I think C put it best in the wee hours of this morning when he said “even my skin hurts.”
Yesterday was a VERY long day for us as it was our last official day in our house. At 4 p.m. the movers came to take the final load to storage and I packed up the trusty Hondamatic with some more boxes (mostly cleaning supplies, empty boxes that need to be trashed, etc…). Then my job was to wait for the realtor and the new owners to come do the walkthrough at 6. C went with the movers. Well here it was quarter to 5. I poured myself a well deserved glass of wine and caught up on some email, when C texted (is this a word?) me.
“Did you empty the Hondamatic yet?”
What was he talking about? He never said anything about driving the stuff over to the other house and unpacking. And I was in no frame of mind to think clearly. Shoot. This was bad. So somehow, in rush hour traffic, I flew to my grandmother’s with my car packed to the brim, unpacked it and got home with 15 minutes to spare before the walkthrough. Not really sure how that happened, but it did.
Then the fun really began. We ate pizza on our kitchen floor since we had no furniture – but I did manage to find the salt and pepper (I always know what is in what box when I pack them). Then more trips. C’s truck and my SUV packed back and forth, back and forth. It was tiring, yes. Moving the giant man-sized TV – even tougher but we did it - together. I’ll admit, while I have been pretty focused and pushing myself harder than I usually do throughout this process last night I was sore, exhausted and borderline moody. it was bound to happen. Let's just say at about midnight I curled into a ball on the floor of our empty livingroom and went to sleep. But We finally finished up last night about quarter to one in the morning. I’m a zombie and every muscle, every smile hurts right now. But it’s all good. The house is officially sold and it is no longer ours. C’s off today – taking care of some errands and trying to make some sense of the tons of boxes littering my house at the moment.
Tonight we celebrate at a romantic dinner for two – I only hope I don’t fall asleep in my soup!
Thank you all for listening, for your friendship and for talking a usually super organized person off the ledge many times this week. I owe you all!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Good-bye Home Sweet Home
It's been great having turned this house into our home. To watch as each room was brought to its full potential through a lot of hard work and sweat, but now as the days are numbered, it's almost time to say good-bye.
All the closets are empty, the only furniture left is our bed and our kitchen table. And of course the high-def TV - can't watch the Sox sweep the World Series without it! Every room is finally empty and now we are about to make our last trip to my grandmother's with the last of our stuff we'll need during our transition. The bed and table are coming Tuesday.
That's it. No food, except some cheese in my tiny college-dorm-like fridge, which also holds cream for our coffee and some soda, wine and water. The clock is finally counting down and in 48 hours we will no longer call this great century-old house home. It's bittersweet. It was the first major step in our at the time newlywed phase of our relationship - but now we are moving on to an even bigger step. Finding the home we will together grow old and raise our family in.
A toast to you our great home. You've done us good and made us very happy. I hope the happiness I had here is something the new owners will enjoy as well as they put their own personal touches on a house once belonging to someone else that they too can now call home.
(On a side note: while in 2004 I got to see Game 2 of the World Series with my dad, this time around I was left in the bullpen. Dad and my brother both went to Game 1 and as I type, my brother has been in Colorado with the Red Sox brass taking in all the action from there. Go Sox and A - have a great time and be safe!)
All the closets are empty, the only furniture left is our bed and our kitchen table. And of course the high-def TV - can't watch the Sox sweep the World Series without it! Every room is finally empty and now we are about to make our last trip to my grandmother's with the last of our stuff we'll need during our transition. The bed and table are coming Tuesday.
That's it. No food, except some cheese in my tiny college-dorm-like fridge, which also holds cream for our coffee and some soda, wine and water. The clock is finally counting down and in 48 hours we will no longer call this great century-old house home. It's bittersweet. It was the first major step in our at the time newlywed phase of our relationship - but now we are moving on to an even bigger step. Finding the home we will together grow old and raise our family in.
A toast to you our great home. You've done us good and made us very happy. I hope the happiness I had here is something the new owners will enjoy as well as they put their own personal touches on a house once belonging to someone else that they too can now call home.
(On a side note: while in 2004 I got to see Game 2 of the World Series with my dad, this time around I was left in the bullpen. Dad and my brother both went to Game 1 and as I type, my brother has been in Colorado with the Red Sox brass taking in all the action from there. Go Sox and A - have a great time and be safe!)
