Today's post will be a digression from my usual complaints (audible sigh). Please don't think that my daily problems have been solved as they are certainly still in full swing from the stall in the sale of my house, issues finding a part-time job (rejection letter, anyone?) and my general crankiness about the turn our life has taken. I did not want you to get the impression that things were on the upswing here as I know how much you all count on me for adding a little 'happiness' into your life with my blogs. Remember what my friend told me about how when she is feeling down, she always finds solace in the fact that she is not me. Special, huh?
Okay, enough lead in. The crux of my trouble today is my son's four-wheeler. No, not the fact that my mom bought him this 'toy' that needs to be deemed the most obnoxiously loud and intrusive toy on the planet. Despite that ( and perhaps because I am going a little deaf from hearing it all the time), he loves to ride this four-wheeler so much and it gives him so much pleasure, I could never complain about it. Which leads me to the problem at hand. At less than a year old, it has already needed its tires replaced twice, had an issue with stalling, needing new parts and an engineering degree to replace them and now the silly thing will not go in reverse! I have called the manufacturer so many times that they greet me by name. My file is so long it never ceases to surprise the poor customer service rep who gets stuck with me on the phone. Today's call was no different except that now the expectation is that we bring this gigantic...and dirty...four-wheeler to a repair center as the rep cannot trouble shoot the issue over the phone. First, I am exasperated as it is less than a year old and has caused more trouble than my little guy himself plus, second, I have a 'thing' about my car and keeping it clean whereby it gets washed multiple times a week (perhaps once or twice it was even washed twice in one day) and now this toy needs to go in MY car? This is a big problem.
Basically, I am wildly annoyed that this very expensive toy has had such a problematic few months and that my usually busy little guy is wondering around like he lost his best friend...which also happened a week ago when his best friend moved off our block. What an annoying afternoon.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Deck Chairs
It has been a solid four weeks without one showing for our house and to say that I am ticked and frustrated is truly a gross understatement of the facts. Honestly, I spent a lot of time researching which realtor with whom to sign, plus I have spent countless hours de-personalizing our house and making it buyer friendly, whatever the heck that means these days (to me it means trying to be all things to all people all at the same time, a seemingly impossible task). I have consulted with said realtor, touted as the best in the business and the top seller in our area, who seems to offer nothing more than the standard 'everyone is facing this now, the market has changed' answer. Perhaps realistic enough, however, I find it terribly hard to believe that there is absolutely no one, nary a soul, looking in our price range right now who could be cajoled into coming to see our house. I mean four weeks is pretty long dry spell, no? No one in a month looking for a nice house, a fenced yard and a cul de sac location? While I don't have the answers, I am certainly trying to find a way to drive traffic into our home so I am looking for more than a pat answer.
Today I received a call from my realtor's assistant informing me that the new price sheets and new photo sheets were ready. She wanted to drop them off so that I could replace the old ones in our very pricey marketing folders we had made up for prospective buyers to take with them once they view our house. Interestingly, I had just replaced these pages a couple of weeks ago when we took the first (first being the operative word here and denoting a subsequent change as well) price reduction. She dropped them off to me and as I was replacing the pages in the same four folders that I had from a month ago, I could not help but remember a comment a friend made to me years ago regarding doing something that was simply 'busy work.' She said that is was like 'rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic.' I loved the line and have used it often since hearing it as it is so true. All the price changing, pretty marketing packets and de-personalization are all for naught if no one is coming to see the house in the first place. Color me cranky tonight.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
For Sale Sign
It seems we must have a lot of unrealized power in our city because the moment our For Sale sign went in the ground, we single-handedly shut down real estate sales in our neighborhood. Sales just dried up, nary a house was sold. I certainly hope whichever city is now experiencing a rise in home sales as a result will be grateful to us. You are welcome. Seriously, I find the entire selling process infuriating and frustrating. Not only do we have to open our homes to people we don't know (which is a bitter enough pill for me to swallow) but adding insult to injury, we need to deal with criticism, buyers not showing up after appointments were confirmed and price reductions. I wish we could go back to the time when the owner and the potential buyer sat down together to negotiate a sale thus relegating the realtor, if one was even being used, to a secondary position in the process. My mom sold my childhood home for a good price and a mozzarella (the buyers owned an Italian deli), no realtor present to hamper or chime in on that interesting negotiation.
