We Sold Our Home. What Comes Next?

Selling our house was something my partner and I had been talking about for the past couple of years. We dreamed about going somewhere warm for an extended break, but I always got a little nervous whenever the idea became more serious — after all, this was my childhood home. I had spent every school holiday and countless weekends there with my grandparents, and after they passed away, it eventually became our home. Mait had his doubts too, because over the years we had put so much work into renovating the place. So every now and then the idea would come up again, only to fade into the background.

On 8 April 2026, the day after we said goodbye to Alice, I woke up and told Mait that I finally felt ready to sell the house. I can’t really explain why something clicked at that particular moment, but I think somewhere in the back of my mind I had always wondered how I could possibly move into a rented apartment with an elderly dog. I guess the timing was right. After saying goodbye to Alice, it felt like a major chapter of my life had come to an end, and I knew I wouldn’t want another dog anytime soon.

The Decision to Sell

We quietly started getting things ready. We cleared out the basement, got rid of things we no longer needed and finally dealt with the scrap metal that had been sitting in a corner of the garden. We didn’t tell anyone what we were planning. We agreed that if we managed to sell the house, we’d take some time off, buy a one-way ticket somewhere in Latin America and simply live for a while.

By 11 May, we were ready to put the house on the market. The day before, I had told my mum that we had decided to sell, and she took the news surprisingly well. Mait’s family, our friends and everyone else found out through Messenger, where I sent them the link to the listing with a message: “We’ve made a big decision, so we’re telling everyone at once.”

Once the listing went live, I could definitely feel my heart pounding, but I was convinced the house would take a while to sell. I hoped we might have it sold by autumn, so that once the miserable weather arrived, we could leave Estonia behind for a while.

Selling Our House Happened Faster Than We Expected

What happened after the listing went live was unbelievable. Within the first fifteen minutes, five people had already contacted us wanting to come and see the house. The first viewing took place just a couple of hours later, and within the first week, 12 families had come to see it.

A week later, the house was reserved.

On 12 July, we handed the keys over to the new owners. Those eight weeks in between went by unbelievably fast. We had an entire lifetime’s worth of belongings to sort through and move out. There were definitely a couple of moments when I thought, shit, I wasn’t ready for it to sell this quickly, but there wasn’t much time to overthink it. The decision had been made, and there was packing and moving to deal with.

And honestly, a big part of what kept me going through it all was knowing that we’d be flying to Latin America in the autumn.

Saying Goodbye to Our Home

Before handing the house over to its new owners, we also threw one last big two-in-one party — my 34th birthday and a farewell party for the house on 9 July. I put together a quiz and made a video full of memories from the house. More than a few people shed a tear while watching it, and although I definitely don’t consider myself much of a videographer, the video got surprisingly positive feedback from our guests. It ended up being played several more times throughout the evening.

By the time of the party, we had already packed up and moved most of our things. The only things still unpacked were a few clothes we might need over the next couple of days, bedding for our guests, and pretty much everything in the kitchen, because we still needed plates, serving dishes and all the usual party essentials.

The day after the party was mostly spent recovering from a hangover, but on Saturday and Sunday we got properly stuck into the rest of the move.

The final day was pretty emotional. I didn’t feel like saying a word, while Mait kept walking around saying how sad it was to leave — the weather was beautiful, exactly the kind of day that made you wish you weren’t moving out.

At some point, I could feel my emotions taking over. I went outside and sat down on a sun lounger in the garden. I was fully aware that this was the last time I would ever sit there and look at the house from that particular spot, and I just let the tears come.

Mait came over and quietly sat down beside me.

We stayed there for about an hour, each lost in our own thoughts, until we had both pulled ourselves together enough to finally hand over the house.

Although we had agreed at the notary’s office that we would hand over the house no later than 16 July, I had set myself a goal of getting it done about a week earlier. I didn’t tell the new owners, just in case we didn’t manage it — I knew those extra days were our safety net.

On Sunday evening, I messaged the new owner to say that, as far as I was concerned, the house would be ready to hand over in about an hour. We showed them the last few things they needed to know, signed the handover documents and wished them all the best in their new home.

It felt incredibly strange watching someone else lock the door and then driving away, knowing full well that if I ever had a reason to come back in the future, I would be a guest.

From a 150 m² House to a 23.8 m² Apartment

As soon as the house was reserved, the obvious question was where we were going to live until autumn. We knew we didn’t want to leave before the weather turned miserable, and we still had a couple of unfinished projects that would take some time to wrap up.

Thanks to a few unexpected twists and turns, a lot happened within just a couple of days, and we ended up with an apartment where we could stay temporarily.

So we moved from a roughly 150 m² house, complete with storage spaces and a basement, into a 23.8 m² apartment — where we somehow had to fit all our stuff alongside another adult’s belongings.

It’s actually pretty good preparation for backpacking, considering we only brought clothes, a few kitchen essentials and toiletries with us. We packed the guest bedding into vacuum bags and put it into storage, because there definitely won’t be any overnight guests in an apartment this size. We also stored our Christmas decorations, most of our kitchenware, the big vacuum cleaner and all sorts of other bits and pieces that we think we’ll use again someday when we have more space.

We’ve been living in the apartment for a week now, and surprisingly, we fit in just fine. Luckily, I’ve been pretty minimalist for years — I don’t enjoy shopping, and I definitely own fewer clothes than Mait does. Not that Mait is exactly drowning in clothes, but usually it’s the woman who has more.

A couple of days ago, I told Mait how happy I am with our decision. I genuinely enjoy living in the apartment and the freedom that comes with it. Not having that constant feeling somewhere in the back of my mind that I should go trim the garden, pick the apples or check whether the robot lawn mower has managed to get itself stuck somewhere again.

Mait and I have gone for a walk almost every evening. Just like we used to when we lived in an apartment years ago. The only difference is that back then, we had to go for walks because we had a dog. Now we go because we want to.

There’s an incredible sense of freedom and joy in doing the things you want to do rather than the things you have to do.

So, What Comes Next?

On 8 November, our Latin American adventure begins. We have a one-way ticket from Tallinn to Bogotá. There were other major cities in the region we could have chosen, but in the end, our decision came down entirely to where we could get from Tallinn with the most reasonable combination of price and travel time.

At the moment, we have 41 days planned in Colombia, and on 19 December we’ll fly on to Panama. What happens after that, we don’t know yet. I definitely want to have a rough outline of the trip figured out before we leave, but right now, I honestly have no idea when we’ll be coming home.

For the first time in our lives, we’re not simply going on a trip. We’re leaving without actually knowing when — or from where — we’ll eventually return to Estonia.