Sold And We'll Take It
Home Sweet Home
I know, even for me, Sold and We’ll Take It sounds a bit weird. A bit backwards or some such thing. Bear with me, I can explain. All in good time.
I have been accused of being analytical. Granted, I do make three-dimensional drawings and workflow charts before I start any “honey do” project. And I do like building Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations in my spare time. But does any of this make me an analyst? C’mon, really? Yeah, OK, maybe it does. Guilty as charged. I am analytical. There I said it! Yes, I am an organizer, yes, I am a planner. I have even been the victim of analysis paralysis on an occasion or two or three. All of which makes this story even more unbelievable.
First, a little background information. Judy and I were both born and raised in the country in Ohio. When we married, in the late sixties, our first house was a single-wide in a trailer park. Fast forward about twenty years and three houses later, and we finally found ourselves moving back into the country.
And wow, were we in heaven. Ten plus acres back a quarter-mile lane. There was plenty of room and plenty of privacy. We both agreed this is exactly where we were meant to be. Further, this is exactly where we would be until they moved us into a home. Or planted us in the ground, whichever came first.
A Seed Took Root
Over the next twenty-five years, however, tiny reality checks slowly started taking center stage. There was lots of cleaning in the springtime and lots of yard work in the summertime. Likewise, too many leaves to rake in the fall and way too much snow to shovel in the wintertime. Our perfect country home was feeling less and less perfect.
Suddenly, almost without warning, the proverbial ball, probably a snowball, started to roll downhill. In mid-July of 2014, we were in the process of getting a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit). I was standing in the kitchen one afternoon when the mailman made a delivery I wasn’t expecting. It was a copy of the appraisal that was just conducted by the credit agency.
After reading through a dozen or so pages, I reread the appraised value of our property. Not just once or twice, but several times. The first few times under my breath and the next few times aloud. Even though I was the only one in the house. Needless to say, I planted a seed. And when Judy got home that evening, I started watering that tiny little seed.
The first watering was a half-joking, “Gee, if this place is worth that much, maybe we ought to sell it.” Judy didn’t take me seriously. After all, I am analytical, and this was much too spontaneous. Over the next few days, the watering became more frequent, and the half-joking became full-on serious.
Wow, That Was Easy
About a week later, I called our local realtor friend. I told him we needed to talk. We sat in the yard, reminiscing about old times and catching up on current stuff. Subsequently, I expressed my curiosity about the housing market. Was now a good time to sell? How long did he think it might take to sell our home?
Whereupon, a week later, our dream home in the county was on the market. Unexpectedly, a week later, we had an offer, a backup offer, and two contingent offers. That tiny little seed was clearly on steroids. We went from mildly curious to well on our way to being homeless in a matter of weeks.
Suddenly, we had ten plus acres and a whole lot of years of stuff to sort through. Lots and lots and lots of stuff. What should go in a dumpster, and what do we give away? What goes in a moving box, and what goes in the auction? Oh yeah, and where are we going to live next? And when will we have time to start looking for our next home? So little time, so much to do.
With our only child living in New Mexico, New Mexico seemed like the obvious choice for our retirement home. Over the phone, we shared our thoughts about moving with our son and daughter-in-law. Their enthusiasm was overwhelming. But taking the time for a house-hunting trip was clearly out of the question. Surprisingly, Judy, the non-analytical one, was freaking out far more than I was. For some inexplicable reason, I was unusually calm. Especially given the lack of three-dimensional drawings, workflow charts, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations.
From Homeless To Homeward Bound
Over the next few weeks, we continued to work on the piles. One pile for Goodwill and one for the recycling center. One pile for the shredder and one for the curb. Then we packed boxes. Some boxes would be making the move to New Mexico, and some boxes would be sold during the auction.
We signed the papers, and officially, we were now living in a house belonging to someone else. Before the ink had dried, the new owners wanted to start moving in. Suddenly, an auction was just days away, and a “vacate the premises” date was looming large. Clearly, a house-hunting trip to New Mexico, no matter how brief, was out of the question.
Thankfully, the Internet and our son and daughter-in-law came to the rescue. With a simple assignment, “Find us a house, and find it quick,” our son and daughter-in-law sprang into action. All the obvious options were carefully considered. In town and out of town. Houses, apartments, and condos. At last, the perfect spot.
After careful consideration of homes for sale, especially those with immediate occupancy, we made a call. “Hello. We are calling from Ohio, and we would like to buy a house in New Mexico.” Further, I said, “Our son and daughter-in-law will be making the walk-throughs on our behalf.”
After a little more online searching and a few more phone calls, our surrogates conducted walk-throughs. Then we made an offer over the phone, and papers were overnighted back and forth. Within days, we were homeless no more. We were now the tad bit anxious owners of a property 1600 miles away that we had only seen online.
Home Sweet Home, Again
The auction came and went on a frosty, rainy, sleety, snowy, occasionally sunny day. I am serious – after all, it was October. Next, we packed the moving van, front to back and bottom to top. And with a car hauler in tow, we native Ohioans were southwestward bound.
After four days on the road, we arrived in New Mexico. We signed a couple more papers, and the keys to our new home were ours. The moment of truth was at hand. It was too late to turn back now. Thankfully, in person, our new home looked just like it looked on the Internet. Thankfully, our son and daughter-in-law came through in the clutch.
So, for those of you who are analytically inclined, just remember. Being analytical is a gift. One for which those who aren’t likewise blessed are probably just a little jealous. Further, few people are well-suited for such an esteemed responsibility. This, in itself, makes you and me very special. Fortunately, we are also very humble. And for those not analytically inclined, just remember this. Every once in a while, we thinkers, when you least expect it, will cast all thinking aside (more or less). We’ll just race headlong towards the (more or less) unknown. After all, we wouldn’t want you to think you knew all there was to know about us (sometimes over) thinkers.