The Big Disappointment

Today I met with a realtor.  She was very personable, informative and realistic.  She also made me so depressed I can't stand it.

I knew the market was bad and I knew that I would have to give my house away to an extent.  I didn't realize that I would have to pay to get rid of it.

Yes, I will have to bring a bit of money to the table.  I am basically only going to get what I paid for my house 16 years ago.  It has not made any money.  None. Zip.  Zero.   Oh, yeah….and I have money that I still have to drop into the house to actually get it ready to sell.

I have never felt so depressed in my life.   I have been close to tears for the last 2 hours.  Yet, I still have to sell my house.   Oh yeah, and buy a house.   You know that retirement I've been saving for….  *sigh*

Superstitions and Miracles.

In my youth, I recall several times when my parents sold homes and moved.  The most vivid one included a young 12 year old me being shipped off to camp for 9 weeks over the summer.  It would not be an easy task to keep a house clean with a pre-pubescent, bored child in the house.  Those 9 weeks at Harand Theatre Camp in Elkhart Lake, WI, were good weeks and I still have a friend that I am lucky to be in touch with via Facebook.

One of the things I learned from my Jewish mother (this being said slightly tongue in cheek considering my children are presently munching quite happily on their Easter treats-this was not learned from my Catholic husband) was the power of St. Joseph.  

I have recollections of my mother burying St. Joseph, head down, in a corner of our yard, when she was attempting home sales.   My mother would sing "Thank Goodness for St. Joseph" in the tune of the baby aspirin commercials.   Whether St. Joseph assisted her in these sales, I will never know.  I did consider his holiness the last time I attempted to sell my home but I never made my way to the Catholic Bookstore to search out the little man of faith.

And then came AMAZON.   

Who would think that there were so many versions of our little helper out there?  So last Wednesday, with a giggle and a click, I sent for our man St. Joseph.  Three days later….there he be.

So now the conundrum begins….

Where do I place him?  Should I wait until our house is on the market or do I use this holiest of Christian holidays as a day of prayer to our friend  Saint Joseph?

I in no way want to minimize the Catholic beliefs in the power of their Saints.  I also feel that since my Jewish mother felt there was a power in these prayers, I too, feel the need to use it as it was meant.  I will pray to him and bury my little friend in the hopes that he will look down in my favor.   I hope you all will too.

The Unending Clean

How is it that I clean the house and destruction follows in my path?  I clean and clean and clean and yet….my house is a still mess?  I feel almost like pig pen….dust surrounds me.

I am feeling overwhelmed.  If I can't keep my house clean for over an hour how in the hell will I keep it clean for days, months at a time.  The thought is a bit daunting.

My children are starting to hear the mantra drilled into their heads.  "Is that where that belongs?"  "Scrape, rinse, place into the dishwasher".  "CLEAN YOUR ROOM!"  I then walk into my room… God, help me.

The carpets we cleaned are slowly wicking larger, darker spots into view.  The kitchen floor is grungy with puppy prints.  The air is masked with perfumed oils.  The brand new hand towel in the half bath is covered in chocolate shmears.   OH THE HUMANITY!

I would kill you for a maid.  Really.  Given the choice it would be the maid over you any day.   *sigh*

The Big Move! The life and times of a frazzled Mom trying to sell her house!

                                     

Here goes nothing.  I want to pre-empt my blog by saying, "I'm a crappy writer".  I was not meant to write so please be kind.

Here is my diary of my attempt to sell my house and purchase another.  It's a scary proposition!

To begin. My husband and I built our "starter house" in 1995.  We felt the area was quiet.  Close to my job.  Within our budget and perfect to start out with.  With that being said….it is now 2011.  So much for a starter house.

This is not our first attempt to sell the house.  Chris and I tried to put the house on the market over 5 years ago.  We weren't in any hurry and felt that it was the perfect time to sell.   Of course it wasn't that simple.   Our realtor was a quantity seller.  She didn't get that we didn't want to rush a sale.   Every week we would be told that we needed to drop the price, drop the price, drop the price.
She didn't know our area and didn't "sell it".

In my frustration, we took the house off the market and then proceeded to just deal.

Our home was perfect for a young married couple but it wasn't quite meant for school aged kids.  Our school system is pretty poor.  The middle school is "the most violent school in Wake County" and our HS is within the top 10.
Luckily, we had the ability to get our kids in decent magnet schools and now a new change has come requiring us to sell our home.

We are fortunate to have my father in the area but as he has aged his health has waxed and waned.  My husband and I have decided to find a home that could accommodate my father and so starts our need to sell, sell, sell.

So how does one sell a house?  Your guess is as good as mine.  We have the original heating and air.  The original hot water heater, old carpeting and the normal wear and tear of a 16 year old home.

I have started the closet cleaning.  The purging/vomiting of the home. We have replaced ALL our window screens.

Today we had our carpets cleaned.  YAY!!!   They actually look pretty good for old kid/doggie riddled carpeting!

We are slowly getting our house seller ready.   We must replace our back door and HARDEST of all.  Find a decent realtor!!!