End of an era for us, and a new beginning

[Scuba]

We put our home in Palm Springs on the market yesterday and by yesterday evening, we had multiple offers. Chose one to go with today and escrow will open on Monday. We will likely close in October and be on our way to a new chapter of life in Florida. We will no longer own any property in CA for the first time in 35 years.

We are thrilled to have sold our home so quickly! It’s exciting but also a bit sad for us. We’ll be leaving long-term friends, beautiful scenery, and a home we designed and created only 3 years ago. I suppose it’s natural to have mixed feelings when making a big change.

We are excited about being closer to family and also the beaches and SCUBA opportunities in FL and the Caribbean. Also excited about our new community which has beautiful amenities and lots of social programs.

After a 3+ month exploratory trip around South FL, we are heading back to CA on Tuesday. I know the next two months will be a whirlwind - preparing for a move, moving, and unpacking and getting settled on the other end. Lots to do! Luckily we have plenty of experience as we have moved many times.

Thanks to all who have offered suggestions to help us along in our journey!

 

[Montecfo]

Congrats Scuba! So happy for your guys. Exciting times.

Please keep us posted!

ETA: I assume you will be closing all bank accounts and any vestige of California residence by year-end. Wise to do as tax authorities there are quite aggressive as I think you know.

 

[pb4uski]

Yes, the best thing is to sever all ties with California as if you are making a permanent move to Florida. Since you will no longer own property in California that will make it easier.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

Happy about your successful house sale! Hope the closing process goes smoothly for you.

 

[latexman]

DW and I moved 13 times in 45 years. Move quickly! (Before the big one hits! ) Being close to family after all those years will be wonderful, wonderful!

 

[Qs Laptop]

Congratulations on the sale of your home, and so quickly!

I hope your move to FL is smooth and easy.

(I read your your "FL Living" thread with great interest. Thanks for posting that.)

 

[pacergal]

Congratulations, enjoy your new home!

 

[skyking1]

Congrats on the move, scuba.

 

[W2R]

Congratulations on selling your house so quickly! How terrific.

I know the next two months will be a whirlwind - preparing for a move, moving, and unpacking and getting settled on the other end. Lots to do! Luckily we have plenty of experience as we have moved many times.

My last move (to my Dream Home) was my 30th move and you mentioned that you have moved a lot, too. I tried something for the first time in that 30th move, which I thought was tremendously helpful. Maybe you already do this, but if not, here it is:

As you pack up boxes, use a marker to number each one. Label all six sides of each box with that number, along with "Kitchen", "Den", or whatever room the box needs to go into, all in large letters.

Keep a separate list of box numbers and the major/important things that went into each box, on a piece of paper in your purse or whatever. Then right after the move, you can just glance at your list to find things you are looking for. You'll know right away which boxes to unpack first.

My movers worked so fast! I found that they were reading the labels at the new house, and putting things in the correct rooms before I could tell them where to put them. Then they started loading their furniture dollies with boxes all destined for the same room, which made their job quicker and easier, too.

 

[EarlyandLate]

Wow! That happened fast! Enjoy your new adventure and keep us posted!

 

[FlaMariner]

Welcome to Florida!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Like WR2 my last move was my 30th. I always marked the boxes with the room that they are going in but I don’t list the contents. I only had 60 boxes last time so I unpacked myself in a few hours.

 

[Scuba]

Congrats Scuba! So happy for your guys. Exciting times.

Please keep us posted!

ETA: I assume you will be closing all bank accounts and any vestige of California residence by year-end. Wise to do as tax authorities there are quite aggressive as I think you know.

Absolutely!!! We may still use our CA CPA for 2023 taxes since we spent most of the year there, and we aren’t ready to give up our CA-based Fidelity rep. But we are selling all real estate, closing local bank accounts, and registering vehicles, registering to vote, and getting drivers licenses and doctors in FL ASAP. And we will apply for the FL homestead exemption next January. I already resigned from all of my CA based volunteer Board positions as this is apparently one criteria the CA FTB uses to assert that you haven’t really left the state.

 

[Scuba]

Congratulations on selling your house so quickly! How terrific.