Monday, October 22, 2007
Give Me Strength
What a weekend. Too many life-changing events in too short a time.
My grandmother (my mother's mother) passed away Saturday night and we weren’t expecting that – it was tough, but we are all doing pretty well considering.
Then yesterday we put an offer on the house we wanted, and they countered (which we expected) but countered at only (hold your breath) 1.5 percent under their asking price. In this market that is insane! Needless to say we came back up another 1.5 percent and then they notified us in no uncertain terms that they were staying with that number take it or leave it. We left it. We’re good – there are at least 10 other houses on our list that we can get for a better price. So we’ll see. We can't actually do anything this week as we have to move and the closing is next week. But rest assured - we'll be moving full steam ahead once we get past the closing!
But the stress of sitting in the realtor’s office yesterday morning making an offer on a new house, knowing we had the movers coming on Tuesday and my grandmother’s death just finally physically stopped me in my tracks. It was simply too much for me to handle – emotionally and physically I am exhausted.
I’m actually at work this morning – need to get some stuff done before I lose time this week. Working half a day today, half a day tomorrow and then I’ll be out on Wednesday for the services.
Give me strength.
My grandmother (my mother's mother) passed away Saturday night and we weren’t expecting that – it was tough, but we are all doing pretty well considering.
Then yesterday we put an offer on the house we wanted, and they countered (which we expected) but countered at only (hold your breath) 1.5 percent under their asking price. In this market that is insane! Needless to say we came back up another 1.5 percent and then they notified us in no uncertain terms that they were staying with that number take it or leave it. We left it. We’re good – there are at least 10 other houses on our list that we can get for a better price. So we’ll see. We can't actually do anything this week as we have to move and the closing is next week. But rest assured - we'll be moving full steam ahead once we get past the closing!
But the stress of sitting in the realtor’s office yesterday morning making an offer on a new house, knowing we had the movers coming on Tuesday and my grandmother’s death just finally physically stopped me in my tracks. It was simply too much for me to handle – emotionally and physically I am exhausted.
I’m actually at work this morning – need to get some stuff done before I lose time this week. Working half a day today, half a day tomorrow and then I’ll be out on Wednesday for the services.
Give me strength.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Almost There
This weekend was yet another turning point for us in our quest to vacate our house for the new owners and get one step closer to finding our new home.
On Sunday morning, early – way too early for someone who was at the Red Sox playoff game Saturday night (or wait, should I say into Sunday morning) – we headed out to look at two houses I had wanted to see for a long time. They are both large split-level homes, both on the same street (in fact, they are almost across the street from each other). They were both absolutely beautiful, turnkey (except for some interior paint and paper), on great lots of land in a neighborhood I could picture raising a family in and growing old together in. In a word, they were perfect and we are leaning toward possibly making an offer on one this week.
After trudging through nearly 40 houses in the past six months, this was such a completely different experience. Everything was what we wanted. The location, the neighborhood, the size, the space – everything. And for the first time, we are both in agreement – which I never thought would happen. (last time I found “the house” C found “the house” too – although they were both different houses!)
Then yesterday we made some real headway. We took everything (with the exception of clothing and what we need to cook for the rest of the week) over to my grandmother’s house (where we are settling in temporarily while we wait to move into our new house). Three trips with both the truck and my trusty Hondamatic packed as full as possible. It actually wasn’t so bad. But definitely tiring.
So we are making headway – moving along and by this time next week will be out of our house – whether we are ready or not – the movers are coming a week from today to take our furniture to storage (what am I going to do without my bed for two months!)
But in the end I know it will all be worth it. No more city for this suburban girl. Back to the suburbs for me (though it’s so far out I’d have to say it’s more country than suburbs, but it sure beats city living).
Until next time …
On Sunday morning, early – way too early for someone who was at the Red Sox playoff game Saturday night (or wait, should I say into Sunday morning) – we headed out to look at two houses I had wanted to see for a long time. They are both large split-level homes, both on the same street (in fact, they are almost across the street from each other). They were both absolutely beautiful, turnkey (except for some interior paint and paper), on great lots of land in a neighborhood I could picture raising a family in and growing old together in. In a word, they were perfect and we are leaning toward possibly making an offer on one this week.
