That Was Fast!

Wow, here it is Sunday already!! I really did intend to check in from Copake, but between the rally events and the slow internet, it just didn’t happen.

So here’s a recap of our last few days…

First of all, the trip there went GREAT. It seems like every trip we’ve taken this summer, we had some little stressor which just made the travel day a little harder. Not this time. Hitching up went well, traveling to the campground was smooth and quick, and we had a huge pull through site which made getting in really easy. We just had a really relaxing first day. By 3 o’clock Wednesday afternoon we were all set up and unpacked, and ready to have a great time at our second Heartland rally.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate too much. Most of the days were wet and rainy, but we had a great time anyway. We have discovered that we LOVE our fireplace. That was the only kind of heat we needed. The lows overnight were in the 40s and the highs were in the high 50s, low 60s. Every morning, we got up and put the fireplace on, and within 45 minutes, our living area was nice and toasty warm.

We had a little excitement on Day 2 of our trip, when we had a second showing of our house. Our excitement was short-lived though; the couple was looking at our house and one other, and decided to pursue the other one. Oh well…now it’s time for us to practice more patience!

The rally was a lot of fun. Now that we have been to two Heartland rallies, we are getting to know people, and it’s nice to get back together again…enjoy some conversation and have some laughs. We are looking forward to our third Heartland rally in only TWO weeks – our last trip of the season – a week down in Cape May, NJ!!

Ahhh, vacation!

At 5:30 this afternoon, I headed out of work feeling lighter – the light feeling that comes from knowing I have the rest of the week off! It’s been just a little over a month since our last trip, but it is still welcome!

Tonight we have two tasks – to get ready to head out, and at the same time, get our house ready for company while we are gone. We don’t know whether we will have any showings, but we do know that we have some traffic coming through – tomorrow! Our realtor has gotten our property on the monthly regional realtor convoy trip. We were part of one last week – all Prudential realtors, 13 total, and we got very positive reviews and feedback. This regional one will consist of realtors from various offices, not just Prudential. So we are excited to be part of that. The more people coming through here, the better!

We will be leaving tomorrow at some point to head to Copake. We are lucky that we are only about 50 minutes away, so our timeline is somewhat flexible. And we have a pull-through, so no back-in concerns for this trip!

The next blog will be from Copake KOA!

Waiting…waiting…

There really hasn’t been too much going on around here. We’ve somewhat settled back into our normal routine. I have to say, we both are enjoying SO much that we don’t have any more fix up projects to accomplish. It seems so strange, in a really great way, to be able to come home and watch some tv or whatever, without feeling like we have something uncompleted hanging over our head. So that has been great.

The other thing that has been exciting is knowing that we are into the selling process. Even though not too much has been happening yet, we have the SIGN out there on the front lawn and we know it’s just a matter of time before we have some more showings and the right person comes along.

What has been, let’s say, not so fun, is living in a house that is basically empty. I never mentioned it when it happened because it was such a downer that I didn’t want to talk about it, but for reasons beyond our control, we weren’t able to stay out in the fiver in the driveway. Somebody in our busybody neighborhood was bothered by it for some reason and complained to the town. So we’ve been back in the house for a couple months now. We are back in the house but basically all our possessions are in the rig. The good part is that we can be ready for a showing very quickly, but the down side is that all we have in this house is us, the cats and their stuff, a couple casual outfits each and our computers. There are basically no pots and pans, the crockpot, the toaster, everything is out in the fiver. I do use them occasionally, but when I do, I go out to the rig and pull them out. I guess, bottom line, I’m just feeling restless and I’m sick of living in this empty house. I think we both are. I know that we are following in the footsteps of so many others who had to go through this process, and now its our turn, and that it IS going to happen eventually but I’m just not a patient waiter. Waiting sucks!

So that’s the state of life around here.

On a more positive note, it’s a beautiful fall day and there’s a nice breeze blowing. Harry is putzing around outside doing “guy stuff” around the rig. We are both looking forward to this Wednesday, when we will head to Copake, NY and enjoy a few days away!!

Settling in to our New Normal

It’s been a pretty quiet week so far. The usual routine of heading to work and coming home to dinner and some downtime. We’ve gotten pretty used, I think, to just hanging out and enjoying some time to ourselves without repairs and renovations to be working on around here.

Sunday was an odd day. We spent the morning doing some last minute cleaning, and the afternoon leaving for Showing #1, coming back for about an hour and then leaving again for Showing #2. We received some positive comments from the realtors and potential buyers who had come to check out the house. However, neither was interested in purchasing the property – the back yard was too small for the first buyers and the house a bit too small for the second.

On Tuesday, we had a caravan of realtors come through the property – about 13 in all from what I understand. Again, the reviews and comments that we heard from our realtor were very positive. So we haven’t heard anything but good stuff.

Presently, I am keeping an eye on my cell phone in hopes of getting a text about a showing this coming weekend. We don’t have any scheduled – but I am hoping by the time the weekend comes that we will.

So that’s the latest scoop from around here – just waiting and hoping…

Next week we will be getting ready for our next trip – on Wednesday we head to Copake, NY for the Northeast Region Heartland rally!

Fingers Crossed!

