Under Contract and Counting Down

In just one week, our house is under contract! We close at the end of this month. So, next week, we are having a marathon of house searching in the areas outside of Atlanta, near enough to both families but far away for independence. The area in which we reside is in great demand, with houses selling within two weeks on the market, particularly because of the schools in the district.

People want their children to be pupils at good schools, and as a former professor at the local university near here, I can testify that students from the high school in this area write much better essays than students from other high schools in the city. That is so sad to me, for every child should receive an equal education, but that simply doesn’t happen in America.

This past week, we have answered a volley of questions about our finances, as we prepare to buy another home. Ordinarily, I would prefer at our ages to rent, but rent amounts in Atlanta and surrounding areas are more than if we were to reinvest our profits and purchase another home. Indeed, we will cut our housing costs nearly in half!

Seeking a house loan in your sixties, one retired and one semi-retired, can get tricky, but we are not on the verge of abject poverty. Indeed, we are blessed to be able to travel, eat out two or three times a week, and help out our children. Yet, any debt is scary at this time in our lives, but we are ensuring that the house note is reasonable enough that if one of us dies, the other can pay for the place alone.

The houses that we have seen so far attest to the influence of HGTV programs like Flip or Flop and Flip or Flop Nashville. The homes look amazingly alike inside, all gray walls, back splashes in the kitchens, and bathrooms that are almost too pretty for executing bodily functions (hope that is not too gross!).

It looks like carpet is bought by the bulk and a home without granite countertops is taboo. Originality seems to be a bad word. I cannot wait to purchase one and make it ours, with warm colors and rugs that add some individuality.

More than likely we will spend a couple of weeks in an extended stay hotel, while we wait to close on a new house. Even though we knew that houses sell fast here, we were gobsmacked at how quickly ours sold, as we had not done a lot of updating. But, what matters is that our home will become a sanctuary for someone else, and Douglas and I will be near enough for weekly hugs from our grandchildren and great-grandchildren! A win-win for everyone.