Home Selling Glitches
Meanwhile, back in Virginia our house sale was supposed to close that day. By 3:00 PM, when I hadn’t heard from our Virginia realtor, I texted her an innocent question of “Is the closing completed?” The quick text response of “Can I call you?” wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
We quickly learned there had been last-minute unspecified financing issues with the buyers. Our realtor recommended rescheduling for one week to give the buyers time to sort it out. Not good news, but the stress was on our realtor and the title company. No one got paid until the deal was closed and the check cleared. However, we were on the hook to make sure nothing bad happened to our now-empty house prior to the closing.
Final Days in Virginia
Tuesday, July 11, still the proud owners of a house in Virginia and a house in North Carolina, Winnie and I headed back north. We left our Jeep and utility trailer at our new house, making the RV our only vehicle for the remaining time we stayed in Virginia.
Our drive north went well, and we settled in with Mary for our final planned time in Virginia. A few days later my retirement plans abruptly changed when my supervisors offered to have me work full-time remote from Charlotte, for at least the next year. There were benefits for me, as well as benefits for helping my team, by delaying retirement with remote work. Winnie and I discussed, and decided I should at least try it. So, my planned retirement became a workplace relocation event, still set for June 28.
The PODS service continued to be good news. Once again, right on schedule, I received a PODS notice that our container in Charlotte was picked up. I’m sure our new neighbors were delighted to not see that container sitting in our driveway.
Meanwhile, our rescheduled closing was rescheduled yet another two days. Again, due to buyer financing issues. At this point we were actively discussing the impact of canceling the existing offer and relisting the house. But just like in the movies, the deal went through at the last minute and our Virginia house was sold. The deal was finalized one week before we planned on leaving.
Goodbye Dinners
Our last few days in Virginia were spiced with goodbye luncheons and dinners. My colleagues organized a going-away-not-retirement luncheon for me on my last Tuesday at work. It was a nice touch, and the first time I’d had a going-away luncheon when leaving a job.
We also had a going-away dinner with one of the few friends we had gotten close to, an American-Chinese couple (of course) we’d known for about ten years. On our last night in Virginia we had a pleasant farewell dinner with our cousins Mary, Raymond, Mary’s boyfriend Richard, and our Aunt Linda. It was a nice but bittersweet evening.
We left Virginia for good early Saturday morning.
Settled in Charlotte
So, Winnie and I are now settling into our Charlotte, North Carolina, home. We’re still working on unpacking, decorating, and generally making this house our home.
I am settling into full-time remote work which, truth be told, isn’t much different than the way I’ve been working for the past several years. The nicest part is that I’m not fighting Northern Virginia traffic, ever.
Winnie has taken the lead in decorating and unpacking. Her current big project is drapes and curtains, some of which she is custom-sewing. Just because she enjoys this. It’s too late this year to start a garden, so she’s eying where she’ll set one up starting in the spring.
I finally got my boat out on nearby Lake Wylie this past weekend. My first time power-boating on a freshwater lake. Also my first time working with a marina to store and maintain it. Kayaking in this area will be yet another adventure. Not to mention, there seems to be a lot of camping places around here so our RV should soon be getting used for what it was designed for. Which is not a furniture-hauling moving van.
So this latest move and semi-retired career starts another chapter in the adventures of Ron and Winnie. Now in Charlotte, North Carolina.
