5 Things I Learned When Trying to Sell My House

About half of your scheduled showings will no-show or cancel at the last minute.

I couldn’t believe it kept happening and wondered what I was doing wrong…then I learned this is typical buyer behavior. If you’re looking for a new house right now, please, please, just show up and see the ones you’ve asked to see. The seller put a lot of time and energy into getting it ready for you, and is likely killing time by driving around with a car full of kids and pets.

Buyers won’t read the description you provide.

They will show up, look, and decline to make an offer based on features that are clearly described and shown in photos in your listing.

Agents will show your house to people who don’t want it and/or can’t afford it.

The first couple of prospects who looked at my house didn’t make offers because they didn’t want a townhouse – their agents just dragged them along so they could see something in that price range. Another said she “just couldn’t go that high” budget-wise, after scheduling and no-showing.

Buyers will almost always expect more than they can afford.

They will want bigger yards, more space, and more updates than anything in your price range could possibly offer.

Your house won’t sell in “one day”.

A dozen real estate pros can tell you how perfect your house is, how there’s nothing like it on the market, how it’s “priced to sell”, and how you’d better go find your next house TODAY because yours will sell FAST. Doesn’t mean it’ll happen. Check the average DOM (days on market) stat for your area for a more realistic timeline.

A couple of tips:

Require a 24-hour notice ahead of any showing. In addition to giving you time to straighten up, the waiting period will weed out non-serious buyers who only want to look because they happen to be driving by. Not a single person who called for a drive-by showing had any interest in seeing my house another time.

If you have young children, include in the listing notes a request to be considerate of showing up late and canceling at the last minute. Adding this after 60 days on the market cut down somewhat on the number of no-shows I experienced.

Happy selling, and good luck!

Bits and Pieces

The Breakup
Tonight I formally left a group I had hoped would be a good source of support and friendship for Felix and me. Despite there being nearly 200 families in the group, we only really connected with one (in two years). There were almost never kid-friendly evening or weekend get-togethers, and people would either no-show or cancel at the last minute when I tried to host. (Despite pleas for more evening and weekend events.)

This morning I was expecting 9 families to come for a bbq at 5 PM. For one reason or another (or no reason), no one showed. As Felix and I sat eating our veggie burgers, I looked around at the clean house, spiffed-up backyard, and array of condiments, buns and cheeses, I felt like I was waiting for some asshole boyfriend who was supposed to have called. I knew it was time to break up, so I did. I'm a little sad, but I can't keep putting energy into something that just isn't working.

Potty Training
Last night, Felix laid down on the floor and looked up at me. I said, "Do you need a new diaper?" He said, "Yeah. Poot." So I checked off another item on my mental potty-training readiness list and bought him a potty chair and book today. The potty chair is awful (way too small) so it's going back. But after one read of the book, he was climbing on the real deal to act it out.

First time he's ever climbed up. I think he needed to know it's for him, too.

Legal Updates
My broker reimbursed me most of the funds I was out due to the lending fiasco - thankfully I won't end up in court over it. And I won my court case against the uninsured driver from March's accident. It doesn't meant I'll ever see my money, but at least she's held liable in the eyes of the law. I'm also working with one of my State Representatives to see if there's opportunity to strengthen our uninsured driver laws. (Current fine is just $75 for first-time offenders.)

And Finally, Allow Me to Brag
Felix is the best. He eats his vegetables, lets me wash his hair and cut his fingernails and toenails, loves wearing shoes and hats, loves when I put sunscreen on him, and happily leaves his toys in the house or car when we leave/go in to the store. Last week when it was time to leave a party, he said "bye" to the trucks and waited for me by the front door. And the other day, he noticed me getting out of the shower and came running over to hand me a towel. This week we went to evening swim, the rodeo and a baseball game. All led to late nights and disrupted schedules, but he has done great.  He's just so easygoing and sweet, he makes life easy to enjoy.

He jumped in and deliberately went under over and over and over.

4th of July camping trip.

Going to the rodeo! Wildfires in the area caused the smoky skies.

 

 

SMC Camping Trip 2014

I’m pleased to report the SMC Camping Trip was a total success this year! And, attendance was doubled compared to 2013. 

Four moms and 5 kids rented a cabin and tent-camped at a nice little resort called Silver Creek Plunge. We accidentally got THE best site available - Tara rented a roomy cabin that had tons of outdoor space just for us. (All the other cabins were positioned very close to each other.) The resort also has a lodge, large hot springs swimming pool, playground and hiking paths near creeks and the river. The kids hiked and swam their little hearts out, and there was also plenty of time for playing with cars, chasing with pool noodles, and doing art projects.

