and the supply of houses so low, we saw a lot of overpriced houses that needed a lot of work. I kept commenting that people were asking $500,000 for houses that needed $200,000 worth of repairs. No way were the houses worth $300,000 and were certainly not worth putting $700,000 in with repairs. Many sat on steep hillsides with no workable land. The houses were old and had a tremendous amount of do-it-yourself work which was odd at times and downright scary at other times. We saw houses where additions were separating from where they were attached to the house (and built on top of brick planters instead of solid ground), chimneys were leaking into the basement and crumbling on the outside of the house, and the list goes on and on. We saw a few houses that we were interested in, but they were asking the max we were willing to pay and were expecting 10 offers by the end of the first day of showing with the price being driven up even higher.

I was looking daily for houses to hit the market new. In March, we extended the area where we were searching for houses. It was a Friday evening right after I finished working. I jumped onto Zillow and Realtor to look for anything new that may have shown up that day. As the screen refreshed, a new house appeared. There was a cover photo that was pulled from Google. The description sounded good, it was in our price range and the area we were searching. But there were no photos. Robert had just received his access to the MLS and had his Real Estate License. I shouted to him to look at this and to see if he could find out if there were more photos. He jumped on the MLS and the listing agent said he was uploading them as they spoke. As soon as the photos hit the site, we went through them and Robert set up a time the next morning for us to look at the house. There was already one appointment scheduled and we took the next available appointment.

The house was an hour west from the house we were renting in Knoxville. We headed out and arrived a little early to see that the first appointment was still there. We drove down the road a little and turned around and came back. By then, they were leaving and we touched base with the previous real estate agent who pointed out where the lockbox was before she left.

It was a cold dreary spring day. The clouds were hanging low and there was a feel of rain in the air. We saw that there was a field across the street but couldn’t see what was beyond that. We walked through the house and found it charming. Not too big and not too modern and cold like so many others that we saw. We then walked through the garage which was large and included cabinets, counters, a sink, refrigerator and range. It was clean and cleaned out. I say cleaned out because we saw so many houses where the owners had not even started to pack things up. They were cluttered and it felt as if the owners had not actually given thought to how they would vacate the property in the short month it would take to close on it. But this garage was already cleaned out and ready to welcome somebody else in.

We moved on to the outbuildings. Robert was ecstatic to see a large workshop with cabinets, counter space, and pegboard. Attached to the workshop was a 2 bay carport. And attached to the back of both of those was another shop area with sliding barn doors on both sides to allow driving the tractor or mower inside for storage or working on it. There was a long workbench, a wood storage crib on the wall for things like 2x4s and other sizes of wood to keep it off the floor and out of the way and more pegboard.

There were two sheds on the property. And a large pole barn as well. There was a second, older pole barn that was obviously falling down and would need removed. As we walked around the six acres we discovered a pond as well. The land was flat to rolling and probably the best piece of property we had seen since we started looking. We walked back to the house and as we approached, the clouds started lifting to show us the most amazing view across the fields to the mountains south and east of the house. We stood on the wrap around porch gazing out across the perfect Tennessee view. We decided right then and there that this was the house for us.

We locked up and headed to the nearest restaurant, which happened to be at the Cumberland Mountain State Park only five miles up the road from the house. We put a plan in place, called our real estate agent and told her we found the house and wanted to make an offer immediately on it. We offered slightly more than the asking price and I told the agent to hold off on sending the offer over until we got home because I wanted to write a letter to the owner. In the Real Estate Industry, they call these “Love Letters”. I wrote a letter telling the owner how much we loved the house and property and it was exactly what we had imagined when we decided to move to Tennessee and that we would be honored if she would accept our offer. This was Saturday morning, and we were only the second person to have viewed the property. Our agent told the seller’s agent that we were making an offer and he indicated that the seller wanted to wait until Monday afternoon to decide as there were other people viewing the house. We rushed home and I wrote the letter, and our agent delivered the offer and letter to the seller’s agent by dinner time Saturday. By 10 AM Sunday morning, the seller had accepted our offer. We closed on the house at the end of May and moved into it on July 1^st.

