Shirl Kennedy

I Am Moved

Shirley Duglin Kennedy

I recently moved into a new house. An old house, actually, but it is new to me. I have done way too much moving in the past year; number two son pointed out to me that I have lived in four different places in just over 12 months. This is not a lifestyle I would recommend to anyone, and it is certainly not something I chose voluntarily. Nevertheless, finally, I am in a house of my own again, and I anticipate staying here for awhile.

Let me tell you, the cable modem service was up and running before my furniture even got here…and before I had it turned off at my old place.

Most of what had to be accomplished in conjunction with buying a house and moving was doable on the Internet – faster and easier than it could have been done any other way, though not without a few glitches. Learn from my experience. Here is what I did:

Received a steady stream of potential houses to look at from my Realtor via the local Multiple Listing Service e-mail system. Looked at other houses on various online real estate sites.
Checked the county property appraiser’s database repeatedly to find previous selling prices and what other homes in the same area had sold for.
Kept tabs on mortgage interest rates at Bankrate.com and watched the various economic indicators.
Shipped PDF documents (bank statements, etc.) to my mortgage lender. (I did not shop for a mortgage online, although many people do. I used my previous lender…with whom I have a personal relationship, since he bought my previous house.)
Looked at an online FEMA flood map and confirmed that yes, I was buying in an AE zone. (Don’t ask.) Welcome to Northeast St. Petersburg. Flood insurance required.
Read about flood insurance online and learned that premiums are set by the federal government, so there is no sense in shopping around for this. (Shopping around for regular homeowner’s insurance is critical. If you can’t find a company that will take you – and this is not unusual in Florida, since insurers have been falling all over themselves to limit their exposure here since Hurricane Andrew in 1994 – you will end up in the state “pool”…which is kind of like purgatory…only worse. Found out none of the online insurance services would provide homeowners’ quotes for Florida. Had to do the telephone thing.)
Checked financial stability of potential homeowner’s insurance company online at A.M. Best, and its track record at the state Office of Insurance Regulation website.
Received appraisal and home inspection reports as e-mail attachments.
Received homeowner’s and flood insurance applications as e-mail attachments.
Took pictures of house with camera phone and sent them to my brother via e-mail.
Stayed in touch with Realtor (vital, since I was out of town for a week at a conference during the height of the chaos). How in the world did the real estate profession function in the days before the Internet?
Compared prices for rental trucks. Found the best deal and made a reservation. (And in spite of the confirmation I had printed out from the Internet, there was no truck for me the morning of the move. I had to drive halfway across the county to another location and throw a tantrum to get one. Word to the wise: Do not take Internet reservations for granted.)
Coordinated the timing of the move with all the folks who would be helping out, via e-mail (and, alas, nagging phone calls to number one son who does not check his e-mail regularly).
Used packing boxes I’ve saved from last move that were originally purchased via eBay (where I tracked down a local supplier so I could pick them up rather than paying a small fortune to have them shipped to me).
Checked bank accounts online repeatedly to make sure I could cover all the checks I was writing. Moved money around as needed, like a digital riverboat gambler.
Ordered cashier’s check for the closing and arranged to have it overnighted to my office.
Changed mailing address with the USPS. (Note: They charge $1.00 for the “convenience” of doing it online.)
Changed mailing addresses for newspapers and magazines.
Changed mailing addresses for banks, insurance companies, etc.
Arranged to have electrical service stopped at old address and started at new address. Not all utilities offer this convenience yet. I had to take care of water/sewer/trash, landline and cable TV…gasp…over the phone.
Ordered new checks from bank.
Changed addresses on my driver’s license and vehicle registration. (The state hits you up for $3.00 for the convenience of doing it online, but it beats the heck out of trying to do it in person at the DMV…where you will kill half a day and risk your sanity. Let’s hear it for eGovernment!)
Found online tutorial on how to install a pet door and learned I would have to buy a larger model because one of my two cats is…wide load.
Used online mapping services to help people locate and drive to my new place -- with limited success, since the streets are kind of convoluted around here due to canals, etc. (Flood insurance required.) Next-door neighbor assured me this is desirable, “since nobody comes back here who doesn’t live here.” This was right before he asked for help with his computer, after seeing the array of electronics boxes being carried into my house…Dell, Samsung, Netgear…. “It looks like you must know something about computers.” Who, me?
Used online directories and corporate websites to locate the closest bagel shop, pizza delivery chain outlets, Subway, Chinese take-out, liquor store with decent wine and beer selection, etc.
Sent “here’s where I am now” e-mails to family, friends and anyone else who needs to know my new address.

And so here I sit in my new living room, typing away -- windows open, enjoying balmy Florida January night (sorry…couldn’t resist) and wireless broadband Internet connection. Home sweet home.

-----

Shirl Kennedy is the reference librarian at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. She has been a .com, a .net, a .org, a .us and a .edu. Now she is a .mil. But the best way to reach her is at sdk@reporters.net.