SOLD THE HOUSE

I know - it's been since the first of August since my last post. We had a contract on our house 9 days after we listed it! Nobody was more surprised than we were. Given the economic times and the fact that we had a "normal" real estate transaction we thought for sure it would take a lot more time. We were up against much newer homes at give-away prices because of all of the short sales and bank owned properties. What we did have going for us is that we are in an older established quiet neighborhood with large lots and yes we even have trees - not as many as before Hurricane Charlie but none the less a lot of trees.

We went through the two inspections, termites and structure and passed with flying colors - not bad for a thirty year old house. Nope - they don't build them like this anymore.

The we sweated are rung our hands for about a week to see if the place would appraise for our asking price. Yep we also got a full price offer. If the deal was going to fall through it would be because of the appraisal.

I was actually at my cardiologist getting an annual stress test done when I got the text from the realtor that we got the appraisal in ouir favor! I'm not sure if my blood pressure went up or down at that point.

So the packing has begun. What to take, with to toss, what to donate.

We are supposed to have our closing on September 25. 4 weeks away and we will be on the road that day headed to Colorado Springs.

Now where did I put the packing tape???

It will all be worth it in the end.

My inspiration photo. Our little piece of Colorado. A little pic from the ranch.

Today: more stuff in boxes, a prospective buyer that cancelled.

Tomorrow (Sunday) : Prospect coming at 11:30am. It seems all that I have doing over the last two weeks is cleaning, boxing and vacuuming - two big furry black dogs. That would be Maggie in the pink and Oliver in the blue. Anyone have advice for driving cross-country with these two????

In only 24 hours

So my house hasn't even been on the market for 24 hours and we already have someone coming by tomorrow to look!

The thought of packing everything up and really going is daunting. I realize that I am not the first person to pick up and move across country but it's only me, my husband and the two dogs. But still, we are doing this ourselves with very little help...and might I say, we not the teenagers we sometimes think we are. I should probably drop an Alleve before I start moving anything!!!

I need tissue paper, bubble wrap, moving boxes, containers. I need to call the banks, our financial advisors, our doctors, the vet, truck rental companies....the list goes on. Oh and did I mention my employer knows nothing of this potential move. I cannot say anything until I know for sure we are going. This seems so irrational. But we are throwing caution to the wind. All of our married life (24 years) we have done the right thing, planned out everything, lived within our means, we have an excellant credit rating...this is a first for us...we are just going to "Go for it!" Kind of like Pioneers.

Preparing to Go

It is official - first the sign, now an active listing. We've been here over 20 years. So much stuff - last we had the garage sale. Quite successful - I'll send tips later. Although tip number one is if you live in a hot humid climate like Orlando it will be a waste of your time trying to put price stickers on anything before 8:30am - too wet! Why is it our "treasures" go from things we can't part with to things we will let go for 25 cents? I haven't even gone through the entire house not the attic. No more garage sales - charities only.

I am writing this mostly to deal with my own anxieties and to journal one woman's perspective about picking up and just moving cross country. We will be building our home out there on the ranch once we get to Colorado. Oh, and did I mention that we will be moving in with my brother-in-law who lives in Colorado during the build process - oh let's say about 8 months. He does have a beautiful place, a horse or two, a goat, a donkey and a few dogs of his own. Maybe my four-legged furry kids will learn how to be real dogs out there. I will be writing a lot to help others "learn" from my experience. We are taking a big leap of faith...

Next Decision: Movers? Too expensive. PODS? Not quite sure. "Move it ourselves." HE says. OK - so I will be calling the likes of Penske and/or Budget to see how much the trucks are..and let's not forget we need a storage facility in Colorado to keep our "stuff" until our home is built. Chime in if anyone has done this before -

It' Time to Go

It all started about 4 years ago. "Let's move West" HE said. So, after a year or so of searching, we finally found our land, 35 acres in Southeast Colorado - we live in Orlando Florida. So HE set forth the Five Year plan. The clock had started ticking. Loud at first - it all seemed very exciting thinking about the future. These four years have come and gone so quickly. So much of life and yes even death over these precious short years. There were many weeks where I didn't here the ticking at all. Then, a week or so ago out of the blue, HE made another proclamation, "It's time to sell the house and go." And yesterday, July 28, 2009 - I rounded the corner coming home from work and there it was. A lump formed in my throat - a realtor's For Sale sign on our beautifully manicured lawn. It's really happening - I'm not sure I am ready. We don't have a house built out on the ranch yet.

My thoughts right now are OK - what if this house sells sooner rather than later. I have to figure out how to move an entire 4 bedroom house, 3 vehicles and two dogs that haven't been on a car ride farther than the PetSmart 4 miles away. I need help.