Welcome to the fishbowl
We put the house on the market today, I’m expecting our first visits tomorrow afternoon. This is the fourth time I’ve sold property and I’m dreading it. I hate that half my stuff has been packed up so our rooms, closets, and cabinets will look spacious and roomy. I hate the constant pressure and work that comes with keeping the house ready to show - worse now that people can call from the driveway and if they can’t see it right! now! they might leave in an angry squeal of tires and never come back. I hate wondering when it will sell and where we will go. I dread the inevitable bickering over price that comes with any offer. But most of all I hate that strangers can come into my house and poke through my life. I hate that they can see pictures of my bedroom on the internet. They’re scrolling through the listing, critiquing my furniture and color choices. They wonder who would ever choose such a horrible __________. We’ve spent months getting the house ready to sell. We’ve spent more money than we probably should have on fix-up projects, things we always meant to do but couldn’t afford as long it was just for us. Now someone else will enjoy the beautiful carpet and new appliances, and probably not appreciate them as much as I would. I’ve spent night after night scrubbing walls, doors, baseboards, and even the tops of the cabinets to try and make strangers believe real people do not live in this house. We are pod people; we are perfect. We make our beds every morning, we dust our lightbulbs, we alphabetize the cans in the pantry, and we never, ever spill on the carpet or forget to wipe out the microwave. Strangers will come and poke through my closets and rifle through my drawers. They will see that most of my clothes are out of style and a bit shabby. They will see what brand of peanut butter we use. They will know that I need sensitive toothpaste. And all the while they will be on the lookout for something they can use to make us reduce our asking price. They will search for a whiff of desperation, something that might mean we are anxious to sell. Failing that, they will nitpick every defect - every scratch, every ding, every tiny imperfection will mean more arguing and more siphoning of the equity money that will enable us to start over. I know selling is the right thing to do, but right now my heart hurts a little bit.
5 Responses to “Welcome to the fishbowl”
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March 7th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Good luck.
When my parents moved out of the house we lived in while we all went to high school, the replaced and upgraded everything. They said they wished they had done it earlier when they could enjoy it rather than for the people who would buy the house.
They also wondered who it was that took the old toilet seats from the curb where my parents had left them. Why would someone want used toilet seats?
March 8th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Awwww…. This is me, empathizing. I’m sorry. Selling a house does indeed suck. I hope it sells quickly, for more than you hoped for. Big hugs.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Ohhhh how I do understand. I’m sure somewhere I’ve written a post or two sharing these very same feelings, so I know where you are coming from. I hope the sale is fast and smooth for you, and that you can move on to the next step for your family.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Just the thoughts of people walking through my home is enough to make me never want to move! If you ever need a cleaning buddy, or a place to hide when your house is being shown, you know where to find me!
March 16th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
After my home was on the market for two weeks, I packed up the kids and moved into an extended stay. It was worth paying extra for the maid service to do the linens, and the pool,did this in the summer, and not having to worry about the calls and the people.
I REALLY hope it sells quickly and you don’t have to go through much stress.