Two years ago, I said we were moving out of Florida. That plan never came to fruition.

We're at it again, and I didn't want to say anything this time until it looked more likely. Unless there's a snafu, which is possible, we're moving. Mom and I are in the process of getting the house ready. Mom contacted a couple of moving companies, and a realtor will be coming over tomorrow afternoon. Mom wanted to put the house on the market by February 1; now, it does not look like we will meet that date.

Jeanette Isabelle

Any reason you would like to share about why you move?

Hopefully it will be a good move for your both!

Here in Florida, we're a long way from family. That's not good during these times we live in. What sparked the idea of moving this time is our only close friends are moving back to their family. We don't have anything anchoring us to Florida.

Jeanette Isabelle

I wish you the best in your move!

Yesterday afternoon a realtor came to tour the house and discuss plans. Two moving companies are coming over next week, one Tuesday morning the other Wednesday morning, to give estimates.

Jeanette Isabelle

A photographer will be coming over Tuesday at noon to photograph the house. We'll put the house on the market Thursday, the third, only two days behind schedule.

Jeanette Isabelle

Welcome to Texas!
-Blast

Don't you mean welcome back to Texas?

We put our house on the market yesterday. There were two showings today, and there will be another one tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, we're looking online for potential places to live. We were looking in the Bryan - College Station metropolitan area, which is still possible. Today, Navasota (twenty-two miles south of College Station) is looking more probable.

Jeanette Isabelle

If you're showing your house before you move, have your EDC bag ready and refilled at all times. Yesterday we had back-to-back showings, meaning we were gone one hour. Mom spilled her coffee in that hour, to which I responded with a washcloth.

Later after I retrieved a Kleenex for myself, Mom asked if I had another one. I replied, "Since when do I not have Kleenex with me."

As usual, I have bottled water in addition to my EDC bag. Since Mom spilled her coffee, she didn't have anything to drink. Referring to my bottled water, she asked if I had another.

As I reached for my EDC bag, she stated, "Why do I have to ask?"

I retrieved my spare bottled water from my bag and stated, "I'm Mary Poppins."

With these showings, sometimes with short notices, all I have to do is grab my EDC bag, jacket, and bottled water. Sometimes I'm putting my jacket on as we walk to the car.

Jeanette Isabelle

Mom's bottom line was $294,900, listed the house for $299,000, and received an offer of $310,000. After being on the market for less than a week, the house closed today.

Jeanette Isabelle

Nice! It's a seller's market for sure right now. I've never been to Texas and have no idea what the market is like there. In my home town of Sioux Falls, SD $300k would buy a pretty darned nice house. But here in Bozeman, MT a dog house costs $300k!

Nothing is decided yet, but there's a new housing development in Navasota, Tx. We like the neighborhood, and the real estate development company has a floor plan that fits our needs for $250,000, give or take a few hundred dollars.

The following will give you an idea of what we may get, even though we may not get this specific unit.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhom...8_P417000634363

Jeanette Isabelle

Its crazy around here too. We moved in 2007 and got into a "starter" house at 169k. Was a big jump from our 60k house in 1995

Sounds good! I'm kind of addicted to living in the West but if the soaring COL and housing prices force me out eventually I will probably move back to Minnesota.

Must be something good in Minnesota. A lot of immigrants from Finland ended up in Minnesota.

Minnesota is actually pretty great. I wanted to be up in the mountains but to be honest, in a way they kind of suck. Great for four or five months but inaccessible the rest of the year. It's hard to beat northern Minnesota. Montana is great but MN is a lot cheaper!

Just curious

It is understandable to investigate cost of living and job markets when you choose an area to move to, but haven't seen anyone thinking of disasters. Isn't it a factor? If I was choosing a place to live in the U.S. I'll look at a map of natural disasters first. Harsh weather is a close second.

Are you talking about Texas or Minnesota? Every place has upsides and downsides. Both can get storms; in MN it's generally blizzards while TX can get tornadoes and depending on the which part of the state, hurricanes. I guess TX has had a few blizzards the last 20 years and they're utterly unprepared when it does happen. On a personal level though a person could make sure they prepare their own household.

