Ranting, packing & a wee bit of knitting.
The packing is excruciatingly slow, heavy and painful. When did we acquire so much crap and why is it so heavy? In addition to packing and sorting we were subjected to another pain in the ass of the moving type, a.k.a., the realtors (shuddering inwardly and reaching for vodka). The real estate market has cooled significantly following the past few years' red-hot sales. But this is Spanaway and folks here are a little s-l-o-w. Heck, the mullet hairstyle is still "in". Developers and builders here are no exception. They are ploughing up fields and woods left and right in order to build cheaply made high-density housing. There are also a lot of military personnel due to the proximity of Ft. Lewis and McChord AFB. Many folks using V.A. loans opt for new houses because they are easier to finance and the housing inspectors don't delve deeply into spec. homes because of the sheer quantities being built at single locations.
These houses are built on 4,000 sq ft. lots, house sizes start at 1,500 sq. ft. and they are priced from the $290,000's. These houses are being built less than one mile from our current house. Last year this same property consisted of lovely pastures with grazing cattle. Our house is one of the older ranch style houses in the neighborhood. It is 1,680 sq. ft. with 1.22 fully fenced flat acres and a separate 2 car garage w/shop. It has been completely remodeled (except the laundry room). It is definately nothing fancy, but it's a solid house. Even so, the realtors said we can only get $265,000 for it. WTF?
We've decided to leave our washer & dryer, refrigerator, etc. with the house. Much of our larger furniture will be sold prior to moving as well. It's dreadfully expensive to move and store unnecessary items... especially those that have seen better times.
The jaywalkers knitted with Mama-E's Junebug are finally done. Procrastination on these socks was partially due to the fact that I have long, skinny feet and these are designed for shorter, normal width or wider feet. I've made Koigu cakes from the KSKS yarn that Liz sent and I'll cast on tonight. I've never made toe-up socks before!
In other news, two nights ago a loud noise woke me up at about 2:oo am. It sounded like somebody falling against the house underneath my bedroom window. B is working graveyards so it was just the girls and I at home. I peeked out the window and couldn't see anything. But I'm not exactly stealthy and we don't have a well-lit yard. Just the same, I picked up the cordless phone (so I could dial 911 and talk with a snarky dispatcher who probably wouldn't send anybody out) and proceeded to double check all doors and windows. There were several more thumps and sounds of muffled voices. Not once could I see anybody outside my house and I fell asleep holding the phone. The next morning I chalked it up to my overactive imagination and nervous personality. Turns out that the same night someone broke into a house just two doors down and stole some items while the owners were away. The housesitter watching the house between us (they were also on vacation) and the burgled house heard voices. She got up and saw a man and woman outside the house next to her. She did nothing though because they weren't disturbing the house she was in. Hello, it was 2:00 in the friggin' morning and the older couple who owns that house were away? If I had actually seen anybody, I would have called the police... regardless of which house they were burglaring/robbing. What is with people? Cindy, could I borrow Dylan Thomas the wonder dog? My cats aren't loud enough.
Obviously this information will not be volunteered to anybody interested in purchasing the house. I just hope nobody asks me about crime because then I would have to let them know what a crappy neighborhood this is!
These houses are built on 4,000 sq ft. lots, house sizes start at 1,500 sq. ft. and they are priced from the $290,000's. These houses are being built less than one mile from our current house. Last year this same property consisted of lovely pastures with grazing cattle. Our house is one of the older ranch style houses in the neighborhood. It is 1,680 sq. ft. with 1.22 fully fenced flat acres and a separate 2 car garage w/shop. It has been completely remodeled (except the laundry room). It is definately nothing fancy, but it's a solid house. Even so, the realtors said we can only get $265,000 for it. WTF?
We've decided to leave our washer & dryer, refrigerator, etc. with the house. Much of our larger furniture will be sold prior to moving as well. It's dreadfully expensive to move and store unnecessary items... especially those that have seen better times.
The jaywalkers knitted with Mama-E's Junebug are finally done. Procrastination on these socks was partially due to the fact that I have long, skinny feet and these are designed for shorter, normal width or wider feet. I've made Koigu cakes from the KSKS yarn that Liz sent and I'll cast on tonight. I've never made toe-up socks before!