After trudging through nearly 40 houses in the past six months, this was such a completely different experience. Everything was what we wanted. The location, the neighborhood, the size, the space – everything. And for the first time, we are both in agreement – which I never thought would happen. (last time I found “the house” C found “the house” too – although they were both different houses!)
Then yesterday we made some real headway. We took everything (with the exception of clothing and what we need to cook for the rest of the week) over to my grandmother’s house (where we are settling in temporarily while we wait to move into our new house). Three trips with both the truck and my trusty Hondamatic packed as full as possible. It actually wasn’t so bad. But definitely tiring.
So we are making headway – moving along and by this time next week will be out of our house – whether we are ready or not – the movers are coming a week from today to take our furniture to storage (what am I going to do without my bed for two months!)
But in the end I know it will all be worth it. No more city for this suburban girl. Back to the suburbs for me (though it’s so far out I’d have to say it’s more country than suburbs, but it sure beats city living).
Until next time …
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The Continuously Ticking Clock
The clock is continuing to tick (not the biological one but the one that says we have to be out of our house within the next two weeks). This week has been a total bust for me in terms of packing thanks to a cold that started slowly last week and has been kicking my ass ever since. All I want to do is sleep and no matter how much it’s never enough. I’m exhausted, every muscle is sore and yet I’m still turning out page after page here at work and trying to create crafty ways to get everything that’s left to be packed taken care of by the end of the weekend.
Problem is – the weekend is two days away and I only have a limited amount of time to get anything done. I’m working tomorrow day and night. Saturday afternoon we are going to look at two more houses we are interested in (thanks to me finding them online before we went ahead and chose among our top four which was the original plan). Sunday morning we will doing second showings at at least two of the houses and then Sunday afternoon we picking Nana up to take her down to my parents’ so we can all go out to dinner to celebrate her birthday (her 98th by the way!).
Whew.
I’m off on Monday – the plan is to get everything we plan on taking to our temporary housing over there so all that’s left in our house is what the movers will be taking off to storage the following week. (sniff, sniff) I still can’t believe we are moving. I’m definitely looking forward to finally finding our new house and making it a home. And C is on a mission to make that happen as soon as humanly possible. Until then we will be living the life of a couple of nomads squatting at my grandmother’s house. But thankfully she has plenty of room so space won’t be an issue. Now if I can only be sure not to send anything to storage I may need in the meantime.
Oh and did I mention the majority of what I have left to pack is my clothing? And you all know how much work that’s going to be! (I did incidentally already pack up all my shoes) – I think they had shoe babies in my closet – I don’t remember having this many!
Problem is – the weekend is two days away and I only have a limited amount of time to get anything done. I’m working tomorrow day and night. Saturday afternoon we are going to look at two more houses we are interested in (thanks to me finding them online before we went ahead and chose among our top four which was the original plan). Sunday morning we will doing second showings at at least two of the houses and then Sunday afternoon we picking Nana up to take her down to my parents’ so we can all go out to dinner to celebrate her birthday (her 98th by the way!).
Whew.
I’m off on Monday – the plan is to get everything we plan on taking to our temporary housing over there so all that’s left in our house is what the movers will be taking off to storage the following week. (sniff, sniff) I still can’t believe we are moving. I’m definitely looking forward to finally finding our new house and making it a home. And C is on a mission to make that happen as soon as humanly possible. Until then we will be living the life of a couple of nomads squatting at my grandmother’s house. But thankfully she has plenty of room so space won’t be an issue. Now if I can only be sure not to send anything to storage I may need in the meantime.
Oh and did I mention the majority of what I have left to pack is my clothing? And you all know how much work that’s going to be! (I did incidentally already pack up all my shoes) – I think they had shoe babies in my closet – I don’t remember having this many!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
How Cute Is This?
Yesterday I was talking to my mom. She was telling me she was out with my nephew (who is now 16 months old) and as they walked into a store an older woman held the door for him. He walked halfway through the door. Stopped. Looked up at her. And clear as day said "thank you." How precious is that? I couldn't be a prouder aunt!
Making Progress
I’m on a roll – this has been a week of what I like to refer to as “power packing.” And even though work has been so crazy busy this week for some reason I can’t keep my head above water – I’m not letting that affect my goal and challenge to myself to have the majority of my crap boxed up and labeled by week’s end.
