Decision and Procedure

     The close of the 1998 Holiday Season found us fully in gear to get our home of twenty years on the market so we could move on to the next phase of our life. 

     Our earlier decision to sell our home, purchase a new recreational vehicle and travel needed to be implemented.  We knew it would be no easy task to get the house organized and cleared out to get it on the market, but it proved to be more formidable than we had anticipated. 

     The holiday decorations were the first items packed, labeled and stored.  Clearing out the rest of the house and buildings would be a much larger task.  We had a series of garage sales, multiple charity pick-ups and deliveries and still had too much “stuff” on hand to show the house.

     So, we continued the purging and storing process and engaged workmen to spruce up the old homestead to make it eye-popping.  A little landscaping, some painting (actually everything was painted), minor remodeling, and repairing.  You name it, we did it. 

     By June, we were still trying to get that elusive breed of humans known as contractors to finish up odds and ends that needed to be done.  We finally  went on the market. 

     With multiple offers the first day above asking price, we were delighted with the results of our efforts. 

     Now the deed was done and we had one month to get the furniture and other items out and in to storage.  Furniture that wasn’t sold was distributed to various offspring’s households.  Now we can visit living room tables in Walnut Creek, dining room set in Los Angeles, and French Provincial chairs in Pleasant Hill.  Some antiques and special  furnishings to keep joined our genealogy and miscellaneous household items (like Lladro, Royal Doulton, china, silver, crystal and sewing  supplies) in a storage facility.  Pam was good enough to accept storage of our wines and heat sensitive photo albums in her extra bedroom.
 

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