February 20, 2012

Most of you got it right.

We have been in the process of deciding whether to sell our house. We've had the amazing Tom the Remodeler come in to see what needs spiffing up. We had a home inspector come in and tell us what needs fixing (very little). We had the house appraised so we know whether it will be worth it, and..It is.

I won't give you numbers - what we paid, what it's worth (more than we paid, thankfully) or what we have spent on upgrading/improving (you would gag at THAT number.)

Wednesday we are interviewing 2 real estate agents, tho I already have a favorite. Some negotiations will have to be done there because we have such a small margin of "it's not going to be worth it." The scary part is looking for a place to buy while trying to sell.

And yes, we are going back to Virginia. This time to Arlington. As much as I like Old Town, it's pricey and I hate paying all those extra taxes...the city of Alexandria has their own set of taxes, over and above all the other taxes that must be paid and I don't feel like paying them any more. So it will be somewhere along the Orange Line .

I'm ready to shake off my agoraphobia (really - I've developed this fear of leaving the house and when I do go out, on very rare occasions, I have an anxiety attack before and a melt-down after - it's ugly!). Ready to pack my little bits of flotsam and jetsam and get back to living again.

So please, my dear friends, keep your fingers and toes crossed, light a candle, wish me luck that we manage to pull this off with a minimum amount of stress. Send those good thoughts my way - I need them!

31 comments:

  1. Earthtoholly2:29 PM

    Congrats, Grace! And good luck on your house-hunting...how exciting. Now if we can just get Jennifer to come out East once you're here...and Vito, too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hope this goes better than you had hoped. Good luck and I know you'll never look back once you leave.

    Have a terrific day. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jen said she might be coming East this summer! I can't wait to meet you and Lucy - I'm so psyched.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh you are so right about that Sandee - back to my friends. Right now our big worry is selling and buying at the same time - we think this place will go fast!

    ReplyDelete
  5. We will be there with you, Grace — and you won't have to pack us.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ann thompson5:37 PM

    oh congratulations, best wishes and good luck. I can imagine how anxious you are to find a house and get moved.

    ReplyDelete
  7. writingtosurvive6:45 PM

    I am so happy for you, Grace, and will continue to think good thoughts for you as the process continues. And I'm excited about the prospect of meeting up with you someday, too (another push for us to visit DC later this year).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ah, if it weren't for all of you I would not have survived the past 3.5 years!

    ReplyDelete
  9. YES! Oh, Grace, what good news!! And while it will be crazy for awhile, it will be nice to settle somewhere where you are happy again.

    I was hoping you were gonna say Chicago. :(

    ReplyDelete
  10. Keep sending the good thoughts along - I'm a wreck!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yeah, yeah, yeah - come East, come East - it's educational for G...

    ReplyDelete
  12. BeadedTail8:13 PM

    Woo hoo! What great news! I'm so happy for your Grace and I wish you all the best during the next few months! It may be stressful and things in a bit of a turmoil but each minute will be one minute closer to being where you want to be so it'll all be worth it! :) Hugs to you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. David "vanilla" Lacy9:16 PM

    The process can be fraught with difficulties,. but the end-result so very worth it for you. We know how you have endured, and support you, pulling for you. Good thoughts; good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you for wanting me to move to Chicago... I depend on all of you so much for moral support.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks Sharla - I know I've got to get out of here but I keep thinking how incredibly foolish it is and if we wait another year or two - well, I don't think I have another year or two in me. {{Hugz}} back atcha'

    ReplyDelete
  16. Congrats Grace! Hope your house sells soon!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks David. I depend on you all for keeping me sane and connected to reality.

    ReplyDelete
  18. From your lips to God's ears - as we say where I'm from...Thanks Dawn...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hooray! My human and I are so glad you are getting out of Philadelphia. I'm keeping all my paws crossed that your selling (and buying) experience isn't too difficult. My human has been through the selling-and-buying process twice, once since I've known her, so she knows exactly what you are going through.

    ReplyDelete
  20. FishHawk7:25 AM

    Sorry, but I am sure glad I don't live close enough to help. For I would rather take a severe beating from a little bitty feller than pack things for a move.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh thank you Sparkle - doing both at the same time can be a huge juggling act with so many things that can go wrong. While the move will discombobulate my kitties they will love being back where the birdvision has real birds instead of the ones on the computer. I'm betting there will be real live squirrelvision too. Reality TV is so much better than stinkin' videos!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Most of the packing is done by the movers - we don't pack - we're too old!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Rose Clearfield11:09 AM

    Good luck Grace!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thank you Rose - gonna need it.

    ReplyDelete
  25. That sounds like such a good idea. I have always loved Virginia. I lived there many many moons ago. And if it makes you happier and makes for a better life, good on you for doing it. I, too hope it all works out that the move isn't too stressful. Just keep in the back of your mind how much happier you are going to be. We sure will be right there with you for sure. Sorry I haven;t been around but I can be around even more.
    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  26. At our old house, we lived half a block from the main drag and Trader Joe's was across the street, so my human did a lot of shopping on foot. She didn't use a granny cart, though - she used a Hello Kitty backpack. And although she does not like to admit it, she is way closer to granny cart age than Hello Kitty middle school backpack age. Seems to me like she always errs in the wrong direction! In any case, we moved three blocks uphill, so now she only walks to the store in winter, because otherwise all the frozen food she buys would melt. So yeah, you've already probably guessed we don't have any ghee here either! (Although I bet it is tasty and would make a GREAT kitty treat!)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Well, that is weird - I have NO idea how this comment got on the wrong post!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks, Marg - I think my life will definitely improve once I am back among friends and can be more independent.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I wouldn't want to be schlepping groceries uphill without a shopping cart - maybe your human should get one - they are insanely useful. Ghee is clarified butter so I'm thinkin', yeah you might like it a lot - BB the Orange kitty gets his when I have toast, tho he much prefers the cream cheese from my bagel!

    (Don't know how you wound up on the wrong post - maybe just scrolled down to far??? I don't think the lack of an opposable thumb would be a factor but you never know)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Well, well, well - a reunion! and a housewarming. That would be so nice.

    ReplyDelete
  31. If I don't die of stress first - I'm going to be so happy to leave here...

    ReplyDelete