When I moved back to Lynchburg, the plan was always to live downtown for the first two years before I ventured into home ownership.
I started house hunting in the summer of 2019 to see what my options were and fell in love with an old colonial in the historic Diamond Hill neighborhood in Downtown Lynchburg. The Pearl Street house seemingly ticked all of my boxes, except the astronomical price of over $500,000 and a monthly utility average of $600.
So even though I was in love, I knew I that was a champagne budget and I was shooting more for a malbec budget.
So back to the drawing board, what I learned is that the Lynchburg Virginia real estate is HOTTT. Houses can go quickly and offers have to be made almost immediately once you find the one you feel an affinity to.
After a gazillion open houses, I think I had an idea of what was possible. In January I really started looking seriously, thinking about a summer 2020 move. I called a realtor who I had incidentally met at a Pearl Street open house and had felt an affinity to and we began perusing what was on the market. We widened our radius outside of downtown where I ideally wanted to be because of the proximity to work and amenities. I think I realized quickly that historic houses take maintenance. And I didn't have the time or the inclination.
After a month of serious exploration, and two offers, we finally settled on our dream house. Four bedrooms all with walk in closets, two and a half baths, main floor master with a modern rain fall shower, modern kitchen and a two car garage. All within my malbec budget, what more could a girl ask for?
It all still seems like a dream, but in the middle of that February valentine, we got our dream house haze the seriousness of the corona virus became apparent. As work moved online, closing was pending and stay at home orders came into effect, big worry became, how does one move in the middle of a pandemic?
Truly, the answer is slowly if you have the time, I slowly cleared out my apartment over a two month period and only called in movers for the furniture and heavy stuff. I carefully examined the stay at home orders for my state where they noted that you could drive between homes, I printed a copy and placed it in my glove compartment in case I happened to be stopped by the cops.
On moving day, dressed in my mask, six burly young men invaded my swanky downtown two bedroom apartment all without masks. I cannot tell you how high my paranoia was on that day. They had every thing moved and assembled in their new space all within four hours. Once they left, I went over every piece of furniture, every wall, banister and door knob with disinfectant and sanitizing wipes.
The stress of the day stayed with me for 14 days though the possible incubation period for the virus.
So yes, moving in the middle of a pandemic can be done with the following checklist:
Ensure you have enough disinfectant wipes, bleach and cleaning supplies
Peruse your state's stay at home order and the curfew times for your city or town
Hire your movers at least three weeks in advance
Insist your movers wear masks
Stock up on wine for sustenance, moving is a chore and a lesson in patience and fortitude.
I hope this is home for the long haul for my family.
In the mean time HAPPY HOUSE HUNTING & HAPPY MOVING!
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