Monday, October 5, 2009

The Top 10 Good and Bad Things About Selling My House

How about a top 10 list? It seems rather fitting and much shorter than an actual rant on the whole mess! LOL!

Before we get started, understand that this is NOT the first house we have bought or sold. But I can honestly say its been the worst experience of our lives to date.

So, here we go.....

#1 Good = The house is SOLD. BUT #1Bad = It cost us $7300 to get rid of it. Talk about flushing money down the toilet!
#2 Good = Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace kept us from totally going under. We managed to even come up with the money without cashing in Songbirds college account. BUT #2 Bad = We had to use Mighty Mouses Heritage Trip account to save the college account. This means that the money I have scrimped and saved for the last 5 years towards taking MM to China when she is 10 has been decimated. That truly breaks my heart.
#3 Good = We actually closed in perfect timing. Due to the way it worked out we did not have to pay rent and mortgage after they started deducting rent from our paycheck. This allowed us to get creative for the one month we paid both. BUT #3 Bad = We did have to wipe out Bones college account and all but $1000 of the Emergency Fund.
#4 Good = We are no longer paying double utilities. BUT #4 Bad = I have to pay a $40 electric bill because the buyers went in and plugged in the refrigerator and sprinkler system and left them that way for a month. I'd love to send them a bill. Especially since that neat trick also resulted in melted ice on the floor when I shut the electricity off and then had to pay to have a repair person say it was melted ice. They need a bill for $100. SCUM.
#5 Good = I no longer have to deal with these people. BUT #5 Bad = My neighbors now have to live on a street with the dirtiest people we have ever done business with. I expect our names will be mud in no time. These people are going to be rotten neighbors.
#6 Good = I no longer have to jump through hoops finding fax machines or whatever with the latest papers that need initialing. BUT #6 Bad = I feel badly for selling to such people. I'm also sad that God would put such people in a house that I had a very good life in. Now the memories are tainted by the selling experience.
#7 Good = We actually sold the house for $500 under asking price. BUT #7 Bad = First, the house was listed at a loss already. Second, every time we refused a demand from the buyer the realtors came in and paid the couple what they wanted. Ghee, does it sound like their realtor did not want to start over with them? If it hadn't been for the realtors this contract would have folded long ago.
#8 Good = We can start to live now! BUT #8 Bad = I've rather enjoyed not having a phone or tv even though the rest of the family is going nuts. LOL! I see hubs making a service call this coming week for sure. Back to the tv noise.
#9 Good = I no longer have to tell my kids..."not until we sell the house".... BUT #9 Bad = I can no longer use the house as a reason to say no...which means I'm about to get hit up for who knows what!
#10 Good = We no longer have the expenses that a homeowner deals with all the time. If I have a problem I just pick up the phone and call to have it fixed at no cost to myself. BUT #10 Bad = We have returned to being renters. I don't care for being renters. It's just real nice to own a home of your own that you can paint or do whatever you want to.


So there you have it.

The house is gone. I can actually buy milk when we are out instead of having to wait 3 days until payday. I can give the kids lunch money. I can get a haircut.

Mostly, I can BREATHE!!!!!

8 comments:

  1. I am so happy for you that the house is sold- I know it didn't go quite as you'd planned but I'm so glad you are out from under it none the less!

    To be able to breathe-- priceless :)

    Miss you!

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  2. I am glad the house is sold. Sorry for all of your hassles in the midst of it, though. Maybe in time, the selling memories will fade and you will not taint the good memories for long. We miss you.

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  3. I'm breathing with you, right now. So glad you can find the good along with the bad in this experience. So many people would be so focused on what went wrong, that they fail to be grateful for blessings. God is still in control. Bless you, my friend!

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  4. Thank God for the good and try to forget the rest! At least this experience is behind you. :-)

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  5. So glad!!! I'm so glad there is always good with the bad. I'm sorry about MM's China travel fund. I pray God will restore it all to you somehow. I enjoyed looking at all those interesting houses. A few of them look like some from my hometown!

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  6. Good for you, presenting it in a positive light. The crazy house pictures made me laugh!
    I say don't turn the TV back on - they have gotten use to not having it, keep the habit!

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  7. I think it is all good. Especially those great photos!

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