moving on up
The last post title seems to have been all too appropriate, considering i haven't written anything in close to three weeks. It's been a busy time though. There's plenty i could report on, but what fun would that be, this isn't a news report. So i'll just focus on one piece of my puzzle and leave the other gaps to be filled in later.
May 1st I moved back to Magalia, to a house i hadn't seen much in the last 2 1/2 years. Historically it goes like this... in November of 2001, just after my daughter was born, we were living in our first house, up in the mountains on 2 acres surrounded by fruit trees and peace & quiet. But the house was chilly and falling apart, winter was coming, and there were a few ghosts hanging around that bothered me too much. So when J got the bug to move this time (happened often), i let her run with it. We ended up finding a nice, big house, on a quiet cul-de-sac, in a real neighborhood. It was still Magalia, but not as remote, and not as much snow, and the modern amenities were nice. The house cost more than twice what we paid for our first one, but i was making a better paycheck so that didn't matter. We ended up keeping the mountain house as a rental, which really helped us in the long run. Fast-foward about 18 months and the moving bug came back. This time we wanted to move into town, Chico, the big city. The drive from Magalia to Chico is about 40 minutes, but can be painfully frustrating as you skoot thru Paradise, a retirement community where the speed limit averages around 28mph. Since we spent so much time in Chico, it only made sense to actually live there. There were other factors as well, but the clarity only comes with retrospect. That could be a whole other post, but not this one.
With the sale of the mountain house rental, we made enough money to buy a nice, middle-class, suburban dream of a home in Chico. Nice and centrally located, on a quiet cul-de-sac. The Magalia house we moved out of was then converted to a rental, and a nice family of five moved in to take our place. They were the best renters i've ever seen. Gave me checks far in advance, fixed problems and sent me receipts, and kept the place in pretty good shape. I think only had to visit the house 4 or 5 times in the 2 1/2 years they rented from me. They wanted to buy the house too, but didn't have the money and credit they needed to make it happen.
The problem comes in here - capital gains. We didn't live in the Magalia house for two years, so if we sell it right now, we have to pay tax on the profits. I just don't like the idea of giving the feds an extra $25,000 next year so they can buy more bombs. Truthfully, it was stupid for us to move out before we made it to two years. We were only 3 1/2 months shy. There were many reasons why we moved, but part of it was running away. I get it, but i still regret it. In order to avoid capital gains tax, i decided to just move back to the house for the summer. The condo J was living in went up for sale and the owners decided that it would be easier to sell if she moved out. She decided that she wanted to move back into the house in Chico, whether or not i lived there. Sounded like a good way to give the kids some stability, and give J a nice place to live with a (relatively) low monthly payment. She claimed that she woud be willing to move back to Magalia, but it seemed like a pretty hollow offer. Since i'm the one that usually makes the personal sacrifice, i took on that role again and did what i needed to do.
It has sucked. I should have written more the first week or so when i was still getting used to it. Those first few days were odd. Just being in the house was strange because we used to live here, oh-so-long ago. But since we lived here briefly and so much has happened sine then, the memories are slightly hazy. Walking down the hall, it's like deja vu, or like i dreamed about a place like this once and now i'm suddenly finding myself there. Then there's the fact that it's so quiet and dark at night that it feels like camping. Chico isn't exactly the big city, but in comparison it definitely feels like it. The house is a two-story, with the majority of the living space on the top floor. Downstairs there's a large room, over 800 square feet, that makes a great granny flat, or even a studio rental. There isn't a kitchen, but there's plenty of room and it has it's own entrance and full bathroom. Since i want to get the upstairs ready to sell, with new paint and carpet, i decided to just live downstairs in the big room. The kids love it, everything and everyone suddenly squeezed into one space, their bunk beds in one corner and my bed in another. Believe it or not, it works out quite well.
The hassle of fixing up the house is kind of getting to me, but i think it's going well. The interior has been freshly painted throughout upstairs and the carpet is on its way. The exterior needs some minor wood repair and then the painters will go to work on it. It looks like it will probably be on the market in the next 2 weeks or so. I'm not sure how easy it will be to sell since the real estate market here has flattened out over the last 9 months or so. First the interest rates started sneaking up, and then everyone in mass decided they wanted to sell before it all fell apart. There are 50 or so houses similar to this one already for sale in the area. Chico has over 500 houses on the market (really high considering it's a town of only 77,000). A great time to buy, but not a great time to sell. I have to stay until August 15th anyway, so i'm not too worried about it... but i am.
