Thursday, January 04, 2007
This is not a resolution
I didn’t resolve to post more this year.
I just find myself with something to say, for 3 days in a row.
The more I do to prepare for the move, the less I want to move. This is part of the reason I haven’t actively looked for a new job. I’m quite simply too comfortable living where I do, working where I do, and acting how I am.
Mortgages, movers and documentation, that was my day. I’ve never moved as a home owner, so I have no idea what the best way to go about it is. I know that I want to find a house and move into it. Of course, that means I’ll be paying a double mortgage between when I find a new place, and when my place sells. Conventional wisdom tells me to find an apartment in the new area, and try to get a short lease term. This of course means never really unpacking, and having to move again in a (hopefully short) future time.
My next youngest brother is expressing interest in being my mover. Meaning I’d pay him to haul my stuff. Of course, because he’s my brother, I’m not just going to get a bill from him, I’m going to have to pay for each item as it arises. Tolls, fuel, the trailer. He doesn’t have the money to actually start his dream of a transit company. I want to help him out, but do I want to risk all of my worldly possessions in the process?
As far as possessions, I’m working on paring it down. We’ve found homes for one of our couches, our queen size bed, my table-saw, our table/chairs, our entertainment center, a dresser, and possibly the other entertainment center. I’m still riding the fence on taking a desk of any kind and the futon. After this weekend, there should be about 20% less stuff in our house. We should be nearing the point where we can just start stacking everything up in one room and being able to tell how much room we’ll really need to move it all.
Of course, we haven’t even touch the minor home repairs that need to be done to put the house on the market. I’ve got a few areas of siding to put up outside, the bathrooms and hallways to put trim up, and some painting to do. We also have continued to debate on whether to take out our wrought iron rail and put in wood, or change it into a half-wall. Unfortunately, it’s the first thing a buyer will see when they enter the house, so it has to look great. And any homeowner will tell you looking great = expensive. In this case, an oak railing for the whole thing would run about $1800. I’m guessing we could have the half-wall put in for around $600. Of course, that means we need to find a drywaller that can blend it in, and we need to have him out sometime in the next 3 weeks.
This might be something that gets pushed back until after we leave, and I really don’t want to do that.
There’s naught to do, but keep my chin up, and keep on plowing through items!