Along with crocus and pussy willows signs of spring include more home buyers. Consequently, as a seller I’m preparing to put my house on the market. I can’t afford to build the new house without selling the old house, which presents a whole set of additional challenges like where will I live in between. But, that’s another post.
Unlike the sale of my South Carolina house where my main consideration was Martin, here I sort of have the luxury of not having to sell in a hurry. There, I needed a quick sale to spare Martin (and me) from the stress of weeks of showings, making sure each day the house was clean as a whistle, and leaving on possibly short notice for a showing. I also didn’t want us moving to Michigan in snowy January. Having spent decades in the business I knew the realities. I did what was best for our emotional health rather than getting an extra few dollars.
Every sale has its challenges though. This time I’m in a market, which is transitioning from a sellers’ market to a buyers’ market. With inflation building costs have skyrocketed. Some pressure most definitely exists to get the new house under way. I’ve been here before as well. Clean, clean, clean and plain vanilla sell in any market, but it’s even more important in a buyers’ market. They can be choosy about not wanting to paint over the sellers’ blue, pink or mint green colors. They can turn up their noses at what appear to be small maintenance or repair items. They can demand move-in ready. So, here I am touching up my plain vanilla wall paint, decluttering yet again and looking with a buyer’s eye at every detail.
I hunted ruthlessly through closets for anything I hadn’t worn or used in the last year, packing my car for one more trip to Goodwill. On a sunny 52º day with the drip, drip of melting snow sounding in my ears, I burned reams of old records and paperwork in the fire pit, some as much as twenty years old. Why I was hanging onto this is anyone’s guess. I think it was like discarding parts of my life, but on that day it was past energy from which I needed to free myself, not to mention the space it was taking up. While I watched my life going up in flames I envisioned the Phoenix feathered and golden rising from the accumulating gray ashes. That was me rising to rebuild my life. Then, I spied, just beyond the fire pit, fuzzy pussy willows budding out. Retrieving a pair of clippers from my garage I happily snipped several branches to bring inside. Yes, there were signs of spring, a new beginning, a fresh start.
Kathy's Retirement Blog 
It’s amazing how quickly the market turned around. Best of luck on your sale!
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What a wonderful post. I especially appreciate your insight on old paper work. There is something very satisfying about torching stuff that is just taking up space and seeing the pussy willows during the purging process makes it even better.
May the Holy Spirit give you the wisdom you need for your next move and healing process.
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Moving on sometimes leaves your with mixed feelings. Will everything work out? How long will this process take? How will I feel once it’s all over? Do take care of yourself while all this is going on in your life. Start your new life in the spirit of a new beginning.
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Yes, a fresh start with new things and new activities. I wrote you a while back, after my husband died (June 2022) and I am doing very well. So a big change for you will be a new house. A big change for me will be traveling to France on my own. No sister or friend or tour guide to accompany me for most of the trip. I will meet up with a tour woman for a week in southern France, but other than that I’m on my own. The truth about this trip: it’s the best way I know to find out more about myself. Some aspects of this journey seem a little scary, but I want to see if I can do this successfully. Plus, j’adore la France. I married my husband 2 weeks out of college so this is the first time I’ve been in a situation where I’m truly on my own. Yay me!
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Gail, I feel like you and I are on similar paths. I’m off to Italy late spring although I’m part of a tour group. I am solo with the group, no family or friend going with me. Like you, as a widow I find myself on my own for the first time in my life. I thought if I wait for someone to travel with me, I may never see any of the places I want to go to. There’s a travel group on Facebook that one of my other followers suggested. It’s called ‘Solo In Style: Women Over 50 Traveling Solo & Loving It!’ It’s a great source of inspiration and information. Keep me posted on your adventure to France. Yay you! K
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Moving on..healthy and happy.
Just a side note: Locally, it seems auctions are on the rise even in real estate. This may be for those not wanting to deal with pristine showings and negotiations. Interesting though.
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