MASS Exodus- Update July 2010

Way back in February, when we visited Las Cruces and decided that there is where we wanted to be, we began to formulate a plan on getting there. This was a three prong plan for retirement, selling our house and ultimate relocation. So I thought I would take a few moments to update where we are at this point in the plan.

PRONG 1: RETIREMENT
Over the ensuing months I have made some changes to my ultimate date for retirement. Originally it was set at July 2012, when the facility where I work was slated to close. This date has changed over time and now reflects a much sooner one. There were two reasons for this. First, the closing date of the facility is now at least 3-4 months delayed and probably is the end of 2012 at the earliest. At first I was feeling some obligation to stay until that point. However over the last several months, I have seen a couple of different people get kicked to the curb so to speak and this bothered me. Highly educated, good workers, forced out because they were not one of the “chosen ones”. It is wrong and made me reevaluate my feelings of obligation. Secondly, in looking at retirement money figures, I learned that at each anniversary date from here on in, I get a boost of only $90 a month total in my pension (birthday and work start anniversary date). This is like Dunkin Donuts money. Again I came to the conclusion that 5 – 7 more months of work, 2 more years of work, was not worth the $180 benefit I gained by staying an entire year. Thirdly I have learned that the upgrade I was going to have to apply for, is being given to all who retire, taking that issue off the table for me. As a result of all this, I am thinking that the newest retirement date could be Spring, 2011 or a couple of months after selling our house.

PRONG 2: HOUSE SALE
We deemed this the summer of house work and despite a couple of setbacks, have been moving right along. The first setback of sorts was good news for our son, CollegeBoy. After months of worrying about a summer job, he ended up with two. More money for him, less time for us. Things as a result have been moving slower. When he is there, he has been a great hard worker who brings his girlfriend, MissNicole for some extra hands, and so we keep moving forward, just a bit slower. A second setback was a terrible flu that moved through out house, affecting everyone. The effects and after effects have gone on for almost two weeks, so this too slowed things down. A final nuisance has been the weather, which has been hot and humid and this too affects what we are able to do.

Its not all bad news however, some very positive things have gone on. We have almost completely gutted our basement, removing two giant loads of junk and debris, including walls and the like. Our son says it looks like we have a nine car garage. One more load of junk from the basement and storage shed and we are done here! We have been prepping the outside decks for cleaning and water proofing too. We hired a landscaping specialist who is clearing out the over growth on the property, is going to repair the lawn in the backyard and has power washed the house which looks significantly better. After finishing up in the basement and the decks, we move indoors for painting the living room, dining room and some touch up. The timeline for putting the house up for sale in the fall is still easily within our grasp.

The final major hurdle is the Title IX Septic evaluation. I have sold my ATV and have the cash now for it and a minor repair should it be needed so I expect that within the next week to 10 days, we will schedule one. You will recognize us, the homeowners holding hands in a prayer circle as the backhoe digs. This will be make it or break it time.

PRONG 3: RELOCATION
Over the course of the last 6 months, I have changed what I refer to as my “threshold” for the move. I originally only wanted a new home to retire to. More recently I have become more and more open to different possibilities as I come to realize that the dream is to get to Las Cruces, not anything else. It is where I need to be to retire and enjoy this part of my life. We are constantly looking at homes and condo’s and townhouses online and finding them remarkably affordable. We have a couple different mortgage companies that we will be looking at to see what we can qualify for.

So, now for the all important timeline. In my mind it looks like this. House goes on the market in October. With St. Joseph’s help, we sell it by the middle of next year, lets say July 1st. I officially retire on November 1st, 2011 and we move to LCNM during CollegeBoy’s school break. Obviously this is all contingent on the house selling and thus we have enlisted the help of St. Joseph, who will be buried in our yard when we sign with the realtor. If it sells before July, I will not wait until November to retire. The date could be sooner by as much as six months if the house sells quickly, right after my birthday in February sounds doable too!

To our friends, the Zee’s, get those Green Chile Cheese Burgers ready!