We love our house and cannot get enough of the views, the sunrises and sunsets, the nature all around us, the neighbors who are friendly and helpful, and the peace that comes with living in a place so beautiful. We both enjoy stargazing and I saw the Milky Way for the first time! We both feel so at peace when we sit on the porch and gaze over the landscape. Until it was too cold to do so, we would rush to sit outside on the porch at sunset, watching the sky fade to black and watching as each star flickered into sight. We’ve also seen satellites going over and even saw the Goodyear Blimp one day! We’ve started working to update some things and making the house our own. We bought a house that was built in 1979, has wood paneling, and small rooms. It’s charming and cozy and very well suited for our needs. We plan to live out the rest of our lives in this beautiful space.

We never did purchase an investment property in 2022. We’ve decided to wait a while longer. The housing market is crashing due to the Feds raising interest rates so fast and so high. We will keep an eye out and decide if we want to move forward with the real estate company or not. Either way is ok and we’ll figure it out as we go.

Robert also decided to give up his real estate license. Not only was the timing bad since the market started slowing down right about the time that he got his license, but also because it is an industry that requires the agent to be out in the community and always selling. Robert is not a salesperson by nature and has realized that his heart isn’t really into that industry. We’ve also realized the value of Robert working around the house and property. There is so much maintenance and repair that is involved with owning a mini farm. We will be planting a large garden in the spring and there is work associated with that. We purchased a John Deere zero turn riding mower in the fall and during mowing season, that is almost a non-stop requirement.

Toward the end of July, we brought two kittens home from a local rescue. That relationship started out rocky. Both cats found a hole in the wall in the downstairs bathroom and once they climbed in would not come out when we were near. We tried luring them out with litter boxes and food. They would wait until we were upstairs or asleep before coming out to eat and drink and use the litterbox, only to climb back in the wall when we would approach. We finally had to buy a live trap and bait it with tuna fish. We caught the male kitten and transferred him to one of the bedrooms where we provided him with food, water and a litterbox. The little girl wasn’t coming out for tuna in the trap after seeing the boy trapped and removed. So, we had to up our game and add catnip to the trap as well. It took less than 10 minutes to get her in the trap with the catnip leading to tuna. After a few days in the bedroom – and Robert patching the hole in the wall – we again let them out to roam the house. They were both skittish and afraid of us. Always hiding under the bed or the couch or behind something. The girl was so fearful that we had to bring her food to the living room and feed her under the couch. It took weeks to get her out from under the couch and eating in the kitchen with the boy. We did end up naming them Boone and Willa. Did I mention that Willa bit me and I ended up at Urgent Care during that time? I tried to catch her to take her to the vet and she went total wildcat on me and sunk her teeth into my knuckle. I was bleeding and was afraid of infection. Antibiotics helped and after that, Willa started settling down and has now become the cuddliest cat you can imagine. Both like attention and like to be held and cuddled. They have discovered outside and its hard to keep Willa in the house now. They both love to run and play and chase birds and other little critters. They climb trees and visit with the neighbors.

In September I saw a Facebook post that somebody’s dog had puppies. They were Southern Mountain Cur which originated in the mountains of Tennessee and Arkansas. We went to see the puppies when they were only 10 days old and they were adorable. I put a deposit down on the little female that was brindle colored like her mama. We visited again when they were about 4 weeks old. Dixie came home with us when she was six weeks old. She is cute and playful and energetic and stubborn and high-energy. We’re getting a fence installed, Robert is going to convert one of our sheds into a nice doghouse and Dixie will have her own area to run and play in.

We celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary in December. Our lives have changed significantly in the past year. I still work at the same job that I’ve had for almost four years now. By August the company that I work for had lifted travel restrictions and I have traveled to Phoenix twice and Minneapolis twice as well. Robert’s life has changed more than mine. While I still sit at a computer working an 8-5 job, Robert has found farm life to his liking. Over the winter and in between chopping wood and transporting it from the pole barn to the house, Robert is working on his shop. The shop has rough cut wood siding which is not airtight and no interior walls. Robert has been building out stud walls, will insulate and put wallboard over them. He is rewiring the shop’s electrical system while he’s working on it and has the wiring all exposed. He may even add plumbing. Yes, Robert is getting his man cave put together. And it’s going to be awesome when it is finished!

Our year has had ups and downs, not unlike most people. We lost dear friends and family who God has called home. New friendships have formed. We’ve discovered a simpler life in the country. And if I had to describe the most prevailing feeling, it would have to be grateful. Grateful to have each other, grateful to live where we do, grateful to have wonderful friends and family in our lives and grateful that we have been given the opportunity to go through another year together.

As we say goodbye to 2022, we are looking forward to 2023.

Happy New Year!