Today, we closed escrow on the Arizona lot where we’re going to start construction on our new desert home. Earlier in the month, I took a series of images which I stitched together to form a 360° panoramic image. Click on the thumbnail segment below to see the entire panorama in the image viewer.
Here I am taking the few steps to get the final escrow arrangements for the new digs. More later.
That’s all for the weekend.
Forging a lifestyle change, we engaged a real estate broker in Arizona last week to start negotiating with a contractor to build a home for us. Today, we met with the broker, and started the process.
We went to a model with a similar floor plan to the home we’re considering. We liked what we saw – a lot. After that, we went to the actual site where the new home is to be constructed. The clickable image is of yours truly discussing options, firearms and the new Arizona laws regarding illegal immigrants with our broker on the lot where the house will be constructed – that’s me in the aloha shirt and panama hat. It’s nice to work with a businessman on the same page with us.
We will meet with the contractor tomorrow to begin customizing the new digs.
As for the house in the Golden Tarnished State, we will be making trips back there (after establishing residence here). We will have to dispose of our vast accumulation of stuff and to get the house on the market.
Even though I am a native Californian, I qualify for honorary Arizona naturalization by virtue of being married to Verna, a native Arizonan. I am truly blessed.
For several months, we have been talking about ways to relocate to Arizona as soon as possible. Up to this point, it has been all talk. Over the weekend we decided to take some action by heading to Arizona (very soon) to shop for a home there.
I went on line to see currently available homes in the area where we are most likely to settle. I am pleasantly surprised to see how affordable homes are over there. I worked out the numbers and I do believe we can be in a position to shop, make an offer and get into a home this year – maybe this summer.
Our California house is quite large – four bedrooms, three baths, large family room, two stories – space we used to need when we were raising a family. Now, in retirement, it’s just overkill. We figure to get into a single story, two or three bedroom with a two car garage and space to store the RV.
The one in the picture above came from one of the real estate websites. It’s an example of the class of home and Santa Fe styling we both like a lot.
