Transitions

Last summer I began the arduous task of cleaning out 28 years’ worth of accumulated “stuff” with an eye toward selling my house in the spring of 2026. My ambitious daughter provided essential inspiration for jump-starting the process, and along with her husband, the muscle to schlep things to Goodwill, the dump and the library sale (fifteen boxes of books in the first drop!)

As the seasons progressed I realized I was going to need more help than they could provide on a consistent basis. She uncovered a downsizing service that turned out to be a lifesaver. With Boomers ditching their big houses and simplifying their lives, this brilliant business model provides one-stop service to coordinate everything. The company I selected offers concierge service, a dedicated person to help me cull, sort, pack and move. They have their own climate-controlled storage facility and moving vehicles.

My plan is to sell the house, then move in with my little family for a time, maybe a year, and look for my next nest. I’ve visited and ruled out life care communities (too many walkers and wheelchairs, plus an upfront fee in the hundreds of thousands); condos (don’t want a mortgage or an HOA with the associated drama); or an over-55 community (ditto). That narrows the options down to a luxury apartment; but my wish list includes a garage (no snow scraping for this girl) and a basement, and my options are limited.

Packing in earnest started a couple of months ago. During his first visit Andy, my concierge, toured the house and we marked all the furniture with colored tape: green if it’s going to daughter’s, yellow for storage, and red for donating or disposal. That scheme carries on for boxes. He helped me start packing, then I took over, calling him whenever I had a critical mass of stuff to move into storage. Meanwhile, I’m a frequent visitor to Goodwill and the library. I also sold some furniture on Facebook Marketplace.

In early May the fun began. My terrific realtor brought in his stager, who made a few minor suggestions to get the house view-worthy, then had photos taken, along with a 3-D rendering. The house hit the market on May 15, and the next day I had a showing, followed by an offer early on Saturday. Three more showings followed that day, plus an open house and more showings on Sunday. By Monday I had more offers, all over asking, two in cash. I settled on a cash offer $40,000 over asking — no mortgage approval, no appraisal, only one inspection (septic system). Yesterday the septic inspection was completed and it passed with flying colors. I’ve met with the buyer twice and really like him; single, in his early 30s, inherited money when his dad died a couple of years ago. He told me he loved the fact that I’ve lived here nearly thirty years and had obviously put a lot of love and money into the home. I feel really good about him being the new owner.