Today, even the process of scheduling a showing has become a nuisance because appointments are made via computer. Should be easier, right? Not so much because if you cannot make an appointment, you need to check the box for 'denied.' It even sounds negative and foreboding. Hey, wait a minute. I am not denying any potential buyer entrance to my home but I might need to schedule the showing for a different time, no? Then you need to call your realtor, who in turn needs to contact the potential buyer's realtor, who then submits yet another computerized request and the process starts all over again. Can't we just discuss a mutually acceptable time on the phone and eliminate all this back and forth? It drives me crazy.
Now that I have already alienated myself from realtors in general, allow me to further dig my grave by adding that some realtors have permitted the buyers to totally dominate the entire process of selling a home. I am certainly not saying that a buyers's preferences in a new home be discounted, however, it would be nice to have your house sold to a buyer and not merely shown. Not every potential buyer has a rigid list of likes and dislikes, some can be persuaded to see homes that do not have everything they want in it or perhaps, with the right salesperson, a buyer might see potential in a home that he might have otherwise discounted. Before the advent of the MLS system, realtors were the keeper of the keys, so to speak. They had the photos, the prices and specs on the homes you needed to see. Now, since we are all so computer-oriented and live in a 'more is more' society, we look over the photos online (sometimes as many as 32 photos) and then tell the realtor which homes we want to see. In my opinion, this is the reason why some realtors have moved from a need to sell to a desire to show mode. Oftentimes, a buyer has a preconceived idea about a house from all the photos and information he has seen online about it, but it takes a good salesperson to encourage him to see it and perhaps make the sale despite the initial reservations.
So it seems that I am again mired in something, not by unemployment any longer, but by the state of the real estate market. My friend, who is as opinionated as I am, often jokes that if we ruled the world, things would definitely run more smoothly. I would agree that her sentiment is quite ego maniacal and outrageous, but some days I certainly would like to give it a try.
Today, even the process of scheduling a showing has become a nuisance because appointments are made via computer. Should be easier, right? Not so much because if you cannot make an appointment, you need to check the box for 'denied.' It even sounds negative and foreboding. Hey, wait a minute. I am not denying any potential buyer entrance to my home but I might need to schedule the showing for a different time, no? Then you need to call your realtor, who in turn needs to contact the potential buyer's realtor, who then submits yet another computerized request and the process starts all over again. Can't we just discuss a mutually acceptable time on the phone and eliminate all this back and forth? It drives me crazy.
Now that I have already alienated myself from realtors in general, allow me to further dig my grave by adding that some realtors have permitted the buyers to totally dominate the entire process of selling a home. I am certainly not saying that a buyers's preferences in a new home be discounted, however, it would be nice to have your house sold to a buyer and not merely shown. Not every potential buyer has a rigid list of likes and dislikes, some can be persuaded to see homes that do not have everything they want in it or perhaps, with the right salesperson, a buyer might see potential in a home that he might have otherwise discounted. Before the advent of the MLS system, realtors were the keeper of the keys, so to speak. They had the photos, the prices and specs on the homes you needed to see. Now, since we are all so computer-oriented and live in a 'more is more' society, we look over the photos online (sometimes as many as 32 photos) and then tell the realtor which homes we want to see. In my opinion, this is the reason why some realtors have moved from a need to sell to a desire to show mode. Oftentimes, a buyer has a preconceived idea about a house from all the photos and information he has seen online about it, but it takes a good salesperson to encourage him to see it and perhaps make the sale despite the initial reservations.
So it seems that I am again mired in something, not by unemployment any longer, but by the state of the real estate market. My friend, who is as opinionated as I am, often jokes that if we ruled the world, things would definitely run more smoothly. I would agree that her sentiment is quite ego maniacal and outrageous, but some days I certainly would like to give it a try.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
With Age Comes Wisdom?
