The Fire Ant Gazette - A Midland, Texas Blog

Invaders
Category: Kitchen Sink...
Posted Friday, February 08, 2008 at 11:24 AM [GMT-6]

We hoped it wouldn't come to this, but we've had to list our house with a realtor. We had actually reached agreement with a buyer a few weeks ago, but they changed their minds about moving to Midland and we're too consumed with getting the new house finished to do any marketing of the old one. And, despite assurances from others that selling your house yourself is a piece of cake, we never did get entirely comfortable with the idea. I guess I've dealt with too many lawyers and lawsuits through the years.

Anyway, we've now opened our sanctuary up to the world, a situation made more challenging by the fact that I have a home office. I'm sure my presence makes prospective buyers a little uneasy, and I know their presence bugs me. And, of course, we have to mend our slovenly ways and make sure everything is as neat and tidy as possible, which is a real stretch given the inevitable clutter and disarray that comes with packing in preparation to move. Also, if you're seeking an investment opportunity, I suggest Proctor & Gamble, makers of the essential Febreze line of air fresheners, because we're doing a lot of spraying nowadays.

I suppose our best outlook is that this is just practice, and that the real marketing will occur after we move out and the realtors can have open access to the house. Fortunately, we don't have to sell in order to buy, so there's no time pressure – other than that associated with the growing realization that Midland's formerly white hot real estate market is beginning to cool ever-so-slightly.

In the meantime, if I seem more reserved in my postings, it's probably because there's a stranger peering over my shoulder.

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Comments

Been there, done that. It stinks. Good luck! (We gave up on the FSBO thing too - I'm with you, never really got comfortable with it.)

Still, I hope it sells quickly, just so you don't have to muck with it!

Posted by: beth at February 8, 2008 02:22 PM

Um, Eric...north of town is on fire...isn't your new house out that way? Don't sell the one your in just yet....Friday 3:50 p.m.

Posted by: julie at February 8, 2008 03:51 PM

Julie, you're exactly right. We were out there about the time you posted this, and got out just before they blocked access to North A Street (which is the only way into our subdivision). Fortunately, the fires stayed north of us as they headed east, so our neighborhood wasn't in any danger. The folks east of Midland Country Club haven't been so fortunate, as I understand it.

Scary stuff, huh?

Posted by: Eric at February 8, 2008 05:10 PM

Oh I hate moving and selling houses :). You have my sympathy!

Posted by: Rachel at February 10, 2008 10:20 PM

I wish I could have helped you out; we have a free email notification service to interested parties for whenever we are about to sell our current house. Turns out that's an economic Tipping Point® guaranteed to send the housing market into a steep decline. Similarly, when we are looking for a new home, we also send out a notification, as that is a sign the market will reverse and send prices skyward overnight.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to establish the opposite correlation -- when we are inactive on the real estate front, it seems to perk along in either direction without our involvement, so we would not have been of value to you here.

Posted by: Bret at February 11, 2008 07:27 AM

Rachel, I think the moving part is more exciting, as it's something you can control. Selling a house is just a pain.

Bret, don't worry about; at least I know who to blame.

Posted by: Eric at February 11, 2008 10:45 AM

There is that but seeing as I am going through the whole speed packing thing (It's got to be packed by Saturday), I'm not so enamoured by the whole process!

Posted by: Rachel at February 11, 2008 02:25 PM

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