Well, things have certainly moved a little more quickly than I expected.
On July 4th, I posted my thoughts on leaving Atlanta. In that post, I mentioned that the housing market would be a little aggressive where I was moving. I’ve moved to the small city of Spartanburg, South Carolina. And I was correct about the housing market. Turns out, Spartanburg County is one of the fastest growing counties right now in the entire US. I was not aware of that at the time.
Here we are now, just a little more than 2 months later, and I am sitting in my new house. First, a couple of pictures, taken the day before I closed:
Now, here’s how it all played out.
Literally on my way back from Montana, during a short layover in Minneapolis, I got a call from my real estate agent in Atlanta. A strong offer had been received on my condo. Yall, I was tired of that place. The traffic noise was insane. There was a bar across the street that closed every night at 3AM, and the people coming out of there were loud as hell waiting for their uber rides. There were many nights I had to set up a camp bed in my closet just so I could have a decent nights sleep. Then there were the scores of homeless people, and hookers, and the list goes on. I loved Atlanta, I really did – And I always will. But I was tired of it. So when I got that offer, though it was not for my asking price, I took it. I was ready to leave.
The house I bought was already on the market, and it had already gone under contract with another buyer. So both this house, and my condo, were undergoing due diligence at the same time – Only the buyers for this house got spooked out for some reason and backed out. Once my condo had passed and been appraised, this house was going back on the market. So convenient. I made my offer, and closed three weeks later.
I feel like I will be happy here, but there is a good bit I need to get used to. First of all, I have a yard. I wanted the responsibility of yard work, to keep myself active. But the concept of sitting outside in the yard is still a little foreign to me. I guess that will get better once I get some furniture for the deck. Second, it is really quiet here. There is no traffic noise, people yelling outside in the middle of the night, or any of the other things I mentioned earlier. Just the standard night noises – Crickets and cicadas. Finally, I have to use my car here much much more than in Midtown Atlanta. So I am also burning through more gasoline.
But the big upside, this house is coming it at roughly $1000 / month less than my living arrangement in Atlanta. And that was one of the main goals – Lower my cost of living. Most of the money saved I will put away for early retirement trips. But I also have some trips the meantime I will be taking. For starters, looks like I may be going to the Bahamas for Christmas. I’ve never been there before, and I will be spending the holiday on a yacht. I am also kicking around going to Berlin in March. Montana again, hopefully, next summer – Though I may incorporate a personal road trip this time. And then for next fall, Habitat for Humanity announced they are starting up their International Village trips again with the first ones planned for Fall 2024. I want to see what they are offering, and I may go on one of those trips.
And that is what has been happening in my life. I am optimistic.
#GenX #Retirement #Adventure #GenerationX #Spartanburg #SpartanburgSC #Montana #Atlanta #LeavingAtlanta #Nomadic #Habitat #GlobalVillage
Will's GenX Adventure 