My husband and I have been married for 33 years. Our first house in Seatde was 750 sq. ft., which was plenty of space for the two of us at that time. When our son was born, however, we began to realize how small 750 sq. ft. really was. Before our daughter was born, we moved into a 3000-sq.-ft. house, where we would live for the next 26 years. The house felt like a casde. It had three floors and a large backyard with a deck. It was a comfortable place to raise our children. Not long after they moved out, though, we realized we were living on only the main floor of the house. We both wanted to retire early and travel while we were still young. The idea of moving into a small backyard cottage and using our existing house for a rental property was very appealing. Even with our children out of the house and our needs for space diminished, downsizing after 26 years wasn't easy.
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