I'm sitting here writing this from the living room of my new condominium :) I met the owner last Monday and got all my keys and chatted with him for a bit ... very nice guy. This is a first for both of us; him being a landlord and me being a tenant. I promised him that I would be a dream tenant, and I meant it. I don't understand why people rent homes and then proceed to ruin them. You still have to live there don't you ?? As far as I'm concerned it's still my home and I will treat it that way, with the utmost respect.
I moved a few small things prior to the weekend, but spent the remainder of last week packing, packing, and more packing. God I hate moving. You wouldn't know it, considering I've done it 7 times in my life including this one. My ex and I were nomads; we lived in 4 different homes in our 14 years together. Mostly we moved to escape the monotony of life, as we both got bored very easily. I'm surprised we lasted together as long as we did.
Friday was the official moving day, and for the first time in my life I hired a moving company. I have just three words to say about that experience ... worth every penny !! To save time and therefore money as they charge by the hour, I packed most of the boxes myself ahead of time. I left behind only what was going out in the trash or going to charity. However when moving day came it was pure delight to have two men lift and struggle and grunt and groan as they maneuvered large pieces of furniture; down curved stairways, through tight doorways and up a tightly packed elevator, all while being sure not to scratch or dent any of the freshly painted walls. And that they did. I've heard many horror stories of damages done by the pros, but my move went off without a hitch.
However even though I hired them to do all the grunt work, I am so exhausted right now it's not even funny. My days have been completely consumed with the move, and the past week saw sacrifices in both gym time and diet, which consisted of zero workouts and a multitude of take out food and beer. Poor me ;) I find myself nodding off each night around 10 pm, which is highly unusual for me, and I sleep a solid 8-10 hours a night, also not the norm.
It's amazing how much stuff one can accumulate over the years, and I'm about the farthest from being a hoarder as one can get. I never keep anything, and I hate clutter. However going from house to condo, much of my "stuff" had to get left behind. I gave my bedroom set, treadmill and patio set away to family. The movers took my barbecue. And I contacted the people who bought my house and they agreed to take my basement furniture, lawn mower, and a few other odds and ends off my hands; gratis of course. Today I went back and packed up 7 more boxes, 2 full garbage bags and a coffee table set to leave for charity to pick up tomorrow.
So between a week devoted almost entirely to packing, and this week devoted to unpacking and cleaning the condo plus everything I packed and moved, exhaustion has finally set in. And unfortunately its not over yet. Remaining in the house is loads and loads of trash. Stuff I decided not to take with me but cannot donate to charity ... even they have their limits. My house closing is Monday, so between now and then I have to return to the house to clear out the junk.
This is actually a clause in the agreement of purchase and sale; that you cannot leave any garbage behind. It's been 12 years since I bought and sold a home, and there were a few new clauses that are typically included in all new agreements that didn't exist back then. This is one, and IMO it's a great one !! When we bought the house prior to this one, the lovely family that moved out left us with a garage packed full of their shit. We had no choice but to load it up and cart it off to the dump over several trips, paying the fee to dispose of their leftover crap.
Another new clause is that the floors must be left in a clean, broom swept condition, and you cannot leave any large holes in the walls. Both minor but pretty smart, common sense additions.
There was one clause though that struck me as especially humorous, but according to my agent appears on every agreement these days. I had to certify in writing that I did not use my home to grow or sell any illegal substances, and to my knowledge neither did any of the previous owners. In others words, my house was not a grow-op. Phew, good thing I didn't decide to take that new career path !!!
So even though I'm feeling extreme happiness these days (clouded by exhaustion of course), I still have 5 more days before I can officially celebrate. My old home will be gone for good and I can finally settle in and start my new life. But until I see the lawyer, sign the goods and have that big fat cheque in hand, nothing is truly set in stone. I am quite literally counting the days.
