Life is supposed to get simpler as one ages. In that spirit my husband and I decided to simplify our lives. We would sell our house and move into an apartment.
We have bought and sold properties in the past, first as newlyweds, then sharing the experience with toddlers, then school-age kids, as a couple shifting into the empty nest period of our lives, and as we neared retirement.
When relocating 15 years ago we assumed it would be our last move. The work of decluttering and putting our house on the market, packing, deciding what to take, give away, throw away, then to unpack and put everything away again, was exhausting, mentally and physically. Not again, or so I thought.
I was wrong. We decided to downsize for the third time and stay in the same town, keep our friends, maintain our daily routine, attend our usual activities, but no longer care for a 70+-year-old house.
Life throws us lemons and we deal with them. Steve’s Parkinson’s is an ongoing issue and, if I am honest, rules our lives. Maneuvering steps to get outside the house became a slow, cautious process. Inside the house the hallway and doorways were narrow and not easy to negotiate with a walker. Modifications could be made, such as an outside ramp, but we felt a home with no steps, wide hallways and wider than normal doorways, with minimal obstacles in a path from bedroom to bathroom, kitchen to family room, would make our lives a bit easier.
As a result of the momentous decision to move, Steve and I kicked off turmoil that has dominated our lives for months.
I began the moving process with enthusiasm. I decluttered, cleaned, and prepared the house for an active housing market. I made countless trips to Goodwill. I placed stuff out on the sidewalk on garbage day when folks scout the neighborhood for other people’s unwanted items. Most of the things I discarded were gone by the time the garbage truck came by.
The decision to sell, however, has not resulted in a smooth transition.
A couple fell in love with our home. We were glad the house would not be knocked down and replaced by a boxy McMansion, a trend in our town. I enjoyed the house, my garden, and the neighborhood, and did not want to see our home demolished.
A series of inspectors traipsed through the house and yard. They measured, inspected cabinets and closets, examined electrical and gas connections, and one inspector walked around the yard with a device that took readings underground, searching for abandoned gas tanks. The homes in our area when originally built in the mid-20th century installed oil tanks. Over the years the tanks were abandoned and replaced with alternative heating systems. The old tanks were either removed, emptied of oil and filled with dirt, or forgotten. Nowadays, if discovered, tanks must be removed before a house can be sold.
We had no idea an oil tank was buried beneath our back yard patio. When the inspection results came back, we were stunned. We are responsible for tank removal, the cost of removing the tank, soil and water testing, and refilling and repaving the patio. The city and state become involved, since our backyard is a possible contamination site.
The first Friday in October was moving day, and the following Monday settlement was scheduled on the house. Thursday evening a phone call informed us house settlement would be delayed indefinitely because of the tank situation. Too late to call off the moving company, the house full of boxed everything, we moved into our apartment.
Meanwhile laborers dug a large hole in our back yard. The dirt pile grew larger, and eventually pieces of a rusty metal tank filled the yard. Weeks later the tank is still in the backyard. The pit remains unfilled. The smell of oil permeates the air. I keep writing checks.
The situation is out of our hands. We are frustrated at the lack of progress, but are at the mercy of the city, the state, real estate agents, and the weather. Our buyers still want the house, but settlement is on hold until who knows when?
We await the end of our prolonged turmoil. Will the buyers back out if settlement is stalled for another couple of months or more? Will our backyard pit become home to neighborhood critters? Will our house miss being occupied? Will my bank account ever recover?
When will we experience a simpler life?