Caught in the Act

This morning I went to the Hilltop Restaurant to meet with the Whatcom Community College retirees. We gather one Saturday a month for breakfast and chatter. The cast of characters changes slightly each time and today was no exception. We had a lively discussion and I made sure that everybody knew about the party a week from tomorrow.

Before I went I had an espresso at home and looked at the paper. I always check out the homes listings and today I saw one that looked interesting. It was close to where I live, was quite a bit cheaper than my house, and had an art studio. So after breakfast I drove over to take a look. There I met Jane Agard of Fairhaven Realty who was hosting the open house. The art studio was charming. The house wasn't. And really I am not planning a move any time soon. But if the perfect house appeared and I could harvest some of the value of this large (and wonderful) house, I just might do it.

I went home and soon headed out to Miki's to get my hair done. When I got home Jane came over. I had set up a meeting to discuss my future housing needs and to show her my house. We ended with a plan. She is going to come up with a current value for my house and begin to scout around for what I want. Which is... the upstairs area of my house plus a guest room, very little garden area, a garage, on a quiet street in a residential area in the city of Bellingham or really near the city of Bellingham.

For now I am happy to be where I am. It is my favorite house ever and I love the location. So why might I move? The house is way too big for me. It is expensive to maintain and the property taxes are high. I would love to harvest some of the value to travel while still living in a house that I love. Chances are I'll be here a long time to come. But no harm in having a professional sniff around for me. She's also going to have an antique dealer call me to help sort through some of the piles of stuff (mostly good stuff) I have around here. Who knows what the future holds? I surely don't. But I do know I'm not doing anything that isn't spot on for me. Don't need to. Don't plan to.