All of my books (with the exception of the rather large pile I have yet to read) have been packed up and trucked off to storage. I have even managed to pack all my china and dinnerware, as well as all my stemware with the exception of eight glasses which will be coming with me to my temporary location (I intend to pack those up tonight). I even boxed up all my games – well, except for our chess set and Trivial Pursuit – you never know when you’ll be in the mood to play a game and I certainly don’t want to be without.
I started boxing up my clothes to go to storage with the original intention of only taking what I might need to our temporary living arrangement, but then realized last night that there is plenty of room there so to make life a bit easier, they are all coming with me. Besides, clothes are the lightest and easiest to transport right?
That’s all for now. Tonight I tackle the shoes – sending the summer stuff off to storage, and gearing up to make sure by tomorrow night all my stuff is taken care of so I can start to help C with everything else we have. Wish me luck!
All of my books (with the exception of the rather large pile I have yet to read) have been packed up and trucked off to storage. I have even managed to pack all my china and dinnerware, as well as all my stemware with the exception of eight glasses which will be coming with me to my temporary location (I intend to pack those up tonight). I even boxed up all my games – well, except for our chess set and Trivial Pursuit – you never know when you’ll be in the mood to play a game and I certainly don’t want to be without.
I started boxing up my clothes to go to storage with the original intention of only taking what I might need to our temporary living arrangement, but then realized last night that there is plenty of room there so to make life a bit easier, they are all coming with me. Besides, clothes are the lightest and easiest to transport right?
That’s all for now. Tonight I tackle the shoes – sending the summer stuff off to storage, and gearing up to make sure by tomorrow night all my stuff is taken care of so I can start to help C with everything else we have. Wish me luck!
Monday, October 01, 2007
And So It's Begun
I’m actually quite happy with my progress. On Saturday my girlfriend came up from the Cape for the day and visited. We haven’t seen each other in FAR too long so we had a ton of catching up to do. And while we caught up I packed … and packed … and packed. I managed to pack up the entire china closet in the dining room by day’s end Saturday. (which incidentally ended with a delicious meal C made for us – he’s too good)
Then yesterday, we went house hunting again – looking at four of them in two different towns. Again, some we liked but this time there was only one that was put on the “no” list. So we’re making progress there.
When we came home I fully intended to crash on the couch for an hour or so and just do nothing, but the packing bug got the better of me so I dragged out 80 percent of my china from my hutch, piles of newspaper and boxes, and plopped down in front of the TV to finally watch the season premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy” while packing. I’ve always been a multi-tasker.
And I’m proud to report, by the time I was in bed dreaming away last night – 20 boxes of china and books were packed, taped, labeled and ready to go to storage. Not so bad.
My goal tonight is to finish the china, catch up on some more TV premieres awaiting me on the DVR and then gear up for tomorrow night. My clothes. Ah, I finally get them organized and now they have to be separated into (a) going to storage (likely all summer wear, sandals, etc…) (b) going to Goodwill (already have a full bag but want to do it all at once) and (c) going with us to Nana’s (where we are going to be living temporarily).
When does the fun begin?
Then yesterday, we went house hunting again – looking at four of them in two different towns. Again, some we liked but this time there was only one that was put on the “no” list. So we’re making progress there.
When we came home I fully intended to crash on the couch for an hour or so and just do nothing, but the packing bug got the better of me so I dragged out 80 percent of my china from my hutch, piles of newspaper and boxes, and plopped down in front of the TV to finally watch the season premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy” while packing. I’ve always been a multi-tasker.
And I’m proud to report, by the time I was in bed dreaming away last night – 20 boxes of china and books were packed, taped, labeled and ready to go to storage. Not so bad.
My goal tonight is to finish the china, catch up on some more TV premieres awaiting me on the DVR and then gear up for tomorrow night. My clothes. Ah, I finally get them organized and now they have to be separated into (a) going to storage (likely all summer wear, sandals, etc…) (b) going to Goodwill (already have a full bag but want to do it all at once) and (c) going with us to Nana’s (where we are going to be living temporarily).
When does the fun begin?
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Forging Ahead
Now that everything is all said and done the realization that we have to be completely moved out of our house in less than a month has finally hit me. C, too - though I'm sure he realized it immediately, I tend to get distracted and forget about such important issues.
