Fo' Sale Fo' Sure

Ever sold a house? I'm a FTHS (a first time house seller). After living in this "starter" house for almost five years, we have terribly outgrown its walls and need to find a place where I can have a desk, not a converted dining room closet that we made into an office. Which is actually really charming, I'm not going to lie.

To be frank, this house was a POS when we bought it. A single guy, that we are sure had some hoarding tendencies, was the previous owner. There was ugly wallpaper hung all over, brown 1984 tile, outdated brass lighting, and dirty carpeting. And we paid entirely too much for it in 2007, before "it" happened. You know, the economy. It was either this very unloved, tiny home or a glorified apartment they were selling as "condos". We opted for an actual house that needed a lot of TLC.

"It has good bones." We reassured eachother. And it was fun to look through magazines and envision a similar look in a room 5 times smaller. But those things cost a lot of money to change, so we did what we could, when we could afford it, while working full-time and paying a huge mortgage to boot. I can't even tell you how many Christmases and birthdays we asked for fans, mirrors, lights, and appliances. Bonuses were for the big ticket items like curbing and replacing the patio.

I often wondered, "What were we thinking?" as we repainted every wall and cabinet, replaced all the lighting, installed new floors and an air conditioner, and carefully planned the backyard. I apologize, I did none of this. Casey did it all, but I was an excellent pointer outer of the things that needed to be changed. When the house was finally looking good, I just couldn't be satisfied. The bathroom and kitchen cabinets, the master bathtub, the windows, the sliding glass doors all needed to be replaced and the list continued to grow and grow.

Enter baby. All of a sudden the house's walls got smaller and it felt like we were packed in like sardines. A 2-bedroom home should be enough space for 3 people, but it's not. If you have kids, you especially know what I mean. Kids have lots and lots and lots of crap. And they have lots of clothes. I'm talking a change of clothes for 2 months straight without repeating. Not only that, they get a new wardrobe every 3 months. Clothes, toys, and baby items were being shoved in corners, in closets, in gargage shelves, and under beds.

Needless to say, we realized that our cute little fixer-upper was not meant to raise a family and we never really intended to stay in this house for very long. But, you know, with the economy and all, we didn't really know if it was the right decision to go through the scariness that our parents would never dream of doing...like short selling or even FORECLOSING on a home! However, it's 2012 and what more can I say?

After recieving some very sound advice from an expert in the field, we have taken the plunge. We are giving the next buyer a 50% discount from what we paid! Aren't we so kind? I haven't been a home buyer in the new real estate situation, so I don't know what people are looking for or what they see out there. All I know is my little house and all the blood, sweat, and tears that [Casey] did to make it our home.

It's a process of vulnerability. We want to let people know how good this house has it now. How far this little lady has come from five years ago and the steal they are getting with her current price tag. But people are ten times more critical than I am to her. They, too, see all her flaws, like there isn't tile in the master shower and the windows need to be updated. I want to tell people about the chapter we have written in this home. We want them to see the good qualities that we really tried to emphasize with the little bit of money that we had. It's the first home we bought and came home to after we got married. It's where we brought home our first baby and gave him his first bath in the kitchen sink. We want this home to be nurtured and loved the way we have in the last five years.

But it isn't like that. It's stressful as we try to keep the house immaculate, putting its best foot forward, just in case people want to look at it. It's terribly difficult with a toddler running around specifically removing those items that I have placed just so. I am rearranging nap times to accomodate their schedules. And I can tell when shower curtains have been moved and closet doors have been opened after a showing. Let's hope none of them assume the dresser is included in the home, no one needs to be rummaging through my undies! You never know, though.

I want to ask them what they think and tell them the story about how we made the house better. I also don't want to know what they think, because seriously, whatever, they can suck it. I hope the house gets sold quickly to a person who will continue to make the house look warm, cozy, and inviting.

However, this is the nature of the beast and we are at the mercy of these fine folks who might perhaps want to buy it so we can move on in our lives, too. If you, or anyone you know is looking for a great, affordable 2-bedroom home in the Southeast Valley of Phoenix, AZ, please come on through!