In Montana or Minnesota, as climate change progresses wildfire is a bigger and bigger problem. Not all of MN or MT is forested but you have to have a plan if you do live in an area in or bordering on a forest. The last fire season was brutal (to be fair, there kind of isn't even a season for fire any more- it's a year round problem). Luckily Bozeman, while surrounded by forests, is in a kind of large circular clearing where there's no real danger of wild fire. But when I lived in Idaho I could walk out of my yard and right into the woods!

Most of what we get in Texas are tornadoes and hail.

In 2010, when we were still in Texas, I experienced my first blizzard. In the nearly eight years Mom and I have lived in Florida, I hear that Texas has experienced more of them.

As for hurricanes, Navasota is far enough from the coast that all we will get is wind.

If Huston (the nearest major city) gets hit by a nuke, we'll be far enough away where we'll be safe.

Jeanette Isabelle

Not quite, if they drop the Tzar Bomb (50megaton).

The home inspector came today. We won't see the full report until tomorrow, but there's nothing major. There're a couple of broken sprinkler heads and other minor stuff like that.

We'll fly to Huston Wednesday and fly back the following Monday to see the houses, neighborhoods, and towns to determine what we'll be happy with.

Jeanette Isabelle

I took a look at Navasota via Google street view. A nice looking town.

At first blush it looks a lot better than FL! I'd be pretty skeeved out being in a coastal state where the highest spot was 345 feet!

Here, we're 92' above sea level.

I mentioned many times that we had lived in Dallas, but more specifically, we lived in the Cedar Mountains, located in the outskirts. Those mountains are hills, just shy of 1,000' above sea level.

According to Wikipedia, Navasota has an elevation of 217'.

Though I have a good feeling about the neighborhood I linked, Mom wants to check out everything from Navasota to Bryan along the State Highway 6 corridor. Would we be happier with the convenience of living in the Bryan - College Station metropolitan area or the small-town feel of Navasota?

Jeanette Isabelle

We got the report, and the Florida house only needs one repair. Unless something catastrophic happens, we have to be out by March 14.

Today Mom signed a contract on the house in Navasota, currently under construction, ready to be moved in on the first week of April. Now we're figuring out where to stay a few weeks.

Jeanette Isabelle

Nice! Sounds like you're in good shape with the move.

I changed my geographic location to "Moving to Navasota, Tx."

Jeanette Isabelle

We're moving to this part of Texas because my sister and brother-in-law bought a house in Bryan. However, they won't move right away because it would mean taking my nephew out of school.

This morning we talked with my brother-in-law, and he's letting us use their house until ours is complete.

Jeanette Isabelle

Navasota is a historic, well-preserved town. Though it's small, with a population of around 8,000, it has a lot going for it, and it's growing. The following videos provide helpful information.

https://youtu.be/glRKDhGXjfQ
https://youtu.be/t9-zIF4XeoU

Jeanette Isabelle

Sure is, Chuck Norris is from Navasota! So that basicly makes Navasota the capital of the whole planet Earth.

That makes us fellow residents. However, his ranch, Lone Wolf Ranch, is on the other side of town.

Jeanette Isabelle

That one thing that needed to be "repaired" turned out to be a stain.

Jeanette Isabelle

Nice! Sounds like it won't take much more work then. You must be getting eager to move.

There's been a change in plans. We're staying in a timeshare in Conroe, Tx, during the few weeks between moving out of Florida to our Navasota house completion date.

Jeanette Isabelle

Nice! Will you get a storage unit or something to help with your stuff?

We're moving with PODS. Ours will be stored in a warehouse and delivered to our new house when complete.

Jeanette Isabelle

Oh, I've seen those things before. They look quite handy!

We've been so busy that I haven't updated everyone.

First, there has been a change regarding living in Conroe, Tx, before our house is complete. That timeshare is not available for the first week because that's the same week as spring break in Texas. We'll spend the first week in Holly Lake Ranch before proceeding to Conroe.

Second, thanks to the help of professional movers yesterday, the first POD is filled, mainly with boxes though there is some furniture, and PODS picked up that POD this morning.