Felix chasing the girls with a pool noodle.

Our lovely heated and furnished cabin. Most of us tent camped, but it was nice to warm up during breakfast.

This was near our site. Felix would pause and say "woah..." every time we walked by.

There was a big thunderstorm the first night, followed by hours of rain. (Big by Idaho standards, anyway.) But the rest of the weekend was warm and partly cloudy – just perfect. On the second night, all the kids were asleep early enough that the moms got to huddle around the campfire, talking for hours until the wood was burned up and the air was chilly.

It was great to meet two new SMC families. I feel like we are an interesting bunch, and we definitely do the “single mom” demographic proud. In terms of parenting, I see a type of patience and gratitude in SMCs that I don’t typically see in other parents. It was really a wonderful weekend. (I will update with a group pic soon, so check back.)

The real single mom test came when my car needed a jump start on Sunday. Three of us had jumper cables, and Claire and Patty got it right the first time. (There was still some squealing and jumping back, but hey, who isn’t scared of a possible explosion?!)

Despite Claire’s upcoming move to D.C., she started brainstorming locations for the 2015 camping trip before we’d even packed up our cars. We’re thinking about going to Idaho City, just 1 hour from Boise, with cabin rentals, hot springs, hiking, and a quaint little town to explore with shopping and an ice cream parlor. If you’re interested in coming, leave a comment or message me through Yahoo or Facebook. Let's see if we can double again to 8 families!

The older kids on a Sunday morning hike, when they finally got past the big log.

Goodbye and Hello

It was so hard to say goodbye to my sweet Monica, but I know it was the only option. All the money in the world couldn’t have saved her. The veterinarian who came to the house did an amazing job, as did the staff at the animal crematorium. They were so professional and caring, and gave me a little certificate proclaiming she was treated with dignity and respect. I cried daily for about a week - first the diagnosis, then the grim news there was nothing to be done, then her health fading literally overnight, then the vet coming, then the crematorium calling, then the trip to pick up her ashes, then putting together a memory book, then my first few mornings without her on my bedside table meowing for breakfast, then, then….lots of thens when you’ve had a loyal pet for almost 11 years.

I wrote a post about how awesome she was and all the things that made her unique, but decided to save it for myself. It wouldn’t make very interesting reading for anyone who didn’t know her. I don’t think I could even choose one favorite thing about her to say here – there were so many!

Felix comforting Monica.

I lasted a whole week before browsing available kittens and cats online. I was looking for a light-colored female for allergy reasons, figuring I’d just see what’s out there and wait a month or so before going to get one. None of the shelter cats were said to be good with kids or other pets (I guess that’s why they’re there…) so I checked Craigslist. Someone had just posted about a litter of kittens available and it sounded like they had an orange female, like Monica was. It’s unusual for orange cats to be female, so I decided to go see her.

Felix and I drove 30 minutes to get to the house, and I told myself the whole way there that if she was too furry (allergies), too young, or didn’t have the right personality, I wouldn’t take her home. We got there, and not only was the kitty way too furry, she had a serious eye infection (which could signal a viral issue). When I said she wasn’t going to be right for us, the family said, “Oh, we have other kittens!” So we went to a back bedroom where 3 mama cats were with their 3 litters, all born around the same time. Most of the kittens had darker Siamese markings, and while cute, weren’t going to work in terms of personality and coloring. Then I spotted a little white kitty with just a hint of orange on his ears and tail…and the rest is history. We named him Leo and he is Felix's new best buddy.

Leo on his first night home.

Leo and Luisa met in person after about a week. They're aren't quite cuddling with each other yet, but they get along great.

Sucker Punches

Last Friday, less than 3 weeks from closing on a super cute house, my mortgage broker called and told me she'd screwed up. She had mistakenly approved me to buy before selling my current house. Unless I get an offer on my townhouse this week, the deal will fall through. All the time and energy I've spent house hunting since January has been for naught, not to mention the more than $1,000 I've spent on inspections and earnest money payments.

On Tuesday, my sweet little cat Monica was diagnosed with cancer. Yesterday I got the grim news that there's no way to treat it. (She has pet insurance so I was willing to try almost anything.) She has gotten so sick so fast, it's hard to believe. Today will be her last day with us. If she doesn't pass on her own, I have arranged for a veterinarian to come to the house tonight. I wanted Monica's last hours to be spent at home and not taking a stressful car ride to the vet clinic where she'd sit in a metal cage till they got to her.