So while we continue to search for our new home, our priority now is to get packing and decide what's coming, what's going to storage and what's going to trash. We also have to decide what to bring with us for our temporary housing - which incidentally is back to my grandmother's house until we find the new home and close on it. Though we won't need much since mostly everything is there and we won't be there too long (fingers crossed).
In my only way to stay focused I've been making lists and planning on spending a minimum of one hour each night packing my stuff and getting everything organized. That way when it's time to move, mostly everything has been done and at the very least all my crap is taken care of. I don't have to even worry about C - he's so on the ball, but I don't want to be the progress parachute and have us scrambling because I couldn't get my act together. (Anyone who has been through the moving process with me before - Jenn, Sarah, Kerri, Lindsay, Becky - you all know what I'm talking about) And no worries this time gals - I've got it all under control and all you'll have to do is come over for a little wine and check out my new digs when we finally move in :-).
I'm off to get some boxes and get started. Wish me luck!
So while we continue to search for our new home, our priority now is to get packing and decide what's coming, what's going to storage and what's going to trash. We also have to decide what to bring with us for our temporary housing - which incidentally is back to my grandmother's house until we find the new home and close on it. Though we won't need much since mostly everything is there and we won't be there too long (fingers crossed).
In my only way to stay focused I've been making lists and planning on spending a minimum of one hour each night packing my stuff and getting everything organized. That way when it's time to move, mostly everything has been done and at the very least all my crap is taken care of. I don't have to even worry about C - he's so on the ball, but I don't want to be the progress parachute and have us scrambling because I couldn't get my act together. (Anyone who has been through the moving process with me before - Jenn, Sarah, Kerri, Lindsay, Becky - you all know what I'm talking about) And no worries this time gals - I've got it all under control and all you'll have to do is come over for a little wine and check out my new digs when we finally move in :-).
I'm off to get some boxes and get started. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
We Won!
A while back when work was ultra hectic I blogged about the coverage we were doing here about the rollout of Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner. Well that all certainly paid off.
This weekend we were in New York for the 2007 FOLIO Awards. We were up for an EDDIE Award (editorial excellence) for Best Online News Coverage for our Boeing coverage. I was beside myself for just being one of the three finalists as we found ourselves in the big time competing for the award with Time and Newsweek. What more could an executive editor of an engineering publication ask for?
You can check out our coverage here.
Well, imagine our surprise when we took home the Gold – the first place trophy in this category. It made everything worthwhile and was a great diversion from house hunting – although I was only in New York for a whopping 18 hours. My editor-in-chief John, publisher Joan and myself were there for the awards. Regina, our web editor, unfortunately was too sick to make the trip - but we were sure to include here in our celebration calling her from a restaurant in Times Square at 11 p.m. to let her celebrate with us - even if it was just by voice :-)
Here are the three of us with the trophy:
And here is John accepting the award:
It's still so surreal - I guess when you're good you're good!
Now back to house hunting …
This weekend we were in New York for the 2007 FOLIO Awards. We were up for an EDDIE Award (editorial excellence) for Best Online News Coverage for our Boeing coverage. I was beside myself for just being one of the three finalists as we found ourselves in the big time competing for the award with Time and Newsweek. What more could an executive editor of an engineering publication ask for?
You can check out our coverage here.
Well, imagine our surprise when we took home the Gold – the first place trophy in this category. It made everything worthwhile and was a great diversion from house hunting – although I was only in New York for a whopping 18 hours. My editor-in-chief John, publisher Joan and myself were there for the awards. Regina, our web editor, unfortunately was too sick to make the trip - but we were sure to include here in our celebration calling her from a restaurant in Times Square at 11 p.m. to let her celebrate with us - even if it was just by voice :-)
Here are the three of us with the trophy:
And here is John accepting the award:
It's still so surreal - I guess when you're good you're good!
Now back to house hunting …
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Hunt Is On
Now we are seriously hunting for a new house. We have three appointments scheduled for late afternoon today and hopefully more on Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed! We have also decided, since we do technically have a place to stay, we aren't going to rush to buy something just so we have something (course we never planned on doing that anyway) but are defintiely going to make sure it's the house we want to live in for the next 30 years. Talk about pressure!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Update
Today is one day shy of a week since we:
Put our house on the market
Got an offer
Passed the home inspection
Are readying to sign the P&S
Insanity!
