The only topic I ever talk about anymore.

2005-12-16
10:10 p.m.

Moving Saga: Day 9,134. Is everyone tired of this story yet? Yeah, me too.

The seller of the new house isn't budging much on the price, so we've offered a list of new demands and also insisted on going to the act of sale before January. He countered with an okay on the before January and agreed to come down some on the price (albeit not a whole hell of a lot) to cover the items we requested.

You know, I'm glad he's giving us the dollar value for the items, but I really wanted to put him to some trouble, besides just be out some cash...I think I'm taking this way too personal.

Tomorrow we will sign a final offer on that deal. Then we can concentrate on this house, which I am now referring to as the "box of rocks." The house we live in now is a nice house in a nice neighborhood. We have been very happy here, and we're in the most desired school district in this area. Lots of kids for our kids to play with, big shaded porch. Very nice place.

However. Our neighbors sold their home last month, after it having been on the market for three months, for $107 a square foot. I'm guessing they were holding out to try to get their price, plus I don't think they'd picked out their new house yet, because they changed areas of the county they were moving to between putting it up for sale and making the actual sale.

Their house is the same age as ours, and they've raised three boys in it...I haven't been in it, but judging by the boys (now young men), I'm guessing it's probably pretty similar to ours. They did the typical things we're doing, like replacing carpet (we are, they didn't), redoing floors, etc. And they have one bedroom less than we do.

My husband's relocation company recommended that we put our house up at $101 a square foot. Hello? Are we on the same page here? We are replacing carpet, we are refinishing wood floors, and we are replacing some wood railings on our porch and door frames that the termite inspector pointed out will need replaced. Not because there's any termite activity, just because it's starting to rot from a previous lack of gutters in those areas. He said we'd be asked to do it in an inspection. Okay then. We didn't fight it, we'll do it.

Between the floors and the wood replacement, we're $5200 into improvements. We're also going to need to paint some once the movers are out of here, and that'll not be terribly expensive, since we'll do it, but you know, probably another couple hundred dollars in paint and supplies. And I hate hate haaaaate to paint, so my husband will have therapy bills from listening to me whine, but...

Anyway, point is I'm thinking we're doing the right things to perk the house up, and right out of the box they want us to sell it for $6 less per square foot than the house next door which is very similar to our house? Different houses, but the same style, certainly.

So while we thought we had a nice home, we (mainly I) feel like we're holding a box of rocks now. A useless box of rocks, and how the hell did we stay here, my God the place is falling apart and it's awful!!! Not the feeling we had.

And we're lucky, because homes have appreciated a lot in this neighborhood since we bought here. We'll make a good profit, but I think we deserve a much fairer profit than the relocation company is suggesting.

Remind me of all this in a few months when I'm whining about having two house notes and two sets of utilities and oh my God it's killing us!! (Because more than a couple months, and we'll be h-u-r-t-i-n-g!)

After 30 days on the market, we can apply for Hubby's company to buy it for what it appraises for at that time, but it takes at least another 30 days to process.

Time for another drink. :) I'm going to be alcoholic by the time we get this move made and this house sold.

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