My last move (to my Dream Home) was my 30th move and you mentioned that you have moved a lot, too. I tried something for the first time in that 30th move, which I thought was tremendously helpful. Maybe you already do this, but if not, here it is:

As you pack up boxes, use a marker to number each one. Label all six sides of each box with that number, along with "Kitchen", "Den", or whatever room the box needs to go into, all in large letters.

Keep a separate list of box numbers and the major/important things that went into each box, on a piece of paper in your purse or whatever. Then right after the move, you can just glance at your list to find things you are looking for. You'll know right away which boxes to unpack first.

My movers worked so fast! I found that they were reading the labels at the new house, and putting things in the correct rooms before I could tell them where to put them. Then they started loading their furniture dollies with boxes all destined for the same room, which made their job quicker and easier, too.

Thank you for this suggestion, W2R! We have labeled boxes clearly in the past but haven’t kept track of contents in detail. Great idea!

 

[Scuba]

Thank you all for the good wishes and welcomes! We are very excited about our new chapter!

 

[audreyh1]

So I lost track on the other thread. Generally where in Florida did you find your neighborhood? Are you inland?

 

[dmpi]

Congratulations! It's a good feeling to sell you house so quickly. Cut all ties to CA and say goodbye to that state income tax.

 

[mystang52]

I gave up scuba diving quite a while back, but did most of my diving on our annual vacations in Fort Lauderdale. I can't speak to other parts of the state, but I can attest that the Fort Lauderdale area has lots of great diving sites.

 

[Scuba]

So I lost track on the other thread. Generally where in Florida did you find your neighborhood? Are you inland?

Lakewood Ranch. It’s a suburb of Sarasota, 30-45 minutes from the beach. We would have loved to have been on the beach or walking distance, but can’t tolerate the hurricane/flooding risk at this stage in our lives. We will be close enough to go often, but not so close that we’re in an evacuation or flood zone.

 

[Scuba]

Congratulations! It's a good feeling to sell you house so quickly. Cut all ties to CA and say goodbye to that state income tax.

That’s the plan!!

 

[Scuba]

I gave up scuba diving quite a while back, but did most of my diving on our annual vacations in Fort Lauderdale. I can't speak to other parts of the state, but I can attest that the Fort Lauderdale area has lots of great diving sites.

The best diving that isn’t really far from us will be the Blue Heron Bridge in W Palm Beach. But we will be a short plane ride to the Caribbean!

 

[Lewis Clark]

... As you pack up boxes, use a marker to number each one. Label all six sides of each box with that number, along with "Kitchen", "Den", or whatever room the box needs to go into, all in large letters.

Keep a separate list of box numbers and the major/important things that went into each box, on a piece of paper in your purse or whatever. Then right after the move, you can just glance at your list to find things you are looking for. You'll know right away which boxes to unpack first.

+1

We have done this on our relocations. Takes a bit of work on the front end, but it saves far more work on the back end because you can find things quickly. The ability to find things easily and quickly removes much of the moving stress for us.

 

[pb4uski]

Absolutely!!! We may still use our CA CPA for 2023 taxes since we spent most of the year there, and we aren’t ready to give up our CA-based Fidelity rep. But we are selling all real estate, closing local bank accounts, and registering vehicles, registering to vote, and getting drivers licenses and doctors in FL ASAP. And we will apply for the FL homestead exemption next January. I already resigned from all of my CA based volunteer Board positions as this is apparently one criteria the CA FTB uses to assert that you haven’t really left the state.

I suggest that you grow a Fidelity rep in Sarasota and change the addresses on all your Fidelity accounts and keep the CA-based Fidelity rep as well.

Don't wait until January to apply for FL homestead exemption, do it right way and it will buttress your case that you are a part year resident in CA in 2023.

 

[pb4uski]

Lakewood Ranch. It’s a suburb of Sarasota, 30-45 minutes from the beach. We would have loved to have been on the beach or walking distance, but can’t tolerate the hurricane/flooding risk at this stage in our lives. We will be close enough to go often, but not so close that we’re in an evacuation or flood zone.

Lakewood Ranch is wonderful. My PCP is there and I really like him. PM me if you would like his contact info. We go there occasionally for golf or dinner or a movie.

 

[Chuckanut]

Congratulations on your move and new lifestyle. All the best of many many years of scuba diving, fun and sun.