Third, earlier, Mom wanted to sign and hit the road Friday. That's not happening due to time constraints. The movers will load the rest of the furniture and a few more boxes into the second POD Friday. We'll stay in a hotel from Friday night to Monday morning. We have just over a day to finish the details. PODS will pick up the second POD Sunday. Mom will sign on Monday, the day of the sale. We'll be on the road Monday morning and arrive at Holly Lake Ranch in Texas Tuesday evening.

Having to live several weeks on what we can fit into the SUV reminds me of a bugout practice.

Jeanette Isabelle

I'm just a few minutes down I-45 from you, in Spring, TX.
You are going to be amazed at how many prepper groups are in the area. Some of them are even sane.
-Blast

From what I read, the Texas DOT should complete the project merging State Highway 249 with State Highway 105 this year, making a more direct connection.

https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/bryan/sh249.html

Jeanette Isabelle

One downside about moving now is I started seeing a good therapist a few months ago regarding feeling claustrophobic in a car. Ginger, that's her nickname, told me my anxiety is a symptom of a problem and not the problem itself and that my anxiety, dissociation, and dysmorphia are all related.

Now I have to leave a good therapist, but I know what to look for in a therapist, and Ginger has already diagnosed the problem.

Jeanette Isabelle

I hope the trip doesn't stress you out too much, Jeanette_Isabelle.

To be on the highway, I have to take 1 MG of Lorazepam, sometimes two if there are many splits and mergers.

Jeanette Isabelle

To let you know, I'm on a well-deserved break as I write this. Murphy's law states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Today the movers are back to fill the final POD. Everything was fine until I noticed a several-inch deep scratch on my arm. I don't know how it got there, and I did not even see it until I washed my hands in the bathroom. I grabbed my EDC FAK and operated on myself but needed help from Mom for the final part since I couldn't tape myself with one hand. Given everything else that has happened so far, that was insignificant.

Earlier, Mom asked my neighbor if she could park the SUV in their driveway. That's fine. However, the neighbor's wife backs up their car into our SUV. The damage to the SUV is cosmetic, but this is the worst possible time to deal with insurance. We'll be driving to Texas in a dented SUV and find a body shop later.

As the movers filled the last POD, it all appeared to be going as planned. However, it eventually became apparent that not everything we wanted in the final POD would fit into the last POD. By this time, lower priority items, such as my eight-year-old mattress and box spring, were already strapped in the POD somewhere.

Mom is signing the papers Monday morning and today is Friday. We don't have time to get a third POD. We have to conduct triage. I do a first round of scaling back. Still too much. I have a short word with Mom on why I'm packing what I'm packing. Not including what we will take in the SUV, I get it down to my collapsable cart, a small box, and my American Doll, Samantha.

Mom and I argued over the collapsable cart. I was not going to budge over this one. I'm already reducing my footwear down to four pairs, my six MAG-LITEs down to three, my hand tools down to five, and I'm keeping my folding box cutter which takes up no space anyhow.

I'm glad my blender was already in the first POD. Arguing to keep a blender I don't use anymore would have been a tough battle. I bought a brand new blender (with my own money) and used it a lot when I was still a child.

I'm hoping a couple of first aid items will fit in my suitcase or a bag. If not, I'll see if removing some intimate apparel would make a difference. Even in our current climate, I can still buy more when we get to Texas.

What's amazing about this trying day is that I didn't need my anxiety medication yet.

Jeanette Isabelle

I truly hate moving! I hope the rest of the process goes well for you.

I mentioned Friday we had to do triage because not everything we want will fit in the final POD. Before I get to that, let me back up. As I was packing the dishes, I came across the set of china Mom and Dad got before I was born. Mom said to donate them since we never use them. That was before we knew we would be short on space. I told her we could use them on special occasions. Mom presents her counter suggestion. Why not use them every day in our new home? The more they are used, the more likely they will break, but at least Mom agreed to keep her and Dad's china.

On the day we finished packing the POD (and deciding what goes and what gets left behind), Mom wanted to leave out a painting of herself a friend of hers did when she was in her twenties. I had to talk Mom into keeping it. Then we come across her mom's dishes. Mom wanted to throw them away. I couldn't make a justifiable case to keep them. Donate the dishes instead of trashing them. Someone would like antique tableware.

