We talked a lot about what we wanted to do after losing our jobs during the pandemic. I was just about to enter my sixtieth year and Lee had stepped through to the next decade a year earlier. Once the shock of being unemployed lost its sting it was time to take stock of where we were in life. Did Lee really want to go back and work for someone else on their terms, their hours, their weekend expectations, their rules of when he could take time for himself and his family? After thirty five years just the idea was tiring. Exhausting.
We explored many options in addition to taking on van life. One of our more intriguing considerations was buying and operating a camping resort in the Virgin Islands. And we are still pursuing two other avenues; one is the purchase of a property in Connecticut that was built as an apple cider mill in 1830. The idea is to renovate it and perhaps subdivide out a building lot or two and then sell it. Of utmost importance to us is to preserve the essence of the building and it's heritage. We've been working on putting this deal together since November of 2020. Since we went under contract the owner died and the property has been in probate since January 2021. The New York City probate courts are swamped as a result of Covid deaths. Remember when the death toll was so vast and soaring that refrigerator trucks were brought in to 'house' the bodies? A tragic scenario and one whose ripples are still rippling. So we've been waiting. But not idly.
We talked about selling the house but where would we go? What about the kids who were all living with us? How would we get another mortgage without a paycheck? That was a new consideration for us.
The real estate market in Old Lyme, Connecticut had been dormant since the great recession when we bought our home. We hadn't planned on being in the house for long but it ended up being a really great house and an even better location. It served us well when the kids came home as a result of the pandemic; there was some space and privacy for everyone. Renovations we did over the years made it a bit of a gem. So we were content to stay. Even on unemployment the mortgage was pretty doable without dipping into too much of our savings. But one day as I was driving home an epiphany-type thought became clear; sell the house, capitalize on the (finally) rebounding real estate market and rent something. It was just one of those moments when my gut was sure. Where we'd rent with two dogs in a hot rental market was unclear but not scary. I felt I was on the right path.
To be continued...
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