08/28/2024
So … Having consulted with my personal accountant, marketing guru, motivation coach, investment partner, and spouse (all the same person), I am able to disclose at this time that as of last Thursday’s home inspection and Friday’s editing and release of the resulting inspection report, I am officially retired as a self-employed home inspector in North Carolina, having spent the last nine years in the business.
As my longstanding friends and family are aware, this was my 2nd career, having spent the preceding 35 years working in the newspaper trade - 1st as a reporter, then editor, then operations executive.
Now I’m putting both careers behind me to noodle over my new priorities. First, I’ll be re-doubling efforts to finish construction on son Joel’s so-called “Dog House” - which he and I have been assembling for two years worth of weekends. Now I’ll go at it full time (still with Joel’s assistance on his days off), with a goal of finishing it in about eight months.
After that, I’ll be heading to Maine to work on our cabin and start building a second one. I mean, what’s retirement without a couple of cabins to keep you busy, right? Can’t wait for family and friends to visit and help me remember what "relaxing" is supposed to feel like.
I should say, before settling in to my new life, that I loved working with my referring real estate agents and their clients over the years. They were the best! I’m really going to miss those daily chats where I tried to convince them that "Yes, a family of raccoons living in your attic is, in fact, a problem."
So yeah, I’m saying goodbye to home inspections, but hello to a whole new set of adventures. Wish me luck—because I’m gonna need it!
