Downhill

 So today we bought this:

I should say we closed escrow today. The process started a few weeks ago, as home purchases typically do.

It all started because Jenn's friend Anna mentioned that her friend was selling a house in Folsom in a neighborhood we might like. During one of our rides in the area, we decided to swing by and check it out. Unfortunately, the house was too close to Folsom Boulevard, making it a very noisy property.

On our way toward the bike trail, however, we noticed another house had a for sale sign. We called our realtor and learned that the property hadn't even been listed yet. We took a look, liked it, made an offer, and that was that.

It's in a great location. We are in a small neighborhood sandwiched between Lake Natoma and Old Folsom. The bike trail is a mere .19 miles from our front door.

Our plan was always to move down the hill upon retirement. We wanted a lifestyle not completely unlike out visits to Monterey: close proximity to dining, breweries and bike trails leading to a mostly car-free lifestyle. Done, done and done.

We won't sell the old house until Jenn turns 55 (and officially retires) in mid June, which will allow us to take advantage of the Prop 19 tax benefits. Until then, we will own both houses. The timeline isn't perfect, but the upside is we will have at least six weeks or more to slowly move furniture and possessions down to the new house.

My son and our baseball exchange student, Brody (it's a long story), will move in immediately. They will be better able to focus on school without the distractions and noise of renovations while also being much closer to Folsom Lake College. Jennifer and I will stay behind in the old house and continue working towards listing in early June.

The renovations to the old house are quite massive, and they have been going on for a while. My job has mostly been demo guy, leaving much of the skill work to the professionals, but I occasionally chip in with some of my own.

It's been a tiring and stressful time, but the finish line is in sight. Time to put it in a big gear, sprint hard and win this thing.

Later.