By the time the final POD was full, Mom did not have any space for three of her Thomas Kinkade paintings. Instead of donating them to charity, she gave all three of them to our neighbor.

When I thought the worst was over, we now have a bigger problem. The buyer was supposed to sign today. However, Mom got a phone call yesterday informing her that the buyer's bank account was hacked. His $79,000 deposit is gone. The bank caught it early but did they catch it in time? As of the time I write this, we don't know.

Jeanette Isabelle

I'm changing my location to our temporary location, Holly Lake Ranch.

Jeanette Isabelle

Wow, what an ordeal! Hopefully it smooths out soon.

Wow...this is a hell of a challenging move.
The Conroe area is pretty awesome, so hopefully once you get here all these problems will fade.
-Blast

I have not heard any details, but the date the buyer is supposed to sign has been moved from today to Friday.

Jeanette Isabelle

Hopefully there are no more issues!

The sale of the Florida house fell apart. We put it on the market again and got a new contract. Meanwhile, we're temporarily living in Conroe as the completion of our house has been pushed back a month. The reason given is because of supply chain issues. In one way, the delay worked in our favor since the first sale in Florida fell apart. However, since the completion day has been pushed back before, who's to say the builder won't push it back into infinity? We could be in limbo for who knows how long.

I stayed in the timeshare as Mom went back to Navasota today. Our house was in the process of being bricked, and Mom talked with the foreman. The foreman said they were able to meet the second completion date.

Jeanette Isabelle

That sucks but it's really a seller's market right now and I'm sure she'll get a buyer!

I did say, "We put it on the market again and got a new contract." That contract is contingent on the new buyer selling their house.

Jeanette Isabelle

Hopefully the new contract works out fine, I just meant that no matter what I expect she'll get it sold. Hopefully it's smooth sailing from here out!

I hope everything goes OK

Life is always unpredictable. Never goes in a straight line

We had somewhat a similar plan. Not selling house and buying another but building another house in another town then remodelling our current house. A number of factors complicated and delayed building the 2nd house, so we decided to start remodelling the current house first, and when done, we can go back to assess the situation with the second house. As it seems, this plan has a number of advantages, and will be less stressful. So you never know what's best.

The builder pushed the Navasota house completion date back a second time, making it two months late, assuming the builder would not move the goalposts further. Not knowing when the builder would complete our house, Mom began looking elsewhere.

Yesterday we found a charming, older home we both like in Nacogdoches, Tx, and it's a couple of blocks from a bus line. Moreover, we fell in love with the small city, the oldest town in Texas. Except for the eight years in Florida, I've lived in Texas since I was born, and I knew nothing about this gem and its rich history other than it was a dot on the map.

Mom will make an offer today, and, given it has been on the market for five months, I have a reason to believe she and the seller can reach a deal.

Jeanette Isabelle

Good luck! That sounds ideal.

After more than twenty-four hours of not hearing from the seller since the time Mom made an offer, Mom went back to looking at houses in Nacogdoches and found one that had just gone on the market. Mom scheduled a time to meet with the realtor at that house.

When we arrived, the realtor told Mom that the seller of the older home had accepted Mom's offer. Since we were there at the newer house, why not tour the place. The older home has some cons. I'm not so in love with the older home that I'm blind to that reality.

Mom liked the newer house, and I admit that it has some sellable features.

After seeing the newer house, mom and I had lunch at my favorite fast-food chain, Dairy Queen. She knew how I felt about the older home. Objectively, we discussed the pros and cons of both places, and we decided on the house built in '68.

Mom called the realtor and told her of our decision. Mom wrote a check out to the title company, and if there are no more snafus, we'll be in our permanent home in three weeks.

Jeanette Isabelle

https://app.photobucket.com/u/Jeanette_Isabelle/a/85a47195-6ea4-4198-bc97-12801ac99899

Awesome! Hopefully it goes smoothly from here out!

Nice place, it even has a yard. I hope all of the transactions go well and that it becomes a home for you and your mom for many years.

Mom had the home, built in '68, inspected. The inspector found many hidden problems, and the two most significant are termites and roof damage, with an estimated repair bill of around $40,000.

We continued looking.

