esrosedotblog

ANNIVERSARY

One year ago we decided to do three things. Each a separate change.

First, we decided to sell our house. Too big, too much.

Second, we decided to by a condominium. Not another, smaller house. Not an apartment, rented. A condo.

Third, we decided to move to this very condo that we are now living in.

I identify the three separate decisions because even though they all were made in a day, there were three separate problems to be solved.

Often, we don't realize that we are making complex life decisions that have several moving parts. The failure to solve one will mess up the rest. Subdivide.

In selling the house, was it a good time? We didn't know. But we did know that we had paid a very low price for it and, while the real estate market had dropped considerably, the value of that particular house had not dropped so much as to cancel the benefit of selling. We would still make a lot of money at that day's value.

Not that this is the determinate so much as the desire to move, to be out from under, not to worry about, at this time of the year, getting the palm trees trimmed back one more fucking time. We were tired of it. But the differential between price paid and probable sale price made the decision more palatable.

Second. It was not at all in the cards that we would have bought a condominium. We had looked around but had found so many ill suited candidates that we thought, perhaps, a smaller house would be the answer. No palm trees. No yard. A little place. We actually found a couple. One up the street from our "old" house but the owner had far more ambitious financial goals than we were willing to satisfy. Besides, houses carry collateral damage. Maintenance. Worry. Real estate market fluctuations.

Then the third decision. John, in a Sunday afternoon drive, had found this particular condo that we are living in now. Not a two floor deal. Not close, cheek to jowl, with other units. Not ugly outside. Perfect design inside. A designerly home.

He saw it, called me, I came to see it and we made an offer within 24 hours and it was ours soon after.

All three problems solved.

It would not have worked had we not already let go of the house we lived in for 13 years. Neither would we have been open to look at one more condo if we hadn't realized or accepted that the condo was the optimum decision. And then this place. Available. A good price. A good location in the town and in the complex.

Happiness.

We put our house up for sale and it was gone within three weeks at the price we wanted. Not a fortune but enough. No one is making a killing these days but to get "enough" is rare and we feel quite fortunate to have found a guy who loved the place as much as we did and was willing to pay for it.

A month from now, we will be celebrating the move date. June 28th. And in two months the date of passing paper on the old house. Two months and done.

Are we happy? Yes. Everything we surmised was to be so. We furnished the place to suit. We got rid of a lot of stuff. Half of it. In this year we have been able to bring the small gardens back and learn how to live smaller.

An interesting collateral decision was to go to being a one car family. That has worked out too. One garage. One car. There is a parking lot, but we just didn't want the hassle.

We sold two of the cars and wrecked the one so the transportation transition sort of took care of itself.

A friend is here for the weekend. He asked if we had adjusted. Yes. It has taken a bit of effort to let go of the house mentally. I still worry a bit that the new guy isn't getting the palms trimmed. But, yes. We are settled. It is good. Life is good.

We had the courage to change at just the right time. For us.

And look at the pool. No pool man, no maintenance. And the view. We are away from the mountain and now see three separate ranges. There is even snow, still, on one of them. Great.

Labels: condo