Moving, Removing, and Limbo

Posted on August 5, 2015 by simpleijustdo

We put our house on the market in June. Two days later we had an offer. We negotiated and agreed upon a price.

Since that time, we have been going through the process – appraisals, inspections, etc. All of the details that have to happen, be approved, and then to the next step. This past week, we were supposed to close on Friday.

Monday we got a call that there was an issue with the paperwork, which could nullify the deal. Tuesday, we got another call that the issue had been cleared up, and we were all set to go with the closing on Friday. Wednesday afternoon, we got another call with another issue, which could delay the closing, but were told to plan as if the closing was still going to happen.

I don’t know about where you live, but apparently here, the buyers take possession of the house immediately after closing. This means if there is a closing, your house better be packed up and empty.

As a result, we packed up our entire house Wednesday evening so that The Man could move it all to the place we were supposedly renting on Thursday to be ready for the closing Friday.

Thursday, we were in limbo, but emptied the house.

Friday, we were notified that the closing would be postponed 2-4 weeks.

How do people do this? All of the professionals kept saying, “This happens all the time,” and the response in my head was, “Why? How?” I think my stomach was in perpetual knots the entire week. I couldn’t concentrate at work. The Boy was completely confused, staying at Grammy’s several days and nights so that he at least had some consistency in his life. As it is, he is still confused, as am I.

We decided to move everything back to our house, and forgo any rental until the papers are signed, and the money has cleared. It’s just too much to bear. In my opinion, attorneys handling the closing should get their paperwork in order way before the week of the closing, so that if there are any issues, people are not having to rent another moving truck to re-move back into their own homes, hopefully they haven’t yet signed a lease on a rental, and they are able to cancel cable installations after they’ve already happened. It’s insanity.

Apparently, everything is still going to happen, but we have some steps to follow to clear up an issue. So keep us in your thoughts. The real estate rollercoaster is always aggravating, but this has been beyond the pale, especially with a young man with autism in the house struggling to understand what’s going on.

A Packing Tip: Necklaces

Posted on June 2, 2013 by simpleijustdo

I was a packing fiend today, and managed to get just about everything packed up in my bedroom, including my jewelry. Remember my storage board for necklaces? It was fairly simple to pack up all those necklaces using some Glad Press n’ Seal:

I put some, sticky side up underneath each set of necklaces, and arranged them so that there was some space in between every strand. Then I placed another piece of Press n’ Seal, stckiy-side down on top, pressing it into all of those spaces.

When I was finished, I slid the tops of the necklaces off of the hooks, finished pressing the pieces together, and rolled them up lengthwise to pack in a box. So easy! (and much easier if you turn the cieling fan off first, so it doesn’t blow your Press n’ Seal all around so that it sticks to itself…)

Overwhelmed

Posted on March 3, 2013 by simpleijustdo

Somehow this seems much easier…

It’s pretty easy to get overwhelmed these days. I started to panic today when I realized it was already March (again – I’ve been doing this a few times a day since Friday), and we basically have three and a half months to prepare for one of the biggest moves of our lives.

Moving stinks. Before the divorce, it seems like we moved just about every year. I’m not sure why, but it was pretty awful. Especially the time I was pregnant, and was not allowed to carry anything, and my ex-mother-in-law set up my kitchen… I never, ever could find anything in that house.

When we moved to our current house, I was finally in charge, and all things considered, it was a pretty organized move. I had help, of course, and hired movers. This time around, I will also have help, and will not have to hire movers, which is a bonus. The Man actually used to do this for a living back in the day, so that’s an even bigger bonus.

And the packing up won’t even be that difficult. As I said, I’ve done it so many times, I could probably do it in my sleep, and find myself visually scanning each room even now, and making mental notes of things that will be donated/sold/freecycled or packed for the move. Most of the moving checklists you find online suggest starting no later than 6 weeks before, and some as early as 12 weeks before. Well, we’re at about 15, so you can see why I am feeling a little anxiety already.

No, the part that is on my mind the most are the details of life that will need to be taken care of: medical records, school records, bank accounts, change of address with all and sundry, insurance, drivers license and registration… All of the minutiae that can be quite overwhelming. Luckily I have some personal days that I can utilize between now and then to help me take care of the details.

If you have any moving tips, please share below. I could use all the help I can get!