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| My Greenville homestead. |
I'm not the kind of guy to rush into
things, this despite the fact I chose my last two houses on the first
day of those house hunts. Although it took a bit longer to submit a
contract for the Boynton Beach house I purchased in 2001, I saw my Greenville house on
day one of my search and submitted an offer three days later. The
three-day cooling-down period for the Greenville house was only
because I found it on a Greenville trip on Friday, and had to wait
until I was back in Florida on Monday morning to get things rolling.
Should I have taken a little more time
in finding a house in Greenville? Yes, indeed. But, my Boynton house
doubled in value in three years. It caused me to think I was an
expert when I pulled the trigger on the Greenville home. Yeah, right.
Any way, I don't typically rush into
things, particularly when it involves big sums of money. I've been
shopping for a car for 28 years, for example.
Other than some smaller, niggling
maintenance jobs around the house, the next big project will be
remodeling the kitchen. A task requiring ripping out and replacing
all the bottom cabinets, relocating the sink, fridge and dishwasher,
putting down a new floor in the kitchen and dining area, replacing
the counter top, and replacing all the appliances. There is a bit of
related work, as well, like cutting away some of the upper cabinet
where the refrigerator will eventually reside. Even doing the work
myself, I'm figuring a number somewhere between $10,000 and $12,000.
Ouch.
My intention was to embark on this
journey last fall, but my paying work began evaporating in September
and dried up to an agonizing trickle by the end of November. Like the
grasshopper, I hadn't prepared for such a winter downturn. When my
work had been flowing, I was putting money into video gear and trips to
shoot segments for BEER2WHISKEY. Rolling into January 1 of this year, I
didn't have one penny more in savings than I had on that date a year
earlier. In fact, my savings was down about 15 percent. The kitchen
project was on hold.
The first quarter this year wasn't any
better. I wasn't even thinking about the kitchen remodel. Heck, I was
contemplating selling the house. Like someone flipping a switch, work
began again in earnest in April and continues.
Having shoveled some money into my
savings, I am now pondering the kitchen remodel again. One stumbling
block had always been, how much to do? At some point, I will sell
this house. Even though I own it free and clear, it's never really
free or clear. There are taxes, insurance and, maintenance costs. A
couple unavoidable maintenance costs, such as a new roof, sewer line,
air handler and so forth, all come due eventually. I don't want to
deal with any of them. The stay-or-sell question's answer has always
been, sell; but when? If I'm going to sell soon, I will do less in
the kitchen. I won't relocate things, for one. It won't mean a whole
lot in the cost, but will take much less time.
Recently, one of the cracker-box houses
across the side street from me (I live on a corner lot.), was
purchased by an investment company that has poured tens of thousands
into it. That project is wrapping up. This past week, a dumpster appeared in the driveway of the vacant house next to it. Oh, be still
my heart. I've been waiting 11 years for someone to begin pouring
some bucks into my neighborhood, which once was the married-officers
quarters for Donaldson Air Force Base. I live off of one of
Greenville's major drags: Augusta Street (or Road, depending where on it
you are). Less than a mile up Augusta are $300,000 plus homes.
I've been waiting all these years for that to spread south. Looks
like it may now be doing just that.
So, now I am thinking that I will stay
another couple of years, at least, and let my house follow the
neighborhood up in value.
In my spare time the past few days,
I've been online looking at kitchen cabinets and dreaming. I'm still
not quite ready to make a move, but I'm getting closer.
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