My mood today is as conflicted as our weather du jour, stormy with a minute or two of sun but then back to the dark, black clouds. The past five years (yup, we have been living here that long now) have been such a roller coaster ride but it seems that for the past three, we have been rolling down the track at breakneck speed, no new climb in the tracks ahead let alone any plateau at all. We seem to be living in a time of our lives devoid of calm, consistency or stability. It frustrates me 24/7 and despite constantly trying to change our situation in countless ways, we seem to be stuck in the downward spiral with a Munch's 'The Scream' look plastered on my face. Pretty visual, no?
In the ever lengthening list of things that tend to annoy me of late, I have discovered that change is one of them which surprises me as I have always embraced it, often seeking change over staying put or sticking with the safer option. I suppose I craved change because it often happened selectively so that I could manage it, even savor the feeling of the difference or newness of the change. Right now, there are too many things changing at once and none by choice, just necessity. Aren't I all sugar and spice today? Some days I feel as though I really could use a drink (nope, migraine trigger), a month long vacation (too expensive) or simply some calm (too elusive, but I think just what the doctor might order).
If only a doctor could write a prescription for calm, but I bet the pharmacy would probably be sold out already with the luck we have been having of late. Hopefully soon, the winds of change will turn and blow some positive energy our way because all this negative energy is really draining. I saw this quote on FB and thought it really summed up my life right now. I am, however, eagerly awaiting the day when it will not be so applicable.
"God never gives you more than you can handle. Apparently, these days God thinks I am a bad-ass!"
In the ever lengthening list of things that tend to annoy me of late, I have discovered that change is one of them which surprises me as I have always embraced it, often seeking change over staying put or sticking with the safer option. I suppose I craved change because it often happened selectively so that I could manage it, even savor the feeling of the difference or newness of the change. Right now, there are too many things changing at once and none by choice, just necessity. Aren't I all sugar and spice today? Some days I feel as though I really could use a drink (nope, migraine trigger), a month long vacation (too expensive) or simply some calm (too elusive, but I think just what the doctor might order).
If only a doctor could write a prescription for calm, but I bet the pharmacy would probably be sold out already with the luck we have been having of late. Hopefully soon, the winds of change will turn and blow some positive energy our way because all this negative energy is really draining. I saw this quote on FB and thought it really summed up my life right now. I am, however, eagerly awaiting the day when it will not be so applicable.
"God never gives you more than you can handle. Apparently, these days God thinks I am a bad-ass!"
Friday, June 28, 2013
On The Market
Selling a home is never easy but it seems that my husband and I have made the difficult sale an art form. The one exception to this was the time we sold our house to my mom and the transaction was akin to my mom asking what it was being listed for and then saying she would pay that price. A once in a lifetime dream come true. Our house went on the market two weeks ago and, believe me, I already know that this sale is not going to come as easily as the one I made with my mom. Given our outright lack of luck for the past three and a half years, it really should not have surprised me when putting our house on the market single-handedly shut down the sales of homes in our area. Prior to our joining the 'for sale' group, houses were selling like hotcakes in our development for listing price and above. We shut that down the day the hole was dug for our sign. I am a realtor.com hound even when we are not selling, so I am keenly aware of market trends and priced my house below the recently 'sold' competition for a quick sale. Ha!
I spoke with my realtor last night looking for some insight as to why we are stalled and not showing and I must admit her answer surprised and annoyed me. She said that she has spoken to a couple of the realtors who have showed my house and they concur that it is really more of a 'theme-house' (like Disney World or Wisconsin Dells???) because of all the inlaid hardwood floors and lack of carpet. Wait a minute! Did she mean to tell me that people would prefer to live on someone else's old carpet instead of beautiful hardwood floors? Has no one thought to mention that a potential buyer could put area rugs over the wood floors? Have anyone ever seen an episode of House Hunters on HGTV where the potential buyers are looking for carpet instead of hardwood? This is a bitter pill to swallow and I must say that for me it begs the question whether realtors simply show a house or actually try to sell a house because I find it hard to believe that a potential buyer would not even come to see my home because of a lack of carpet.