Monday, Mom received a text regarding the Navasota house, talked to a representative, and saw the progress. The builder can meet the third completion date of May 23. Yesterday, the property in Florida finally closed, and the title company wired the money.

After more than two months, we'll finally have a permanent residence in Texas.

Jeanette Isabelle

What a saga! Hopefully it's nearly over and you'll be settled by summer.

Paging Jeanette Isabelle!

Would like to hear any news about the move!

Two months gone and not a word?!

I hope everything is okay.

We moved into our permanent home in Nacogdoches, Tx, on June 16, though not the one built in 1968.

I like this city. I like the layout of this house, and I like the fact I'm two streets from the bus line (a five-minute walk); what I don't like is that the neighborhood is not flat.

The house was built in 1986, making it as old as I am. However, it was not well-maintained, so it looks older than it is. A coop and five egg-laying hens came with the house. Therefore I'm learning how to take care of chickens.

After being in limbo for three months, it took almost two months to move in, get settled, get internet, help mom with painting and remodeling projects (still doing that), replace items that got left behind, work on my preps, spend hours on the phone regarding my health insurance and having to call again when new problems arrive.

The box (that held my high school diploma and a dream catcher my Native American friend made for me years ago) is lost.

I know my post is disorganized, but a lot has happened to get back to Texas.

Jeanette Isabelle

I wish you luck getting settled in! Moving is a PitA for sure.

Usually, a moving trip is not a war story; this was a moving trip from hell. Even Riley Andersen from Inside Out didn't have to deal with what I experienced.

Jeanette Isabelle

Glad you are finally settling with your mom. Big relief.

I remember when construction of our current house was finished 20 year ago, and last worker left, I just laid down on the floor of the living room, closed my eyes, and had a big dreamy smile on my face. OUR HOME. AT LAST.LOL.

Yeah, it was a big relief.

I have always wondered about people leaving stuff, I mean big stuff, in their houses after departure. When we graduated and were leaving college dorms, some students left refrigerators , computers, books, and other stuff. I couldn't understand that.

I gave my fridge to a couple of new students.
Never given my books to anybody.

Good to hear that everything is basicly OK.

The items I referenced were not left in the house except for what was spelled out in the contract: the fridge, washer, and dryer. We had to give away a lot of stuff because there was no room in the POD.

Jeanette Isabelle

We had to leave a lot to move. I had lots of (lumber)wood in a shed that i head to leave behind, some old computers, etc. Just didn't have room or time to load it all up. Three loads my wife, myself and two very young kids within a couple days time.

One of the signs that you are in Texas is dining at an authentic Dairy Queen restaurant, not those eateries that are Dairy Queen in name only.

Today I was at peace as I had lunch of a burger and fries.

Jeanette Isabelle

Mom found the box. It was mixed with her stuff.

We ascertained that because my box was half full and we were in a rush, Mom saw the half-full box and added her stuff. After more than three months of rush, chaos, and living in a state of limbo, who would remember that?

I have my high school diploma, the dream catcher my Native American friend made for me, and other treasures I could not find.

Jeanette Isabelle

The first house, the one we were supposed to move into in May, is completed and for sale.

Jeanette Isabelle

So now is a good time to do a lessons learned and improve. Search this forum for "blasts binder" or similar posts or the HYST binder here http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/

Your papers like a diploma should all be in one place aka Blasts Binder or the HYST binder.

I applied for my Texas driver's license on Friday and should get that in two weeks. The last major renovation project, remodeling the master bathroom, is currently in progress. After that's completed, Mom and I will tackle the final moving project, going through the last of the boxes in the garage. Mom's hoping that she will find the missing kitchen utensils.

On a side note, I have to remind Mom of what we had to leave behind and what we brought. Given the three weeks of rush and chaos, I understand why she's uncertain or where things are.

Jeanette Isabelle

I received my Texas Driver's License in the mail today. With that, and the Voter Registration I received earlier, everything is official. The primary home improvement projects are complete. What's left are minor projects, such as painting the hall.

Mom and I went through the last boxes and still could not find the missing kitchen utensils. I don't know what happened. Mom said everything in the kitchen went directly into the POD.

Jeanette Isabelle

It sounds like you're getting settled in without too many issues.