Selling Houses

When my wife and I walked into our current home, we instantly fell in love with it.  We waded through the paperwork and waited on the home inspector’s report.  That report showed a few minor repairs and/or fixes, things like missing switch plate covers, cleaning around the A/C unit, etc.  There was one thing that troubled us, the note that there might have been water in the basement at one time.  We talked with the seller.  He told us that there is a french drain and a sump pump that takes care of any flooding problems; and that he was working to raise the floor in anticipation of renting the place so he could join his family in Florida.

As you are painfully aware, my dear readers, we must move due to the loss of my job, which means we must put this house back on the market after less that 9 months of ownership.  With much of that time being winter and a very cold spring, there was little I could do on the outside suggestions from the home inspector’s report.  Inside there were two bedrooms painted hideous colors: one purple and pink and the second orange and orange glaze.  One was painted a cool shade of green, a spring green if you will, then converted in to a workout and yoga room.  The purple room was painted a very light grey.  It is different from every other room in the house, but it makes for an extremely pleasant guest room.  It is quite calming.

The point of all of this is that we had a first showing yesterday, the house was listed on Friday and I got the call while out, we agreed on a moments notice to let them walk house.  They called back in thirty minutes, “No thanks”.  They didn’t like the “standing” water in the French drains.  In this part of NY, almost every one who has a basement has drains and sump pumps, and on Friday we had a massive rain and thunder storm pass through; so the drains and pump were working overtime to move the excess water.  I guess living in Maine for 23 years taught me to not expect dry basements.  The rejection based on a “basement full of water” has hit me in the gut hard.  I need to grow thicker skin.  Selling a house is not easy.  I just wish they had said, no not what we’re looking for, that would have been easier to deal with.

Oh well, two more showings today, Sunday, and a realtors showing on Tuesday.