I suppose I am even crankier about this because all the homes I am looking at are filled with exactly what I detest...the dreaded wall-to-wall carpet. The last thing I want to be doing is replacing carpet, but it seems it is the first thing that will need to be on my list when we eventually move. My realtor suggested that perhaps our buyer will need to be someone who is being transferred to our area, someone who is not 'offended' by hardwoods. So, the way I am interpreting her suggestion is that we need someone from out of town (state?) with an open-mind when it comes to flooring options and who is not over-sensitive nor 'offended' by beautiful inlaid wood floors. What are the odds?
I spoke with my realtor last night looking for some insight as to why we are stalled and not showing and I must admit her answer surprised and annoyed me. She said that she has spoken to a couple of the realtors who have showed my house and they concur that it is really more of a 'theme-house' (like Disney World or Wisconsin Dells???) because of all the inlaid hardwood floors and lack of carpet. Wait a minute! Did she mean to tell me that people would prefer to live on someone else's old carpet instead of beautiful hardwood floors? Has no one thought to mention that a potential buyer could put area rugs over the wood floors? Have anyone ever seen an episode of House Hunters on HGTV where the potential buyers are looking for carpet instead of hardwood? This is a bitter pill to swallow and I must say that for me it begs the question whether realtors simply show a house or actually try to sell a house because I find it hard to believe that a potential buyer would not even come to see my home because of a lack of carpet.
I suppose I am even crankier about this because all the homes I am looking at are filled with exactly what I detest...the dreaded wall-to-wall carpet. The last thing I want to be doing is replacing carpet, but it seems it is the first thing that will need to be on my list when we eventually move. My realtor suggested that perhaps our buyer will need to be someone who is being transferred to our area, someone who is not 'offended' by hardwoods. So, the way I am interpreting her suggestion is that we need someone from out of town (state?) with an open-mind when it comes to flooring options and who is not over-sensitive nor 'offended' by beautiful inlaid wood floors. What are the odds?
Friday, June 21, 2013
The Midas Touch
It has been awhile since my last post because with the children home from school, I find my time is no longer my own as my chauffeuring and chef duties have multiplied tenfold (at least). In addition, with all the constant chatter going on and the seemingly endless stream of questions I answer all day long, I cannot stand to hear the words in my head even if I had an idea for a blog post. I feel as though I am in a constant quest for '5 minutes of silence.' That said, as I sit outside in the Florida-like humidity (yuck) and stare at my For Sale sign, I cannot help but wonder why homes were selling like hot cakes in my area, specifically in my development, until ours hit the market and now sales have come to a halt so screeching loud that it is deafening. WTH? Not only were homes selling quickly, but they were selling for list price and one even had multiple offers. Sadly, we have never had luck when selling a home...our first house sold for less than we had paid for it after three (yes, three) years on the market and we were thrilled to get what we did. Talk about torture.
The most annoying part of trying to sell this house after our awful and ill-fated attempt at moving to Boston last year, is the fact that I painstakingly copied the colors and decor of the houses that I had seen so as to make this house blend in and be more saleable when we needed to move. The joke is on me, huh? I just don't get it as we cannot win for losing. If we have hardwood, potential buyers want carpet, if we had carpet, they would want tile. Whatever happened to the time when a buyer would purchase a house and then remodel or repaint after moving in. It seems that these days every potential buyer wants the homeowner to have designed the home for their needs prior to purchase. I asked my realtor not to give me feedback after a showing unless there was an egregious concern because I am sick and tired of people telling me that they don't like my ceiling fan or that my inlaid wood floors are 'offensive'...yep, I really heard that one last year.
So as my signs swings in the breeze, I wonder what it is going to take to sell this house without losing anymore money as we are already selling for less than we bought it for and doing so does not feel any better the second time around. Trust me. One thing is for sure though, in my next house, I am painting and doing whatever I want because I know that when it comes to selling, it really is all a crap shoot in the end. I might as well enjoy my house, my way while I live there.
Anyone want to buy a nice house?
