Nearly 50 Years on the Farm.
And Not Looking Back.
My parents bought an abandoned farm site outside Herman, MN, in 1977 and raised four kids there. When it finally came time to sell, the hardest part wasn’t the sale. It was knowing when they were truly ready.
Seller Story — Herman, MN
Nearly Five Decades, One Move
the Farm An abandoned farm site two miles from town
Arrived A whole grove by the time they left
New Home One level, built new, in town
on the Farm Exactly who they hoped would buy it
A note from EricI want to be upfront: I wasn’t my parents’ realtor. They wanted me to be, but their farm sits outside the Fargo-Moorhead area I work every day, and they’re my parents. I’m so glad I chose not to. It let me be their son through all of it.
So this isn’t about a transaction I handled. It’s about what comes before any listing: knowing you’re ready, letting go, and stepping into the next stage of life.
Good Bones and an Old Farm
In 1977, almost nothing was for sale around Herman. My parents found an abandoned farm site two miles out on the blacktop: three cottonwoods, a barn, and a house on a nearly new basement. “We felt it had good bones,” Dad said.
They raised four kids there and added on to every side of that house. Ask Mom what mattered most and she’ll tell you it was the second bathroom. “All six of us weren’t in the same bathroom anymore. That sounds silly, but it was true.”
Serious, but Not Ready
About five years ago, they got serious about moving. Then they decided to stay, but Mom had one condition.
“Mom said if we’re going to stay on the farm, then you have to build yourself a new shop. She had to say it twice.”
— Dad
He built it in 2022. Looking back, waiting turned out to be one of their best decisions (and not just because of the new shop).
“If we would have sold the farm five years ago, we wouldn’t be near as happy here. In hindsight, we were not ready.”
— DadWhen the Yard Work Became Work
Their rule was simple: stay as long as they enjoyed it. Over time, the dead trees, the ladders and the upkeep turned into work. The grandkids had grown up with busy lives of their own, so moving no longer felt like taking the gathering place away from anyone.
“We were slaves to that farm site, and we didn’t even know it.”
— DadFifty Years of Stuff
Dad sorted the outbuildings slowly, over about four years, touching every item and deciding for himself. “If I would have had a ton of help, I’d have felt bad,” he said. “I got to decide for myself in a slow, slow way.”
Years earlier, my wife sold a trailer load of their extras on Marketplace. When she handed Dad the proceeds months later, he’d already forgotten what any of it was. On moving day, the same thing happened again. They haven’t missed a thing.
A Lot in Town, Next to Grandma’s
About six years ago, they bought a house on a lot in Herman and rented it out. When the renters left, they sold that house to be moved and reused, and built a new one in its place. Rent and the sale helped offset the cost, and Dad turned the old garage into his new shop.
The lot sits right next door to the house Grandma bought when Mom graduated from high school. For me as a kid, that house was the place to be.
The Last Day on the Farm
The last time I left the farm, Mom hugged me, crying. She didn’t say she’d miss the farm. She said this:
“How are we at this stage in our lives?”
— Mom, the last day on the farmIt was never really about the house. It was about the stage of life, and that stage turned out to be a good one.
A Young Family on the Farm
My parents hoped a young family would buy the farm, and one did. When the new owners invited them back for a birthday party, the yard was full of little kids, just like Easter used to be. “This is how it should be,” Mom said.
“We got everything we had asked or prayed for. That young family moving in was a huge deal to us.”
— DadToday they’re in their one-level home in town, with neighbors close by. “We almost feel guilty,” Dad said. “We haven’t looked back once.”
What I Took Away
Ready matters more than timing. If the move doesn’t feel right yet, it’s okay to wait.
Start letting go early, your way. Years of slow sorting made their final weeks easy.
The right agent isn’t always the closest one. For my parents, choosing someone else meant I could just be their son.
Thinking About Your Next Stage?
Whether it’s a farm you’ve loved for decades or a home that’s starting to feel like more work than home, let’s talk through what being ready looks like for you, on your timeline.
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