Last night I put her paw prints on a couple of picture frames and made clay paw print ornaments for each of the pets. I have decided to have her cremated and will bury her ashes under a new tree at the new house...whenever that happens.

Birthday Week!

Felix turned 2 on Wednesday and I took the morning off work. We had a leisurely breakfast and I let him open a gift before we took our traditional birthday trip to the zoo.

Figuring out his stackable IKEA characters.

Every May, the zoo has a dinosaur exhibit with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs throughout the park. They absolutely terrified Felix and almost ruined our morning! He was trembling and crying in fear within minutes of arriving, and it took him quite a while to calm down and enjoy the rest of the real animals. I didn't get many good pictures because he was so on edge.

This year he was tall enough to ride the boat "to Africa", so that was great fun. (He's very aware of the camera now and stifles his smile when feeling self-conscious.)

Trying hard not to smile on command - but the boat ride was so fun!

After the zoo, we had lunch on a lovely patio before heading to daycare/work for the afternoon. I also found out that my offer on a house was accepted. (Hoping the inspection works out this time.)

He ate his weight in tortellini, then napped for 3 hours.

Saturday was Felix's birthday party. Hauling everything to the park last year was SO much work, and it was hard keeping track of the kids near a busy playground and the river, so I decided to have it at home this year. We don't have a fully fenced back yard, so I borrowed some plastic safety fencing which happened to match the construction/truck theme. 

The kids got to personalize their own hard hats.

I do love our little yard.

Dinner was make-your-own-tacos followed by cake served in a dump truck. Felix oohed and ahhed at all the right times, and was appropriately excited by the "choo choo" I bought him and all the other gifts he received. He shyly looked away while we sang Happy Birthday, then huffed and puffed until he finally blew out both of his candles. (I'll update with more photos when I get them from my brother.) Uncle Brian and the kids wreaked havoc in the yard for about an hour after that.

After the party, Felix went home with my parents because I had tickets to a comedy show. When he woke up at home this morning it was like his birthday all over again. He immediately clutched his new trucks and said "My tuck. My tuck." When we got downstairs, he wanted to open his new soccer ball. Then he grabbed a party blower and the boats from his new water table and headed out into the back yard to play some more. His eyes were big as though he was thinking, "It WASN'T a dream!"

I have just been beside myself watching Felix enjoy his new toys today. He quickly learned how to connect the magnetic train cars (he flips one around if the magnets repel each other) and can take apart the track and put it back together. He calls "Choo choooo!" as it's coming around the track.

He knows to bounce the basketball and kick the soccer ball. He has a blast vrooming his boats around the water table and lifting/lowering the bridges. He is more talkative than ever, making sure I see everything by pointing and saying, "See Mommy, see?" I love how curious and patient he is, taking the time to figure out how things are done and then putting his theories to the test. I'm hopeful this means he will enjoy school and do well there, too.

And finally, something that has had me laughing all weekend. I hung up a banner that says "Happy Birthday Felix!" and Felix insists that it says "quack quack." Here's a short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPyKGBgZIp4

The Countdown to 2

Felix will be 2 in just a week. He's getting more independent every day and his language skills and antics continue to entertain me.

He doesn't know colors or shapes yet and he's nowhere near ready to start potty training (those seem to be standard toddler benchmarks.) But in everything he does, I can see the gears turning. He loves to study the world around him and see how things work. He is really focused on jumping lately. When I pick him up at daycare, the first thing he does is run over and jump, as if to show how much he's practiced during the day. He still can't stick the landing unless he's holding my hands.

His favorite words lately are gone and see. He combines them with words he already knows to ask questions and talk about where we've been and where we're going. "See mommy, see? Puppy." or "Baby gone? Hou." (When we leave the house of a friend with a baby.) He asks where we're going when we get in the car with "Boppa hou?" (Are we going to grandpa's house?) And everything that isn't in the room with us is "gone". I noticed a while ago he would say every word like a question, possibly seeking my confirmation he'd chosen the right words and was understood. But in the past couple of weeks he's started saying them more confidently, so not everything is a question.

After learning to blow air out his nose in swimming lessons, I had to reteach him to blow with his mouth so he can blow out candles next week. Anytime he hears the word "birthday", he says "hot" and blows out an imaginary candle. 

Pretending to sleep... with a smirk.

Helping with dinner.

He learned to press the keys and move the accordion to make music - I never showed him!

He can take his shirt, shoes and socks off. No pants yet.