Hi Bill,
I thought you might be interested to know that Pat and I decided that we might want to move to
Sioux Falls. We have a perfectly comfortable and charming house in a small charming
town north of Sioux Falls. However, we had been thinking that it would be good
to live in a nice neighborhood in the city. We would enjoy not having to drive
into the city and back so often to take advantage of restaurants, stores,
events, etc. Also living in Sioux Falls would enable us to get together with
our daughter more often. We also thought it would be good for me to eliminate
the yardwork that our large lot and several large trees require.
We began looking at neighborhoods in Sioux Falls and identified several of them that appealed to us. Then we began attending open houses in those neighborhoods. We saw lots of very nice houses that we thought would work for us and we decided to take the next step, i.e., finding a realtor to help us get a new “Home Sweet Home.”
We began looking at neighborhoods in Sioux Falls and identified several of them that appealed to us. Then we began attending open houses in those neighborhoods. We saw lots of very nice houses that we thought would work for us and we decided to take the next step, i.e., finding a realtor to help us get a new “Home Sweet Home.”
As luck would have it, we encountered a realtor while we
were attending an open house in Sioux Falls. She was very friendly and chatty,
and she was affiliated with a firm that one of Pat’s friends recommended. Pat
struck up a conversation with Ms. Realtor, which didn’t surprise me. However, I
was surprised when she asked Ms. Realtor if she would work with us during the
sale of our house and the purchase of a new house. Of course Ms. Realtor accepted
Pat’s offer and we were on the road to a new home in Sioux Falls.
Selling Our House
Before we could buy a new house, we knew we would need a
buyer for the house we have been living in for 15 years. Of course, Ms. Realtor
informed us that we must declutter our house and do some interior painting to help
entice potential buyers. Declutter, what a nice word to refer to eradicating
our treasured possessions! Of course, we already knew that was necessary and we
were eager to comply with Ms. Realtor’s (let’s just refer to her as MR from now
on) suggestions. She suggested that we rent a large Pod where we could store
our unnecessary stuff (furniture and other things that we didn’t want potential
buyers to see). We complied and soon the largest Pod we could get arrived in
our driveway. We were ready to make our house look great for some lucky buyer.
Shortly after we began decluttering, we discovered that MR’s
expectations concerning decluttering, painting and cleaning went far beyond our
expectations. MR transformed into a dictator who
ordered that our house should not reveal any of our personalities or
preferences. She determined what few pieces of furniture we would be allowed to
keep in the house. She also dictated that all area rugs, all clocks, most
lamps, and virtually all decorative things had to disappear. We actually spent
one eight-hour day with MR in our house informing us what had to go, what needed
painting and how the few remaining possessions would be arranged. Most of our
possessions went in the Pod, although we also got rid of many things (which was
mostly a good thing).
I must say that Pat and I were shocked by MR’s authoritarian
transformation and we considered what we should do. Previously, we had worked
with other realtors and sold two homes without needing the elimination of any
charm or character from them. However, MR kept reassuring us that she would be
able to sell our (soon to be stark and characterless) home and we decided to
continue working with her.
Finding a New Home
MR proved to be very helpful in finding potential new homes
in the Sioux Falls neighborhoods that we liked. We saw some individual homes,
but we eventually decided that we wanted a twin home where the lawn and snow
removal would be taken care of for us for a reasonable monthly fee. We saw lots
of twin homes located in very nice neighborhoods.
We also thought it might be wise to downsize from our 2,350
square-foot house on the golf course. Therefore, we began focusing on smaller
(around 1,300 square-foot) domiciles. We viewed several very nice small homes.
However, we soon realized that we were not ready to eliminate most of our
possessions, and we kept increasing the sizes of the homes that we viewed. I
decided that I certainly was not ready to get rid of my pool table and Pat was
equally adamant about retaining most of our furniture and other possessions.
Consequently the size of the homes that interested us became larger and larger
during our house hunting safaris. Since our banker (bless her heart) continued
to reassure us that we could afford a larger home, we figured why not.
Eventually, we found the perfect home for us. It was a
wonderful twin home in a beautiful neighborhood where all exterior maintenance
would be taken care of for us. The house had everything Pat wanted including a
beautiful white kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a large living room, a
four-season sun room, three bedrooms, luxurious bathrooms, a deck, etc. It also
had everything I wanted, including a large family room that would accommodate
my pool table and a three-car garage where I could have a workshop to mess
around in. It was a fabulous home. It was also bigger than our current house!
So much for downsizing?
Selling Our House
Well, we still had not sold our house on the golf course, although
it was finally ready to put on the market. MR put the “For Sale” sign in the
front yard and posted the house listing online, etc. We were on our way to moving to utopia in the
big city, with the blessing of our banker.
Now, MR had forced us to completely eradicate any charm from
the interior of our home. I mean, Pat and I could hardly live in the house
because everything that made it a comfortable (and inviting) home was gone. We
struggled to live there with stark walls and nearly empty rooms. Almost
everything we enjoyed about the house and its furnishings was gone. We were not
happy, but MR was relentless that it would sell.
Our neighbors had told us that our house would sell within
days after it went on the market, and they thought the price was too low. Many potential
buyers walked through our previously-cozy and previously-charming home.
However, nobody made an offer on the house. We kept trying, but nobody would
buy it. We lowered the price, but not too much because we wanted a good price
to help us purchase the new home that we had chosen in Sioux Falls. MR hosted a
few open houses, which were not well attended, and we still received no offers.
Remember What the Banker Said
When Pat and I first talked to our banker about selling our
house, she was somewhat surprised. She reminded us that we will have our house
paid off in only two years and she mentioned that most people don’t sell their
house when it’s that close to being paid for unless they absolutely had to move
for some reason. She still advised that we could certainly afford to make the
move, but she just wanted to remind us how close we were to ending the mortgage
payments.
We’re Staying in Our Home
Pat and I decided to stay in our home and we are happy to
have made that decision. We like our small town and our neighbors. We also like
that our house payments will end within two years and we will then have many enticing
options. We also will be able to continue to walk our dogs along the golf
course, which we like to think of as our park. Sometimes we get distracted and
pursue unwise goals, but things usually work out for the best.
Pat and I know why the house did not sell. It was because MR
had forced us to remove all the charm from the interior of the house. It had
been stripped almost bare and there was very little to enable viewers to see
how charming the interior of the house could be. We also believed that the
price that MR had convinced us to list was too high. However, Pat and I were
not willing to reduce it too much because we wanted to buy that large home in
Sioux Falls, which we now realize that we certainly don’t need.
A Do Over
Since we canceled our move we have concentrated on
rejuvenating the interior of our house, including getting rid of many
possessions that we thought we could never be without. We have also changed the
way the furniture is positioned and purchased some new furniture. It’s like
starting over, and it’s actually enjoyable!
Afterthoughts
Bill - I hope you and your family are healthy, happy and spending as much quality time with each other as possible. I wish we could get our two families together sometime soon.
Take care,
Sincerely,
Clark
No comments:
Post a Comment