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April 5, 2014
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April Affirmation – Or the Next Installment of “Sell This House”

We started with the February Focus, where we worked and cleaned and repaired and decluttered and replaced and updated and generally went nuts over our house. A new faucet went in, two new light fixtures were installed, and several hundred pounds of books and other items were either donated or taken to our storage facility. It was a chore, but we did it.

February turned to March, and we set off on our March Mission. We studied the real estate market in our area, went over comps with our realtor, and settled on a fair asking price. We filled out the appropriate paperwork, rewrote the realtor’s listing, and held our breath as the listing went live.

There have been showings scheduled, often times at the last minute. The house has been cleaner and tidier than it has ever been, including the day I bought it. There has not been a single dish left out, a single unmade bed, a single toothpaste speck on a mirror. Every morning blinds are opened, beds are made, sinks, counters, and toilets are touched up, and doors are opened wide. Music from an easy listening channel plays each day from the televisions throughout the house, making the atmosphere as inviting as a model home. Still, no bites.

This is the artist’s drawing of the new homes being built near my house.

Ok, I know there’s a construction site out the front window. I do. I don’t like it that much either. So I did the research and found the preliminary layout and landscaping plan online. I printed it out, alongside a short article that explains the development. These two printouts are on my kitchen island, next to the lovely flyers my sweetheart created. Turns out that it’s a community of “Casita” style homes, all one story, mostly single units, but some side-by-side doubles. It looks likes it’s going to be hip and modern and lovely. You just can’t tell yet from the piles of dirt and heavy equipment out my front window.

Now it’s April, and I’m in the process of working on my April Affirmation. The house will sell soon at a reasonable price. This is the affirmation. In fact I even gave it a date. Tax day. Why not? We will have a reasonable offer by April 15. This is the revised affirmation. I need to believe this. I also need to consider adjusting the price. After all, you can’t fall in love with a house if you don’t come see it, and you won’t come see it if you think it’s out of your price range, right? So I’m giving this careful consideration, all the while repeating, “there will be a reasonable offer by April 15.”

If anyone would care to join in the positive thinking, I would be most grateful. I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life saga.

March 8, 2014
by BulgingButtons 6 Comments

Hawai’i Revisited or Where Shall I Live?

This afternoon I came home to find the tv on public television. My son was in the other room playing a video game and my sweetheart was steaming the tile floor in the living room. It appeared that the dog was enjoying the show, though. I don’t blame her.

Our PBS station is doing one of their fund drives, and today they aired a beautiful show about Hawai’i. It was mainly just scenery with some Hawai’ian music and commentary from various authorities on different aspects of Hawai’i and Hawai’ian culture, such as historians, botanists, surfers, and so on. It was breath-taking.

The program took me right back to my winter vacation where I had the pleasure of visiting this paradise on earth. I loved it there. The climate, the scenery, the beaches, the people, all were incredible. I hope to go back someday.

The whole experience makes me think about why we live where we do. I live in the desert southwest. I wasn’t raised here. I was raised in a wonderful old rust belt city known for chicken wings and blizzards. It is a fantastic town and a great place to visit every summer. It does have a few issues, though, the snow being one of them.

Many years ago I decided that I didn’t want to live there anymore. I wanted to live in the sunshine. I wanted to live where people could make a living doing what they wanted to do without having to know twenty people to get a job. I wanted to live in a place where the economy was growing, not dying. Things change, including the economy, but I’ve never regretted my decision to leave my hometown.

I’ve been in my adopted state for over two decades, and I still love it, but I love Hawai’i too. Would I like to live there? I might. Yes, it’s pretty far from the rest of the world, but I imagine loved ones would make the effort to visit. Why wouldn’t they? Oh yes, the cost and distance. I like Texas too. I never spent much time there until I met my sweetheart, but since then we’ve been there three times, and each time I’ve liked it more. I could picture myself living there too, where the summers aren’t quite as harsh as they are here.

Still, this has become my home, and I really like it. My son was born here and his father and grandparents live here. I’m in no hurry to pull up stakes and start again elsewhere. I have friends here and a career. Still, maybe someday I’ll go somewhere else. I’m hardly a rolling stone, but I’m not rooted to one spot either.

February 28, 2014
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

March Mission – Sell This House

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Okay, I know this is pretty much a repeat of “February Focus – Sell This House” but it’s not the same. For one thing, the focus has turned to March. For another thing, now it’s a mission. See the difference?

It took a good chunk of February just to get the house ready to show, but it’s show-worthy now. It was only listed one week ago, so the fact that it hasn’t sold yet isn’t a giant shock, especially since that damn damn construction site across the street is in full swing. Even so, it will be the perfect house for someone, and that someone may step through the door tomorrow.

I like having the house clutter free. I like having the blinds open (my sweetheart does not, so I usually indulge him, but it looks better with them open, even the realtor said so). I like the calm feeling I have walking through a house that isn’t scattered with mail and magazines and dog toys and laundry waiting to be put away.

As much as I like it, I’m ready for it to be over. My morning routine is long enough without adding in a few more chores and a once over to make sure everything is clean and in place. I’m ready for our buyer to find the house. This is the weekend. It’s time for them to come home.