It’s Done Last month, my husband and I successfully sold our home of 37-plus years. I’d heard hair-raising stories of closings that went wrong, but thankfully, our closing went smoothly. The weeks leading up to the closing, however, were anything but. We secured our house’s elusive Certificate of Occupancy, but the buyer’s title company disputed the property lines, putting us under a tight deadline to talk to and secure notarized affidavits from neighbors bordering our property. Though we moved into our new apartment, we had to return to the house to shower and cook for two weeks while we chased after the gas utility company to turn on our service. Emptying the rooms, deciding what to part with, what to save, and getting rid of stuff was both physically and emotionally taxing. And we’d forgotten about a small attic! Our adult son and his large, older dog, Winston, were still living in the house, sleeping on a blowup mattress, basically squatting amongst the unwanted remains,...
Letting Go Things surrounding the sale of my home are building … in a BIG way. After listing our home of 37-plus years for sale this past June, my husband and I threw ourselves into decluttering and sprucing it up for the open house, held mid-June. By the end of the month, we had secured buyers. Despite our diligent effort to attain our home’s Certificate of Occupancy as promised in our contract, it appeared our town’s building department seemed to have it in for us. Just when we’d been told things were looking good, that inspection conditions had been met, they imposed a new requirement. A phone call with a Disney-like villain town clerk, who seemed personally invested in thwarting us, brought me to tears of frustration. Two steps forward, one step back. Another delay. Another expense. Today we have what we hope is our last inspection. Headaches aside, I knew there’d be an emotional toll of selling our home. It’s easy to keep those heavy thoughts at bay wh...