NewlyNested: Leaks and Moving Boxes
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a blogumn by Debra Goykhman
Photo Credit: The Shopping Sherpa
A few weeks ago I wrote about my home buying experience, mostly discussing how hard it was for me to accept the size difference in homes going from a cheap city to a bustling expensive city on the west coast. I am happy to share that within weeks my husband, Alan, and I found “the one” and are now homeowners. Finding our house felt much the same way when I first met Alan. As soon as I walked through the front door I knew it just felt right. Even though the house we now own isn’t what I would call big, it still meets all my special requirements (fitting a dining room table and a decent size living room) and it’s only 2 miles from the ocean!
After we closed on our house we went on a vacation and when I returned I found that a spot on my wall was so wet that I could stick my finger through it. I wasn’t living in the new house yet, but we already had our first leak. You may be thinking what my brother was brave enough to ask me, “Did you buy a money pit?” I hope not and I think not, but time will tell. It turns out fixing a leak and patching a wall is a bit of a money-making business. The effected area is the size of a tile but I had people quote me $1000 just to rip up the wall and dry it out. I wasn’t going to spend that and now I have learned what my mother always told me, finding a good handy man is just about the best thing you can do as a homeowner. Fingers crossed, I think I found my man.
Packing is a whole other issue, mostly because I am tired of the act of moving. In the past two years I’ve moved four times : Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh to West Hollywood, West Hollywood to Santa Monica and Santa Monica to Carlsbad. You’d think I would have moving down to a science, but still as soon as I begin to pack boxes I start begging my brother to fly in to help me out. I’m lucky he has been there for me every time.
The worst part of packing is discovering how many useless things I have acquired over the years. There was a whole walk-in closet of things I hadn’t touched in the last year! Yet still I haven’t gotten rid of it. That seems like a whole separate daunting task. Instantly, as soon as I begin unpacking it is time for a major detox of stuff. I am actually starting to worry that maybe I could end up being a hoarder in ten more years if I don’t take care of it now. But what’s your moving ritual like? I could use the tips.