Saturday, October 16, 2021

Big Changes!!

 Big happenings here...sold my 2-story house where I lived for 20 years. 

My Dad had bought an 800 sf elevated house in 1962 and - being a carpenter and cabinet-maker - he added an 1100 sf shop downstairs and, over the years, kept expanding and adding, and now it was 2000 sf upstairs and the same size downstairs!

Despite him working down there for more than 30+ years, we could NOT include the downstairs footage because it was "not under air."


When I told my daughter I was looking into the cost of adding an elevator, she said "No, Dad, you need to sell that old house, buy a much newer one-story home, maybe in a gated 50s-60s community with a LOT of amenities.

I had added a neat screen porch on the deck at the back of the house and had enjoyed a year of bug-free outdoor relaxing time out there. I would miss it!

So, I started the process. My Realtors Leah and Jared Ortega Associates of Main Street Properties said we needed to find a buyer who LOVES all that space downstairs! And, who also will buy it AS-IS...no inspectors!

My Dad was a good carpenter but was a lousy plumber and a terrible electrician!

 I had to have a licensed electrician re-wire ALL of downstairs..he pointed out it never had been grounded, so all electrical plugs were two-prong!

The Realtor found that ideal buyer! BUT... he wanted to close in 30 days and I had no house to move to!

She calmed me down and we drove to see a house in a retirement-type community 7 miles away. It was perfect with about the same space as my last upstairs but now - no stairs!

She negotiated well and I paid exactly what I had received for "the house that Dad built!" But this was a 1999 house, well-built and planned by a construction company for a large tract of individual homes.

An aerial photo shows that each street ends in a cul de sac so no random drivers with booming speakers, no rumbling trucks, no dangerous speeders...these all were fellow residents!

BUT...three days before both closings, my electrician called to say he had COVID and I should get checked!

 I went to an Urgent Care place, found I was POSITIVE and I checked into a Marriott hotel room near the Ortega's realty office in Nexton, near Summerville.!

My son Chris in San Diego flew out for 5 days to assist me. He had a family plan with Marriott so got us a great rate on the two rooms we used.

Chris would bring food and beverages to my door, knock and step back and I would wave and thank him. No hugging! 

He was at my old house, supervising the packing and truck loading. A few weeks before I had contracted with a Junk Company to come and clear out stuff that had not been touched in the 20 years I lived there. It's called DOWNSIZING..extreme!

When he had to go back to work, he flew out and my daughter came in from Oakland to be there when the movers truck arrived, was unloaded and she suggested where things should go.

Amy, a police detective in California, is a take-charge person and replaced ALL of my aging AV and electronics and signed me up with AT&T so when I came home after 11 days, the house looked great and I had new wi-fi for my computer and phone!

She flew back home because she retires in November after 21 years as a cop and goes back to be a talented stand-up comedienne. She also does voice-overs for tv ads from home and encouraged me in my roles as an Extra in several HBO series filming here in Charleston.

I was seen often in three seasons of Stephen King's trilogy MR. MERCEDES and two seasons (so far) of The Righteous Gemstones, also on HBO. Watch and look for my neat snowy white beard.

Being older, I had had both vaccines so my 11 days of COVID was mild, no hospital, just achy all over and sleeping 12-14 hours in a room untouched by housekeeping for almost two weeks! 

They charged to cleanse the room after I finally checked out.


Very comfortable in my new home in The Elms Of Charleston. 

Great Clubhouse with a gym (sold all my exercise equipment!) and lawn mowing and trimming are done by HOA employees so I sold my riding mower and all my garden tools!

Found some authors I like in the Elms library, shot a game of pool in the well-appointed rec room, the outdoor pool loses any day now.

I admire the tennis courts but gave up that game years ago.

They say there is a fine Bochi Ball court so I WILL give that a shot 

Oh, the new home has no screen porch..but there IS a lovely Sunroom that the cat and I enjoy!







1 Comments:

At Thu Nov 30, 12:05:00 PM , Blogger Ivan Braun said...

I love the story, thank you!

 

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