Markets Don't Matter, Karma Does

Share

('’)

by Michele Williams
on Saturday, January 07, 2012

Sometimes in life things come together at exactly the right time. That happened for my husband and me in 2011, and it's how I came to live in both Asheville and Burnsville. It went like this ...

The year started off slowly. My job in Florida was stressful. My husband and I were bummed that we couldn't spend more time in North Carolina, where we had built a vacation/retirement home. Then, in the Spring we made a big decision: Let's spruce up the Cocoa Beach house and put it for sale, just to see what happens ... let's not worry about the lifeless housing market. Over the next few months Mike remodeled both bathrooms, painted inside and out, and did general maintenance on the house. I think maybe getting the house ready is what set the karma in motion.

When the work was mostly done, we decided to take a trip to the mountains. On our last day there, I was surfing the web over coffee, and ran across a company in Asheville with an open position ... in my field. You Ashevillians know that the job market here is heavily weighted toward the service industry. I'm an engineer, and there was an opening in my field. I couldn't believe my eyes. I ignored the fact that I had over 20 years MORE experience than the 2 to 3 that were desired. On our drive back to Florida I reworked my resume, and Mike and I crafted a cover letter that would hopefully convince the company that they really wanted an experienced person, not a new grad. When we were finished, we pulled up next to a motel at an exit somewhere in South Carolina and sent them off! Thanks for the WiFi Best Western!

By that time we were talking about which realtors to interview. We finally met with two, well, really three ... one individual and one couple. Mike began the last major chore ... patching and painting the garage walls and ceiling, in the heat of summer.Then I got an e-mail from the Asheville company ... was I going to be in the area any time soon? You bet I was! We jumped in the car and headed North. On the way up we decided to hire the realtor couple and we ended up signing the contract and faxing it from North Carolina. My interview went well. I really liked the guys (if hired, I would be the only woman) and my background seemed close enough to what they wanted. Mike and I started crossing our fingers and toes.

While driving home that Monday, we got a call from the realtors. They already had seven appointments for showings. Now you need to understand, while we had done a nice job of remodeling ... hardwood floors,etc. ... our house was not new (built in 1964), it did not have high ceilings, it wasn't all that big (2500 sq. ft. including garage), the house next door had been abandoned, and did I mention that it was in Florida? But it had this fantastic back yard, with pool, view, and a huge laurel oak. Anyway, later in the day the realtor called back to say that a couple had looked around the outside of the house, wanted to see the inside on Tuesday, and was expected to make an offer. Wow. Long story short, they made a great cash offer that we accepted, and get this ... we closed on that Friday! Following the closing, the buyers thanked us for making their first home purchase so easy and pleasant. They said the house just had the "right feel." Good karma all around.

As for the job, well, I had to provide a lot of information and I even had to take a little quiz over the phone. I decided beforehand not to take it too seriously. If they wanted me they'd hire me. And they did just that. Karma.

So I resigned from my job, we packed up the house, moved into our home outside Burnsville, and found a little condo in Asheville for me to live in during the week. I ended up moving to a small cabin in North Asheville a couple of months later ... I'm just not the condo type.The funny thing was that I had tried to rent the cabin right at first, but the tenant had changed her mind about moving. Then, after a string of sleepless nights listening to the guy upstairs move furniture around late into every night, I'd had enough. I called the property agent that manages the little cabin and asked if she had any houses available. She told me in a stunned voice that the cabin had become available as of the night before. We moved out of the condo and into the cabin within the week. More karma.

It turns out that living in two places is a lot of fun! During the week I go to work, take fiddle and clogging lessons, go to the climbing gym, get a massage, and go out to dinner with Mike (he comes to town with the dogs in tow a couple of nights each week). Asheville has so much to offer and we are just beginning to discover it. On the weekends, we hike and I take lots of photos. Mike works in his shop. We have steaks on the grill. We watch sunsets over the Black Mountains. Then on Monday morning, I'm off to Asheville again. I'm getting used to the rhythm of this new existence, and it's turning out to be quite wonderful. I'm looking forward to sharing it through this blog.

I wish everyone health and happiness, and good karma, in 2012.

Content Source: blog.michelewilliamsphotography.com

Comments

About the Author - Michele Williams

Contact Michele Williams:

Learn more about Michele.