And while yesterday I was so sure I wanted us to live in that beautiful brand new house by the lake, by yesterday afternoon I had second thoughts. I love it, don't get me wrong, but again, it's a little farther north than where I want to live and frankly I'm not a big fan of the neighborhood. Don't get me wrong - it's a nice neighborhood, but it's not where I pictured our new home to be. Thankfully, last night, C mentioned the same concern. And since no one has put an offer on that house yet, we have some time to make some decisions. The realtor has been instructed to tell us immediately if and when they receive an offer - at which point our feet are to the fire and we have to decide to fish or cut bait.
In the meantime, we are setting out to look at even more houses to see what else is out there. We've decided to go a little beyond what we want to spend in the hopes we can get a really good deal on properties that have been on the market for quite some time now.
Like I said before, we looked at a bunch on Sunday and ruled them all out but one. We are hoping to look at three more tomorrow afternoon and more on Saturday. Sunday and Monday I'm out of town so C is going to go ahead and do some looking on his own to weed them out. This is tough, but it looks like no matter what happens (we find our home asap or we find one in a few weeks) we are likely going to need temporary housing (aka putting everything in storage and moving into either Nana's for the time being or renting an apartment - both of which make me queasy but at least I know it's not forever and at least C and I (and Molly of course) will be together in all this.
I'll keep you posted.
Put our house on the market
Got an offer
Passed the home inspection
Are readying to sign the P&S
Insanity!
And while yesterday I was so sure I wanted us to live in that beautiful brand new house by the lake, by yesterday afternoon I had second thoughts. I love it, don't get me wrong, but again, it's a little farther north than where I want to live and frankly I'm not a big fan of the neighborhood. Don't get me wrong - it's a nice neighborhood, but it's not where I pictured our new home to be. Thankfully, last night, C mentioned the same concern. And since no one has put an offer on that house yet, we have some time to make some decisions. The realtor has been instructed to tell us immediately if and when they receive an offer - at which point our feet are to the fire and we have to decide to fish or cut bait.
In the meantime, we are setting out to look at even more houses to see what else is out there. We've decided to go a little beyond what we want to spend in the hopes we can get a really good deal on properties that have been on the market for quite some time now.
Like I said before, we looked at a bunch on Sunday and ruled them all out but one. We are hoping to look at three more tomorrow afternoon and more on Saturday. Sunday and Monday I'm out of town so C is going to go ahead and do some looking on his own to weed them out. This is tough, but it looks like no matter what happens (we find our home asap or we find one in a few weeks) we are likely going to need temporary housing (aka putting everything in storage and moving into either Nana's for the time being or renting an apartment - both of which make me queasy but at least I know it's not forever and at least C and I (and Molly of course) will be together in all this.
I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Found!
Oh man, so yesterday we spent some more time at the new construction house and it's simply perfect. Quarter acre of land, front to back kitchen and front to back living room. Not to mention a front to back master bedroom. And closets that would not only hold nicely ALL my clothing, but even more! It's unbelievable really that in this market we could actually consider new construction.
My only, only gripe, is that it's farther away than I wanted to live. But it's beautiful, in a neighborhood surrounding a lake, with lots of trees and quiet. It's perfect.
While it will be farther for people to travel to see us, on the other hand, I've talked to several people at work who live there and it seems the commute is no different than my current one (which really is nice). I just wish I wasn't so directionally challenged and could see how it all comes together. But I will. I have to.
I really want to call this house home - keep your fingers crossed. This could be simply amazing!
My only, only gripe, is that it's farther away than I wanted to live. But it's beautiful, in a neighborhood surrounding a lake, with lots of trees and quiet. It's perfect.
While it will be farther for people to travel to see us, on the other hand, I've talked to several people at work who live there and it seems the commute is no different than my current one (which really is nice). I just wish I wasn't so directionally challenged and could see how it all comes together. But I will. I have to.
I really want to call this house home - keep your fingers crossed. This could be simply amazing!