In other news, two nights ago a loud noise woke me up at about 2:oo am. It sounded like somebody falling against the house underneath my bedroom window. B is working graveyards so it was just the girls and I at home. I peeked out the window and couldn't see anything. But I'm not exactly stealthy and we don't have a well-lit yard. Just the same, I picked up the cordless phone (so I could dial 911 and talk with a snarky dispatcher who probably wouldn't send anybody out) and proceeded to double check all doors and windows. There were several more thumps and sounds of muffled voices. Not once could I see anybody outside my house and I fell asleep holding the phone. The next morning I chalked it up to my overactive imagination and nervous personality. Turns out that the same night someone broke into a house just two doors down and stole some items while the owners were away. The housesitter watching the house between us (they were also on vacation) and the burgled house heard voices. She got up and saw a man and woman outside the house next to her. She did nothing though because they weren't disturbing the house she was in. Hello, it was 2:00 in the friggin' morning and the older couple who owns that house were away? If I had actually seen anybody, I would have called the police... regardless of which house they were burglaring/robbing. What is with people? Cindy, could I borrow Dylan Thomas the wonder dog? My cats aren't loud enough.
Obviously this information will not be volunteered to anybody interested in purchasing the house. I just hope nobody asks me about crime because then I would have to let them know what a crappy neighborhood this is!
posted by Heide at
6:52 PM
10 Comments:
Ah Heidi, the joys of moving. Not. Boy do I feel for you. We were lucky in that we managed to find terrific RE agents who have since become friends, but dealing with all the others who brought people through nearly drove me to distraction. I'm sending you positive vibes. I think you'll need it. And what was with your neighbour not calling the police. Hasn't she heard of Neighbourhood Watch?? Geesh. The socks look great. Thank heavens for knitting - they say it's the new yoga. Definitely meditation for me anyway. Hugs.
Dearest Heide, get the Real estate people to agree that they will get a "Slightly Higher" percentage if they can sell it....Within a certain date ...or within a certain amount of money.
Everyone aims for a quick and good result.
Boo to your neighbours and the waywards who think they got away with it. You are so brave to get up and do something. If I hear a noise at night I just FREEEEEEZE!
Cheers Gillian
Oh . . . you sound so stressed out. :( I hope someone will come along soon who understands the value of an older, well-built home. I hate those new Insta-Houses. So scary about the break in. Take it from me, it absolutely does not mean you live in a bad neighborhood. When my house was robbed, the detective told me there had been a spree of professional robberies in my town. But they targeted a different section each week - nice, wealthy sections (not mine) as well as average, middle-class (mine) as well as somewhat slummy. Doesn't matter - they will rob them all.
Scary to have a break-in that close! And that house-sitter needs her head smacked, sheesh.
Nice socks and good luck with the toe-up method, it's my favorite ;o)
The real estate market is nothing more than a crap shoot. I'm pulling for you on this one. I agree that if you give the agent and "incentive" they will more than likely give you a bit more, but where does that kind of thing end? Take a deep breath. On the break in. Damn, I wish we lived closer. You could so have the DT for as long as you needed him. He only requires homemade rice and chicken, treats and mega spoiling. I am certain you and thegirls would oblige. There is something frightening about the growl and bark of a big dog. And, yes, cats are too quiet, but they are also very alert to strangers (at least one of mine is). Deep breath.
Hope you get a good price for your house. The whole moving/purchasing/selling thing has GOT to suck!
How scary about the neighborhood break in!
Good luck with the house selling. Sending good real estate vibes!
Gosh, this break in must have been so scary, I don't even want to think about such a horror! You're certainly going through some immensly busy times these days/weeks - let's hope all this will be over and done with soon so that you can sit back and relax a bit! Good luck!
Sad that people dont realize that there is only so much tilable land to fee the world on isnt it? The most beautiful black dirt is being demolished by putting buildings on it. Do we REALLY need offices the size of a small home to sit in and gloat - it has nothing to do with needing the "space"...pure asthetic reasons. I really hate it when people buy 20 acres that a person/family slaved over for years to get the rocks and trees out so that they would not break the machines they used to farm it -then someone puts a house on it, landscapes it with rocks and plants trees....sorry to write such a big comment dear, can ya tell this is a touchy subject with dairy farm wife in Wisconsin? :)
Moving is not especially fun, is it? I hope all this starts to go more smoothly, and that you have no unexpected excitement for a while!
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