Drop in Home Buyers

While I put the finishing touches on yesterday’s blog post, my telephone rang.

“Hi, is this Lauralew? Great. I’m SR, friend of Professional Historical Preservationist. She told me you would be moving. I’d like to see your house.”

This is one ballsy chick, I thought. I recalled telling PHR about my house and that it would be on the market in January or February. When we met, we had exchanged contact information. She mentioned that she had a friend who was looking for a new house; this was the friend.

“Um, it isn’t listed yet.”

“Oh, I know. That’s ok. I know we kinda are barging in, but I really would like to see it while I’m here.” While she was here?

Right on cue, Taciturn called, “Honey, someone’s in the driveway!”

She went on, “I’m sitting in your driveway.”

Out of the door I flew as SR and her friend C got out of a truck. “We thought since we were here looking at other houses--” she nodded at the house next door--”we’d try to see yours, if it’s all right. We can work a deal and save six percent on a realtor if this works for me.”

T stood in the doorway. I glanced at him; he shrugged as if to say, “Why not?”

So with no warning, I led two strangers on a tour of my home, happy that I had cleaned it a couple of days before. SR had a specific need; she quilts and has what is called a “long arm,” which is fourteen feet wide. She said that she works in a 12 x 20 room which is too small for her machine. She would like a new house with a very large room. After we completed the tour, she thanked me but said none of my rooms would work for her purposes.

Our house is very large with fairly good sized rooms. I laughed to myself--”too small” and “too large” really are relative, subjective terms!

If SR and her friend had come today, they would have seen the new faucets we had installed in the main bathrooms this morning. Plumbers were here for two hours today to install three faucets and fix three leaky toilets. We thought it best to get those tasks finished before the house goes on the market.

The entire episode lasted twenty minutes. I just wonder, as I start to let people know that my house will go on the market soon, will this happen again? When I listed my house in San Antonio years ago, people came to the house unannounced to try to work a deal directly in order to bypass the realtor and “save six percent.” That never happened when we listed the Mississippi house. This could be interesting.

Visitors are gone

I loved it, but I'm tired. Took the kids to Mt Rushmore, which GS #2 loved. After we got home, he said he "missed the presidents" and wanted to go back!

Having honest visitors also means getting a rundown about what is wrong with the house. I've noticed a musty smell in my basement--turns out the shower is leaking. We never shower in the basement, so we would not notice. Worms and grasshoppers attacked my grandchildren as they slept. Gotta figure out how they are getting in.

Of course Taciturn thinks telling us these things is the height of rudeness. I am thankful for the information as I would not know otherwise, and could not fix it. But T has an irrational relationship with our house which may short-circuit our plans to move--he takes any criticism of the house, which he views as an extension of himself, as criticism of him.

That is enough for now. Meanwhile, here is a blog from the New York Times that ends with one of the most poignant sentences about a certain VP candidate that I've read. Don't be dismayed by the title.

Now that the month of vacation and many visitors is over, I hope to get back to regular life and regular habits. Spiritual disciplines sure take a beating when there is no routine!