It could be a good birthday present –  the sale of our home. I’m never one to be too optimistic but we have multiple offers for our condo – after only a week on the market. As we head out to Steamboat, Colorado, we’ll let the realtors hash it out on final price, repairs, and closing date. The first offer was very tight on time, with less than a month to close. We’ll be traveling to three different destinations in that time frame, so the second offer is a bit of a relief. It’s apparently a cash deal, with more time to make settlement arrangements, and a firm offer in the making much closer to our asking price. Maybe a bidding war will break out while we’re gone?

It’s a record real estate transaction for me with regard to both duration on the market and selling price.  At the other extreme was our Illinois home that took nearly six years to close. That was a time of national recession in an area that was devastated by transfers and lay offs. Our prior Zionsville, Indiana home took over a year to find a buyer. I’m certainly personally not used to quick real estate deals, although our Austin, Texas condo sold painlessly in about three months. In each case, we were faced with career moves that forced us to buy without selling and left us stuck with multiple mortgages. This could be a very smooth process that I don’t mean to jinx by writing about it prematurely. I guess I just feel relieved, knowing that my past karma could be changing.

Our plan is to move into an apartment for a few years and do some traveling. Unfortunately, we have two elderly pets that will suffer with the move. They both seem confused even living in a familiar place, let alone a brand new environment. We talked last night about just moving to a rental complex a few blocks from here, but my wife’s desire is to live in downtown Portland again. With today’s counter offer, we have more time to decide. The goal is to rid ourselves of H.O.A. and mortgage insurance expenses to cut our housing outlay by at least a third. In the process, we’ll have to give up space and deal with the hassles of moving & storing of our possessions. However, when we finally decide on a retirement location, we won’t be burdened with any changes in the economy that could affect home sales. We feel that it’s a wise plan, especially since next year’s election will definitely influence consumer spending. If all goes well, we’ll soon be relatively debt-free and mobile. 

This year has been a time of extremes for our family, including the passing of my wife’s mother and the marriage of her two daughters. With the pending sale of our home, a related move, and any further job changes, we could be anywhere in the world by the dropping of the Times Square ball; then somewhere else the following year. It’s an exciting transition in our married life that will soon turn into nineteen years. I guess it will start when the realtor adds the “Sold” sign to the white post in our front garden and the moving trucks begin to load.