Monday, September 17, 2007
The Hunt for the Perfect House
Yesterday we went out and looked at more than a handful of houses, since things are moving so quickly, we really need to get our act together. But alas, they were ruled out quickly. In fact, last night we had kept two as definites (one is a brand new construction) but we had to eliminate one we loved because unfortunately the street was too busy and C had horrible visions of me trying to back out of the driveway with a child.
So that brings us to today.
Later this afternoon we are going over to the new construction house to get a better feel for it and get more information. C was going to go alone, but I've decided to head out of work early to join him. While I'm not a super huge fan of the area, or the town itself (though parts of it I do like) this is something so brand new there's still time to choose the flooring and the appliances. I never thought, and neither did C, that we could possibly own new construction in this market. But never say never (whoever would have thought we'd sell our house so quickly?)
Oh and did I mention the home inspection on our house is now set for tomorrow? Talk about moving swiftly along!
So that brings us to today.
Later this afternoon we are going over to the new construction house to get a better feel for it and get more information. C was going to go alone, but I've decided to head out of work early to join him. While I'm not a super huge fan of the area, or the town itself (though parts of it I do like) this is something so brand new there's still time to choose the flooring and the appliances. I never thought, and neither did C, that we could possibly own new construction in this market. But never say never (whoever would have thought we'd sell our house so quickly?)
Oh and did I mention the home inspection on our house is now set for tomorrow? Talk about moving swiftly along!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Unprecedented!
It's unprecedented. In a fledgling real estate market, where homes in our area have been on the market for weeks, months and sometimes even years, we have a buyer for our house. In record time.
Was it only two weeks ago we made this decision, got the place ready to sell and got us to this point?
Our listing for our house went up mid-afternoon Thursday, we had three showings Friday (one was a second showing). We had five showings Saturday (and again one was a second showing - the first one) and by early afternoon Saturday we had an offer - and I'm talking about an offer just a little bit under asking price!
Not only are we ecstatic at how quickly this is all moving (they have a large down payment, the house inspection is scheduled for this week and they want to close on Halloween), but I'm personally thrilled that what we had to go through Friday and Saturday is (fingers crossed) behind us.
While many of the couples who came on Saturday were pleasant and "normal" some, really just left a lot to be desired and frankly pissed me off with stupid questions, ignorant agents and plain laziness. I don't know about you, but when I look at a house as a potential buyer (and we've looked at many) if I open a closet door, I close it. These people would trek through the house, leave closet doors open, the shower curtain pulled aside, the window curtains in disarray and even screw with the blinds. Problem for me was that we had so many appointments, I was running around like an idiot tidying up again as each left (and because everyone who came stayed for a while, it only gave me a few minutes between showings to put it all back together). Not to mention wiping up muddy footprints off the kitchen and bathroom floors, not to mention the rugs (leave it to us to have it be a rainy Saturday).
But I digress.
Things are good and this is actually happening (although there was a part of me that for some odd reason thought we would stay here and moving was just an idea). But it is happening, this lovely house I've been happy to call home and leave my mark on is going to be someone else's. Now the hunt is on to find our next home - a place where for the next 30 or so years we will grow old together, raise a family and live happily ever after.
Was it only two weeks ago we made this decision, got the place ready to sell and got us to this point?
Our listing for our house went up mid-afternoon Thursday, we had three showings Friday (one was a second showing). We had five showings Saturday (and again one was a second showing - the first one) and by early afternoon Saturday we had an offer - and I'm talking about an offer just a little bit under asking price!
Not only are we ecstatic at how quickly this is all moving (they have a large down payment, the house inspection is scheduled for this week and they want to close on Halloween), but I'm personally thrilled that what we had to go through Friday and Saturday is (fingers crossed) behind us.
While many of the couples who came on Saturday were pleasant and "normal" some, really just left a lot to be desired and frankly pissed me off with stupid questions, ignorant agents and plain laziness. I don't know about you, but when I look at a house as a potential buyer (and we've looked at many) if I open a closet door, I close it. These people would trek through the house, leave closet doors open, the shower curtain pulled aside, the window curtains in disarray and even screw with the blinds. Problem for me was that we had so many appointments, I was running around like an idiot tidying up again as each left (and because everyone who came stayed for a while, it only gave me a few minutes between showings to put it all back together). Not to mention wiping up muddy footprints off the kitchen and bathroom floors, not to mention the rugs (leave it to us to have it be a rainy Saturday).