I don't like it here. It's not a bad place to live, but i just don't like it. The drive to and from Chico is insane, especially when taking the kids to school in the morning. I've been spoiled by living so close to everything for so long. Now i end up forgetting something at home, and can't bear to go all the way back up the hill to get it. There's just no reason for me to be here, and it's not home to me, so i do my best to avoid it as much as possible. Being sick for a week was torture because then i was forced to stay. On nights that i don't have the kids i end up sleeping on the futon at the office, or crashing on a friend's couch, or whatever.
And then the kicker - J decided she doesn't want the Chico house anymore. After she moved in, it all went to hell. The place is a wreck, stuff everywhere, dirty and disordered, and chaotic. I know life's been tough for her lately so i'll try not to judge, but it's heartbreaking. And then when i found out that she was off looking at other houses, it was the most frustration i've felt towards her in quite awhile. I understand her reasonings, especially since i don't necessarily want to live there either, but it was still frustrating.
When i look into the crystal ball, i see the Magalia house selling with a decent profit, at which point J takes the money and buys a new place. Since the Chico house really isn't in any condition to sell at this point, and the market there will be dead at the end of the summer, i'll probably end up moving back and getting it ready to sell in the spring. It's all crazy, but eventually i see it working.
,
May 1st I moved back to Magalia, to a house i hadn't seen much in the last 2 1/2 years. Historically it goes like this... in November of 2001, just after my daughter was born, we were living in our first house, up in the mountains on 2 acres surrounded by fruit trees and peace & quiet. But the house was chilly and falling apart, winter was coming, and there were a few ghosts hanging around that bothered me too much. So when J got the bug to move this time (happened often), i let her run with it. We ended up finding a nice, big house, on a quiet cul-de-sac, in a real neighborhood. It was still Magalia, but not as remote, and not as much snow, and the modern amenities were nice. The house cost more than twice what we paid for our first one, but i was making a better paycheck so that didn't matter. We ended up keeping the mountain house as a rental, which really helped us in the long run. Fast-foward about 18 months and the moving bug came back. This time we wanted to move into town, Chico, the big city. The drive from Magalia to Chico is about 40 minutes, but can be painfully frustrating as you skoot thru Paradise, a retirement community where the speed limit averages around 28mph. Since we spent so much time in Chico, it only made sense to actually live there. There were other factors as well, but the clarity only comes with retrospect. That could be a whole other post, but not this one.
With the sale of the mountain house rental, we made enough money to buy a nice, middle-class, suburban dream of a home in Chico. Nice and centrally located, on a quiet cul-de-sac. The Magalia house we moved out of was then converted to a rental, and a nice family of five moved in to take our place. They were the best renters i've ever seen. Gave me checks far in advance, fixed problems and sent me receipts, and kept the place in pretty good shape. I think only had to visit the house 4 or 5 times in the 2 1/2 years they rented from me. They wanted to buy the house too, but didn't have the money and credit they needed to make it happen.
The problem comes in here - capital gains. We didn't live in the Magalia house for two years, so if we sell it right now, we have to pay tax on the profits. I just don't like the idea of giving the feds an extra $25,000 next year so they can buy more bombs. Truthfully, it was stupid for us to move out before we made it to two years. We were only 3 1/2 months shy. There were many reasons why we moved, but part of it was running away. I get it, but i still regret it. In order to avoid capital gains tax, i decided to just move back to the house for the summer. The condo J was living in went up for sale and the owners decided that it would be easier to sell if she moved out. She decided that she wanted to move back into the house in Chico, whether or not i lived there. Sounded like a good way to give the kids some stability, and give J a nice place to live with a (relatively) low monthly payment. She claimed that she woud be willing to move back to Magalia, but it seemed like a pretty hollow offer. Since i'm the one that usually makes the personal sacrifice, i took on that role again and did what i needed to do.
