An Adventure in Downsizing
I have made the decision to downsize. Not just my living space square feet, but my housing costs. I have been making this decision for a long, long time now. Pretty much since I completely stopped working. It has taken this long as there have been many factors to weigh and I am more than a bit of a plodder.
I love my home. When I bought it, it was when housing prices were at rock bottom and this place was in need of a lot of work, so it was even cheaper than rock bottom. I waited a few years, the market picked up and so did my equity.
I leveraged that into totally gutting and rehabing it. During the waiting time I spent hours designing what it would look like. I had some interior design software and pretty much every evening tweaked and edited an existing plan, or started a brand new one. So what I have today is totally mine, well, mine and the bank's.
I spent just about as much time considering colors. I knew I would not finish in "apartment ecru", but wanted lots of color in every room. I was quite lucky, the guys who did the rehab work, worked with me doing they painting. When a room was just about done, but before putting in the hardwood floors they painted the ceiling. Then I had time to do what I had planned on the walls.
And I did. In some rooms I had different, but coordinating or accenting colors on each wall. In another I had vertical strips. Another had horizontal, chair rail strips. It was great fun.
And I gave considerable thought and planning to window treatments and wall art.
So, this place, my home is mine from the germ of an idea to the fully flourishing reality. And I to this day I go from room to room and love it.
But, having bought my townhouse late in life I never expected to have it paid off or to be living mortgage free. While still working I was quite fine managing the mortgage, condo fees, and other housing costs. Now, on a fixed, limited income, I am spending too much on housing.
Right now we have an incredible sellers market. I am speechless over how much the unit next to mine just sold for. So, I must take advantage of this and turn what equity I have into cash to supplement the remainder of my retirement.
I've had to ponder many hurdles to get to this decision, but have made it. So now this begins.
I've decided to resurrect my blog and share this journey. I will soon be posting pictures of this haven I've created for myself, so you can see what I have done and will be leaving.
I will be contacting a realtor within a day or too and as each leg of this journey proceeds I will share how I have made my choices and where they are taking me.
Come join me for another adventure.
I love my home. When I bought it, it was when housing prices were at rock bottom and this place was in need of a lot of work, so it was even cheaper than rock bottom. I waited a few years, the market picked up and so did my equity.
I leveraged that into totally gutting and rehabing it. During the waiting time I spent hours designing what it would look like. I had some interior design software and pretty much every evening tweaked and edited an existing plan, or started a brand new one. So what I have today is totally mine, well, mine and the bank's.
I spent just about as much time considering colors. I knew I would not finish in "apartment ecru", but wanted lots of color in every room. I was quite lucky, the guys who did the rehab work, worked with me doing they painting. When a room was just about done, but before putting in the hardwood floors they painted the ceiling. Then I had time to do what I had planned on the walls.
And I did. In some rooms I had different, but coordinating or accenting colors on each wall. In another I had vertical strips. Another had horizontal, chair rail strips. It was great fun.
And I gave considerable thought and planning to window treatments and wall art.
So, this place, my home is mine from the germ of an idea to the fully flourishing reality. And I to this day I go from room to room and love it.
But, having bought my townhouse late in life I never expected to have it paid off or to be living mortgage free. While still working I was quite fine managing the mortgage, condo fees, and other housing costs. Now, on a fixed, limited income, I am spending too much on housing.
Right now we have an incredible sellers market. I am speechless over how much the unit next to mine just sold for. So, I must take advantage of this and turn what equity I have into cash to supplement the remainder of my retirement.
I've had to ponder many hurdles to get to this decision, but have made it. So now this begins.
I've decided to resurrect my blog and share this journey. I will soon be posting pictures of this haven I've created for myself, so you can see what I have done and will be leaving.
I will be contacting a realtor within a day or too and as each leg of this journey proceeds I will share how I have made my choices and where they are taking me.
Come join me for another adventure.
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