where wildly different is perfectly normal
In the eye of the storm
In the eye of the storm

In the eye of the storm

And now for something completely different:

AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, just needed a little primal scream therapy. I feel better now. It’s March (finally), the sun is shining, I abound in blessings, and life is good. Breathe in, breathe out. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Our house has been on the market for almost two weeks now and we’ve had several showings. They’re a necessary evil, as it’s really tough for someone to want to buy a house sight-unseen. But keeping the house 30 minutes from perfection (or, as happened on Saturday, ten minutes from perfection), is taking a toll. Get the lights on, run the vacuum, get the dog to the sitter, push in the chairs, fluff the pillows, stash the dishes in the garage in the special box labeled Emergency Dishes Box (no, not kidding), say a prayer, dash out the door.

And we wait. I’m an impatient bitch.

We wait for an offer, we wait for Tom to check out houses in Chicago, we wait to pack, we wait we wait we wait.

And fret.

The bits of feedback we’ve gotten from realtors concern not the price nor the structure, but the elementary school behind us. The one that ensures for all time that there will never be neighbors back there or anything blocking the gorgeous mountain view. So, to review:

Here’s what an elementary school is: a place of learning for children between the ages of 5 and 10.

Here’s what an elementary school is not: a nuclear power plant, a SuperFund site, a corn-syrup processing plant (we once lived in a town that had one and fought the urge to vomit daily), or a slaughterhouse.

That has been your Home Selling PSA of the Day.

Now back to the regularly scheduled “Wait For The Phone To Ring With A Showing Or An Offer” program already in progress.

9 Comments

  1. Okay, don’t hate me for saying this…but when we were looking for houses 10 years ago, we were childfree and wanted to be as far from an Elementary School as possible. (We chose a house that was somewhat close, but we didn’t have to deal with the school or drive by it if we didn’t want to.)

    Now that we’re not childfree, I can see the benefit to being close to a school, but only if it matches my intricate list of criteria. (Oddly enough, we don’t want to go to the one in our neighborhood. Ha.)

    Buyers. Can’t live with them…can’t leave without them. Good luck in finding yours! 😉

  2. We live across from the neighborhood pool and I’m often asked if we mind. I remember standing outside the August we first came to see the house and thinking what a happy noise I was hearing. Then, when the season is over and the windows are closed, we have a parking lot across the street. Both boys learned to bike there- and no nosy neighbors across the street! I love it.

  3. Theresa

    I know a lot of people who would never move near a school – predictable traffic and possibly strangers parking in front of your house, noise issues, etc. That said, I live down the street from our high school. Yes, I have some issues with that, but it’s awfully convenient.

  4. As a realtor, it’s all in the presentation. I sell condos in a downtown market where other agents don’t understand their value. I have to do both jobs, sell my listing & sell the agent, teach them why being (ie near a school is great). I encourage you to encourage your realtor to “earn” their commission & hold open houses, if not for the prospective buyers but to teach the agents how to sell your house. Everything in life can be positive or negative. Also I would ask you (Mrs. Seller) to write a nice & sweet letter about why YOU liked living in this house, this neighborhood & why living near a school was a positive experience for your family. Selling is about emotions & visiting a home has to be a good “experience” to make it warm & memorable when so many homes are on the market. I’m sure your agent is doing a good job but they need to know why your location is great & have opportunities to “teach” other agents the value of your location. We back to a school & the only thing that breaks my heart is its a bad school. I’d love to walk my child to school & hearing kids laughing in the playground makes me smile. -Just my 2 cents

  5. PS. I’d love to see pics of your interior & give you advice on if you need to move anything around or declutter, depersonalize in exchange for some parenting help. LOL I have a 2 & 4 yr old girl & my 2 yr old runs our house. I seriously need Nanny 911. Wish I was as good with my kids as I am at my job!

  6. I don’t know anything at all about how the real estate market works in the US but it sounds like Catherine’s got some really great tips. Hope it sells quickly!

    PS Spring is still iffy – the second half of the week is predicted to be horrible and stormy. Just in time for our girls’ city getaway. Blech.

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