It has sucked. I should have written more the first week or so when i was still getting used to it. Those first few days were odd. Just being in the house was strange because we used to live here, oh-so-long ago. But since we lived here briefly and so much has happened sine then, the memories are slightly hazy. Walking down the hall, it's like deja vu, or like i dreamed about a place like this once and now i'm suddenly finding myself there. Then there's the fact that it's so quiet and dark at night that it feels like camping. Chico isn't exactly the big city, but in comparison it definitely feels like it. The house is a two-story, with the majority of the living space on the top floor. Downstairs there's a large room, over 800 square feet, that makes a great granny flat, or even a studio rental. There isn't a kitchen, but there's plenty of room and it has it's own entrance and full bathroom. Since i want to get the upstairs ready to sell, with new paint and carpet, i decided to just live downstairs in the big room. The kids love it, everything and everyone suddenly squeezed into one space, their bunk beds in one corner and my bed in another. Believe it or not, it works out quite well.
The hassle of fixing up the house is kind of getting to me, but i think it's going well. The interior has been freshly painted throughout upstairs and the carpet is on its way. The exterior needs some minor wood repair and then the painters will go to work on it. It looks like it will probably be on the market in the next 2 weeks or so. I'm not sure how easy it will be to sell since the real estate market here has flattened out over the last 9 months or so. First the interest rates started sneaking up, and then everyone in mass decided they wanted to sell before it all fell apart. There are 50 or so houses similar to this one already for sale in the area. Chico has over 500 houses on the market (really high considering it's a town of only 77,000). A great time to buy, but not a great time to sell. I have to stay until August 15th anyway, so i'm not too worried about it... but i am.
I don't like it here. It's not a bad place to live, but i just don't like it. The drive to and from Chico is insane, especially when taking the kids to school in the morning. I've been spoiled by living so close to everything for so long. Now i end up forgetting something at home, and can't bear to go all the way back up the hill to get it. There's just no reason for me to be here, and it's not home to me, so i do my best to avoid it as much as possible. Being sick for a week was torture because then i was forced to stay. On nights that i don't have the kids i end up sleeping on the futon at the office, or crashing on a friend's couch, or whatever.
And then the kicker - J decided she doesn't want the Chico house anymore. After she moved in, it all went to hell. The place is a wreck, stuff everywhere, dirty and disordered, and chaotic. I know life's been tough for her lately so i'll try not to judge, but it's heartbreaking. And then when i found out that she was off looking at other houses, it was the most frustration i've felt towards her in quite awhile. I understand her reasonings, especially since i don't necessarily want to live there either, but it was still frustrating.
When i look into the crystal ball, i see the Magalia house selling with a decent profit, at which point J takes the money and buys a new place. Since the Chico house really isn't in any condition to sell at this point, and the market there will be dead at the end of the summer, i'll probably end up moving back and getting it ready to sell in the spring. It's all crazy, but eventually i see it working.
,
posted by joe @ 12:50 AM
2 comments
Oh man. Well, let's just say that this isn't quite what I had envisioned you being up to the past several weeks. ;) I agree with your prediction of what will become of the houses (and situations), and it's probably a good idea to keep sending those thoughts out into the Universe. I admire your patience and understanding, not to mention your willingness to sacrifice for those you care about. In my own past experiences, I find that generally whenever I am in a situation that feels really bad or uncomfortable, it seems to eventually always lead to something much better. In fact, I've always joked that I am "like a cat, because I always land on my feet". I feel confident that this will be the case for you as well, but I will keep sending positive thoughts your way. Hang in there! :)
Whew, that does sound like quite an undertaking. I hear the good parts in there - like the two of you, divorced or not - considering what is best and the fact that you are so considerate to work as a family through it. I was married from 1980-1992. I have great respect and gratitude for my ex because of his willingness to be kind and fair (most of the time)in light of what we lost. When you are the person you want to be, no matter how difficult your circumstances, there is a payoff down the road.
When we visited Tucson, I saw the same thing in housing. Prices rose and houses sold like crazy last year and many people cashed in but now it is a buyers market.
Seems like your kids are well adjusted no matter where they are. What a blessing.