The most annoying part of trying to sell this house after our awful and ill-fated attempt at moving to Boston last year, is the fact that I painstakingly copied the colors and decor of the houses that I had seen so as to make this house blend in and be more saleable when we needed to move. The joke is on me, huh? I just don't get it as we cannot win for losing. If we have hardwood, potential buyers want carpet, if we had carpet, they would want tile. Whatever happened to the time when a buyer would purchase a house and then remodel or repaint after moving in. It seems that these days every potential buyer wants the homeowner to have designed the home for their needs prior to purchase. I asked my realtor not to give me feedback after a showing unless there was an egregious concern because I am sick and tired of people telling me that they don't like my ceiling fan or that my inlaid wood floors are 'offensive'...yep, I really heard that one last year.
So as my signs swings in the breeze, I wonder what it is going to take to sell this house without losing anymore money as we are already selling for less than we bought it for and doing so does not feel any better the second time around. Trust me. One thing is for sure though, in my next house, I am painting and doing whatever I want because I know that when it comes to selling, it really is all a crap shoot in the end. I might as well enjoy my house, my way while I live there.
Anyone want to buy a nice house?
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
3-2-1 Summer Break
By this time tomorrow morning, I will be gearing up to head to school to listen to the Excellence In Attendance Awards and to cry like a baby when that noon bell rings signifying not only the start of summer vacation, but the start of my oldest's senior year in HS and my 'next in line's' freshman year. I realized this morning as I was mentally preparing myself for my oldest's three week college boarding adventure this summer (and wondering how I was going to keep it together so as not to embarrass him at drop off) that his venture into college next year will not be only a physical separation but an academic one as well for me. You see, the two of us are in perfect academic sync; he loves to share the details of his classes and we discuss his written essays and plans for projects and I love to listen and discuss things with him. We have a mutually beneficially relationship where he is totally invested in his academics, but he loves the process of working things through with me and he allows me to be involved in his choices. I would love to take credit for this fabulous approach but he came to this decision early on in lower school all by himself along with his desire to become an attorney and he never deviated from either plan over the years.
His brother, however, the all too soon-to-be freshman takes a completely different approach to school. Though quite the intellectual powerhouse, this son believes the whole 'tell mom about your academic day' thing is way over-rated, perhaps even preposterous. When my oldest and I are deep in discussion about an essay on Machiavelli or the merits of using one quote from Plato over another, my other son regards us with an eye roll and a smirk, often reminding me that we will definitely not be doing the same thing once he gets to high school.
Truth be known, I eagerly embrace the differences in all my children and I love the unique relationship I have with each. That said, not only will I mourn my academic relationship with my oldest when he is away at college, but I am a tad terrified of how I will be handling my other son throughout his high school years. I must admit though, what he lacks in sharing on the school front with me, he more than makes up for with his endless discussions about all things computer-related. He might not seek me out to discuss an essay, but he certainly comes to find me to tell me a joke or a story.
So, although the weather is certainly not befitting the last days of school before summer break, by tomorrow at noon the bell will have rung, my tears will have been shed and my children will be chattering on about the fact that they are now 'rising ___________ (fill in the appropriate grade).' Let the games begin! Hello, summer 2013.
His brother, however, the all too soon-to-be freshman takes a completely different approach to school. Though quite the intellectual powerhouse, this son believes the whole 'tell mom about your academic day' thing is way over-rated, perhaps even preposterous. When my oldest and I are deep in discussion about an essay on Machiavelli or the merits of using one quote from Plato over another, my other son regards us with an eye roll and a smirk, often reminding me that we will definitely not be doing the same thing once he gets to high school.
Truth be known, I eagerly embrace the differences in all my children and I love the unique relationship I have with each. That said, not only will I mourn my academic relationship with my oldest when he is away at college, but I am a tad terrified of how I will be handling my other son throughout his high school years. I must admit though, what he lacks in sharing on the school front with me, he more than makes up for with his endless discussions about all things computer-related. He might not seek me out to discuss an essay, but he certainly comes to find me to tell me a joke or a story.
So, although the weather is certainly not befitting the last days of school before summer break, by tomorrow at noon the bell will have rung, my tears will have been shed and my children will be chattering on about the fact that they are now 'rising ___________ (fill in the appropriate grade).' Let the games begin! Hello, summer 2013.
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