But I digress.
Things are good and this is actually happening (although there was a part of me that for some odd reason thought we would stay here and moving was just an idea). But it is happening, this lovely house I've been happy to call home and leave my mark on is going to be someone else's. Now the hunt is on to find our next home - a place where for the next 30 or so years we will grow old together, raise a family and live happily ever after.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Update
Now it looks like both showings today were so good both couples are coming back again! One tonight, the other tomorrow morning. That doesn't even include the (so far) four other appointments tomorrow. Could we actually have a bidding war in this real estate market? I guess a girl can always hope. This just seems unheard of.
I Wasn't Kidding!
We had our first showing this morning and would you believe just after they left they called to see if they can come back and take a second look tomorrow morning??? Craziness!! Add to that another appointment this afternoon and so far two additional ones for tomorrow - I guess there is a lot of interest in others wanting to call our home theirs!
The Price Must Be Right!
We must have done something right. C was all about pricing our house to sell (quickly) and I think he was right. Within six hours of the house listing on MLS we have two showings scheduled already for today! Talk about a rollercoaster. But on the other hand, the house is still totally immaculate, no clutter, nothing other than furniture and some choice staging :-). But poor Miss Molly, because of the two appointments today while we are both at work, she's in a big dog cage (in front of a window of course) in the front bedroom, complete with a blankey to sleep on, her litter box and her food and water. But she was stunned! She's never been caged (unless you count the small travel on to take her to the vet, which of course she hates). C got her in there this morning when I was blow-drying my hair and there she sat and stared at me - completely stunned. Followed by the crying shortly thereafter. But she's safer there and we don't have to worry about her getting out. I just hope everything moves quickly, at least for her. My poor kitty. And poor me. Couldn't find my watch this morning with everything being put away and no clutter, I actually started crying like a 4-year-old. I guess this is what moving and selling stress does to people?
P.S. Mike and Katy - thanks for loaning us the cage we'll take very good care of it and appreciate you helping us keep her safe :-)
P.S. Mike and Katy - thanks for loaning us the cage we'll take very good care of it and appreciate you helping us keep her safe :-)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Now the Wait Begins
We’ve finished everything that needed to be done and needless to say, at this point, our house is model-home perfect with barely anything, anywhere that would remind anyone that someone else, besides the potential homebuyer, is living there.
It’s neat as a pin. The shelves which were once “cluttered” with things like food, spices, even books, are now homes to things like that antique teapot, a pretty canister set and a vase of flowers. But seriously, whose pantry shelf is bare except for a Crate & Barrel bowl overflowing with polished green apples (which normally sit in the bag on the counter until they are eating)? At least I learned something from reading my Martha Stewart Living and Real
So it’s done. The rooms are organized, everything is cleared out and either tossed, in storage or temporarily living in our basement or attic. No more framed photos, not even my collection of photos of my nephew and my dogs (and Molly, of course) on the side of my fridge. It’s very sad.
Our broker was finishing up taking pictures today and our house should be online and ready to be purchased this afternoon. Now the real fun begins. Hopefully it sells quickly, effortlessly and the discovering and moving into our new digs goes just as smoothly.
Keep your fingers crossed!
It’s neat as a pin. The shelves which were once “cluttered” with things like food, spices, even books, are now homes to things like that antique teapot, a pretty canister set and a vase of flowers. But seriously, whose pantry shelf is bare except for a Crate & Barrel bowl overflowing with polished green apples (which normally sit in the bag on the counter until they are eating)? At least I learned something from reading my Martha Stewart Living and Real
So it’s done. The rooms are organized, everything is cleared out and either tossed, in storage or temporarily living in our basement or attic. No more framed photos, not even my collection of photos of my nephew and my dogs (and Molly, of course) on the side of my fridge. It’s very sad.
Our broker was finishing up taking pictures today and our house should be online and ready to be purchased this afternoon. Now the real fun begins. Hopefully it sells quickly, effortlessly and the discovering and moving into our new digs goes just as smoothly.
Keep your fingers crossed!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Sigh
What does it mean when you see the listing sheet for the house you are about to sell and all you can think is "man, I want to live there!"
Man this is hard. I just hope I feel this way about the new house - if not more!
Man this is hard. I just hope I feel this way about the new house - if not more!
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