You know what's better than having mounting credit debt and selling your home to pay it off? Having mounting credit debt and not selling your home to pay it off. Near bankruptcy is awesome. But, near bankruptcy and an unmarketable house is awesomer.
See, I thought because we live in CALIFORNIA where the bloated real estate investor buffalo roam and since we're both self-employed entrepreneurial geniuses and the damn sky is not cloudy all day that we could actually, I don't know, MAKE MONEY OFF OUR HOUSE LIKE EVERY OTHER NINETEEN YEAR OLD AROUND HERE.
But, no. It's the 'Real Ass State' Market now, didn't you know? Silly me. So, after two months of being on the market (and for the predictable comments of "Only two months! You weren't p-a-t-i-e-n-t enough!" ...just....don't. We've reduced our price by THIRTY THOUSAND and hardly a fly has come through the front door. Enough is enough.) we've taken it off and are trying to fall in love with this house again.
But, the larger issue is not that I'm staying in this house (which is actually quite cute and I do enjoy it's predictable nature: "Look Chris! Another plumbing leak! Wheeee!"), but rather that I'm staying in this zip code. This cloyingly small town with it's charming facade. This oppressively hot place with the endless stream of big box stores and chain restaurants. ("What do you want to do?" "I don't know. What do you want to do?" "Let's mix things up." "I know! Let's go to Chili's and THEN go to Target!" "It's Opposite Day!").
It's not that it isn't a nice place to live. It's just that we moved from a MUCH nicer place. And an EVEN NICER place before that. It's the order of our decisions that frustrates us at this point. We were hoping that selling this house would enable us to move back to the urban areas from which we came. And now it looks like we're stuck here. And this place just isn't us.
But, in a teeny tiny way I find this development comforting. At least now I know what's ahead. I know that I need to re-engage with my neighbors, that I need to reconnect with my friends, and that I need to actively market my business in this area. Mostly, that I can leave the chips out and NO ONE IS COMING TO JUDGE ME.
So, I've re-enrolled Savannah in preschool - just one full day a week, starting tomorrow. I'm not sure who's more thrilled, me or her. Eight hours of alone time or, more accurately, GUILT-FREE TIME. There will be blogging - lots and lots of blogging (Hi Club Mom Bosses!) and exercising and wine at lunch with my best friend.
Things may be okay after all.
We did the same thing, house on the market-notselling said house-hearing "wait it out" all that crap. I couldn't stand keeping my home perfect just in case someone wanted to come, only to have them not buy it. Just couldn't take it. I have actually enjoyed my house much more since we decided to take off our coats and get comfy. ROFL at Real ass state... it rolled off into AZ, all the investor buffalo are here now screwing up our market.
Posted by: Linsey | 09/07/2006 at 05:16 PM
Well that sucks ass. Maybe try again in a year or so. Maybe you'll grow to like it again. But yay, more blogging. ;)
Posted by: Melissa | 09/07/2006 at 05:52 PM
After a few months of thinking about moving, making the moving happen, and the inevitable "I don't know where my life is going" limbo, the only thing that matters anymore is to make a permanent decision. I've been there. So much, in fact, that The Husband and I made a pact not to look at www.homeseekers.com for a year. Beauty.
Posted by: Sonja | 09/07/2006 at 06:18 PM
Amen sista! Try EIGHT EFFIN MONTHS of not being able to leave the chips out, or your underwear on the floor for that matter. Ain't nothin' happening in Florida either. It sucks. I don't blame you for giving up for now. Wish we could. I'm all for more blogging though! How's your aunt?
Posted by: Kim | 09/07/2006 at 09:21 PM
I might be willing to take the house off your hands, but you'll need to throw in your husband and a fridge full of beer (for unrelated reasons, I assure you).
Posted by: Jay | 09/08/2006 at 12:05 AM
I thought I was the only one going through this. My house has been on the market for one year. Today I took it off the market. No bites at all and I need to take out a home equity loan to consolidate my loans now. I was relying on getting some of my equity out, but no bites at all. So I'm going to try to enjoy 9 months of not having by house in show room condition every morning before I leave for work! yeah!
Posted by: theresa | 09/08/2006 at 08:53 AM
...and there will be coffee at The Starbucks with me...
Posted by: Y | 09/08/2006 at 10:09 AM
Bravo on your great attitude. I still have a very sucky-I-hate-this-house attitude after living here 3 months. I don't see it improving anytime in the near future either.
Posted by: Katherine | 09/08/2006 at 11:39 AM
But, you were supposed to become my neighbor! I was going to show you all around... and we were going to shop for shoes at Fashion Island! And make fun of the kids from "Laguna Beach". OMG, can you hear the whine???
All my plans... straight in the crapper.
Posted by: kristin | 09/08/2006 at 01:55 PM
I LOVE opposite day. Maybe you'll be able to help my cope with moving to Texas, when the place I'm leaving is Italy. Enjoy the wine with lunch. Seriously. And don't go to the gym, because you don't really want to anyway especially when you could just drink more wine.
Posted by: R. Robyn | 09/08/2006 at 03:36 PM
yeahhhhhh target and chili's but, can we go to applebees instead :)
Posted by: tanyetta | 09/09/2006 at 03:29 PM
The house we moved from in November? Was a house I HATED with the fire of a thousand suns. So many things wrong, and so little space. Every year I'd hear, "Ok. THIS is the year we'll pull it together financially and be able to move..." I heard that seven years in a row. So yeah, I can feel your pain. But 8-hour preschool? GOd, that ROCKS!
Posted by: Lisa B | 09/09/2006 at 11:10 PM
If misery loves company, the real estate market is crummy just about everywhere in the country. I'm in Boston, where sellers are not accustomed to waiting around or to dropping their price. Good luck!
Posted by: Rhea | 09/10/2006 at 01:01 PM
We've so been there. We haven't put our house on the market - but we get close, then withdraw, then get close again, etc. etc. Stressful doesn't even begin to cover it.
You're right to just accept where you at the moment. Best circumstances for finding the means to get somewhere else, if that makes sense...
Posted by: Her Bad Mother | 09/10/2006 at 06:48 PM
I feel your pain. I sold a much nicer, much prettier house last year. I lived in a neighborhood where I liked and talked to and got along with my neighbors (even the crazy one) and I was litteraly five minutes from the non-crappy outlet mall. Now I dodge horse-patties left by the Amish buggies going by.
Posted by: Vycki | 09/11/2006 at 02:29 PM
incidently my much nicer much prettier house was nicer and prettier than the one that I moved into. when I reread that it looked like maybe i was suggesting that mine was much nicer and much prettier than yours.
Posted by: Vycki | 09/11/2006 at 02:34 PM
That really stinks, Lena. I hope when you decide to put it back on the market it goes, and for even more than you had tried to sell it for this time.
Posted by: Caryn | 09/11/2006 at 10:12 PM
Lena, you never know with the timing. My parents had a bitch of a time selling our childhood home - even though the house up the street (smaller lot, awkward floor plan, older appliances) had sold within a few weeks only a couple months before we put ours on the market.
You've got the luxury of time. Better to pull it off now and wait for a friendlier market.
Posted by: mothergoosemouse | 09/13/2006 at 12:52 PM
American Leak Detection helped me with my plumbing leak.
Posted by: jayjay | 10/31/2006 at 02:06 PM