House Dreams

We had a very good weekend. The plan was to get a ton of organizing and cleaning done so that our realtor could take a walk through our house, evaluate all the upgrades we put into it and tell us what she thought we could sell it for. So, while Sean was fishing in a tournament with Mike, I spent the entire day, with the kids, working on the house. I did 6 loads of laundry, including putting it all away, cleaned the lower level, the two babies rooms and our bedroom. Not an easy task while having them in tow. I was proud of myself and felt accomplished.


Sunday the plan was to meet our realtor at the M home first, then a home in R and then on to our house. I must admit, I was biased to the R home. It would be easier to not have to move the kids from the district. So- we got to the M home and I still had the R home in the back of my mind and am kicking myself now. The M home has everything we ever wanted. 5 bedrooms, 3 car garage, gorgeous lot, beautiful landscaping, office, playroom, etc. We talked about Owen catching frogs in the creek next to the house, drinking coffee (not that we're even coffee drinkers) on the bench looking down onto the yard, having a hot tub on the stone patio. This was our dream! The price is right too- better if we could get it a little cheaper...













We fell in love, though I was still a little more leaning toward the R home (without seeing it). So we left M and drove there. It was immaculate and gorgeous. Sean thought it didnt feel homey, didnt like the price, thought there was a lot of wasted space, etc. So- we crossed it off our list immediately.









We came back to our house and walked through each room pointing out everything we had done- tiled the kitchen floor and backsplash, granite counters, stainless steel sink, stainless appliances, finished basement with full bathroom, etc. So proud of ourselves and the upgrades. In our minds, we thought we could sell for 30K over what we purchased it for. Well she crunched numbers and told us that wasnt happening. With the market the way it is, and other home sales in the area, we have too much competition and it wouldnt appraise for that. Then she told us about realtor fees, etc. So- the money we would get from the sale of our home, we would lose in fees/taxes, etc. So- I feel like, 6 years later, I have nothing to show for my home. No equity. How can that be? do we sell for sale by owner? do we sell with a realtor and keep saving?

We came to the decision that we dont need to move. We like our house. We would only sell it if we could get the price we want and the home we want. We dont want to sell and not like what we're moving into. So- if the M home is unavailable, we'll just stay where we are.

I do have a call into my realtor friend though in Columbus, just to get an unbiased opinion. And I will continue to secretly bitch out my neighbors who had to sell because of their divorce and ruined the property value of my home.