On this beautiful fall day, we have been busy around the house – CLEANING! Woodwork is polished, floors are mopped, kitchen is spotless, dishes are clean, and all of the clutter has been banished!

We had some excitement this morning when my phone made that wonderful text message ringtone, and I checked it to discover that we have a second showing tomorrow! So we will be spending the afternoon out and about – with fingers crossed that we hear good news!

A Short Trip

Today was the day we headed over to Coxsackie to pick up our trailer with its newly installed washer/dryer.

We left around 8:30 am and by 10 o’clock we were back at the house. The washer/dryer looks really great. We are excited to have this last big piece in place.

 

 

 

We were really pleased with the paint job too. Deiderich’s has a body shop that they work with, and they painted the exterior vent to match the colors. We wouldn’t even be able to tell that this piece was an addition if we didn’t know – and three colors! We thought they did a great job.

 

Backing in went pretty well too. We kind of started out in the middle of the driveway and had to do some maneuvering to get the trailer where we wanted it. But I was actually happy with how it went because of how successful the process was!

We got the rig where we wanted it, and not as a result of guesswork. So that was a positive for me.

If all goes well, we only have two more times to back in this driveway – once after our trip to Copake, and once when we get back from our trip to Cape May. Both Harry and I are ok with that!

 

 

On the house sale front, so far we have one showing scheduled – for Sunday.

Thirteen days until we leave on our trip to Copake!

Getting Used to the New Reality

Our house has been on the market for three days now, and Harry and I are working to get used to our new way of life!

 

This past weekend, we had a pretty busy Saturday. My sister and her husband came by Saturday morning and dropped off the kids.

 

We had a fun day – they enjoyed using our computers, and we went to the playground for a while. We had originally planned to take a trip to a zoo in MA, but the weather didn’t really cooperate, so we decided to stay closer to home.

 

 

 

Once the kids went home, we decided to watch a pay per view movie that was on sale – Star Trek! It was the one that came out in 2009 and was the prequel to the other original movies. It was an enjoyable evening.

Then on Sunday, Harry and I decided to go out to breakfast. We haven’t done that in quite a while, so we enjoyed that. And then…we hung out…watched some tv…did a little laundry…listed a couple last items on freecycle….it was a laid back day.

What a strange weekend. We have forgotten what it is like to have days off from work without pages of to do lists hanging over our heads. We both felt like we should be doing more, doing something! But we will get used to it.

Our realtor just stopped by…she’s had an online inquiry and has a couple buyers that she is trying to get in touch with, so stuff is happening. We just have to get used to our new reality…waiting patiently!!

Video Tour

 

Here it is!! The listing that includes a video tour of our property…

And More and More Gone

Other than getting used to seeing a “for sale” sign on our front yard, our main accomplishments for today were more progress out in the garage.

 

It is really almost empty now. My co-worker and her husband came and took the pile that used to be over by the wall.

 

 

 

Our bikes and the generator are going with us, and our snowblower will be leaving as soon as the house sells.

 

 

 

I put this safety sand up on freecycle this afternoon and have already gotten an email from an interested party. It will probably be gone by tomorrow.

 

 

All of these bottles and containers will be going to the hazardous waste collection I mentioned. That is on the 22nd, so we will have these boxes here for a couple more weeks.

 

 

 

And this is the last of the paint cans filled with cat litter. I think we probably got rid of 30 or more paint cans over the past few weeks.

 

 

 

We are so loving this nice empty space!!

All Systems Go!!

Our house is on sale!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is our listing! There is going to be a virtual tour as well – I should be able to post that tomorrow or Sunday.

This morning, we were so excited that neither of us could sleep. We were up having our coffee at 4 am. I sure hope we will be able to sleep better tonight.

T Minus 11 Hours…

Tomorrow morning we will be launching on the next portion of the journey…our house will go on sale! (haha If anyone out there reading my blog doesn’t know that… )

We went over to the store tonight and picked up some cat litter. We have quite a few cans of paint sitting out in the garage, so we are going to use the cat litter to harden them up. Our town has a hazardous waste day every year, which is coming up in a couple weeks. On that day, you can sign up to bring over cleaning supplies and other materials that we can’t just throw in the trash. When I called to inquire about signing up, the person at the transfer station said that paint cans could be disposed of in the trash - as long as we have added a substance to harden the paint. He listed a number of options, and we thought cat litter was the easiest to acquire. We have already gotten rid of a number of paint cans this way over the past couple of weeks.

Other than that, we are both in a holding pattern – and excited about seeing our listing and house information in print tomorrow. We also have a busy weekend ahead, as we are babysitting my sister’s kids tomorrow night and Saturday. That is why we have as a stipulation for our listing that showings can’t begin until Sunday. Will we have any people wanting to see the house then? We will know soon!!

One…

Today is my day off, and I am having quite an unfamiliar experience – practically nothing to do!!

We did have a relatively busy morning. We packed up the fiver bright and early this morning and headed off to Coxsackie. By this time next week, we should be heading back to pick her up with our new washer/dryer installed.

This is our third time bringing our rig here for some kind of service, and we love this place. Small…family-owned and operated with friendly people…we expect to continue using them for normal maintenance work when we are up north every summer.

 

I forgot to post this picture the other day. Here is our front door with its new lockbox just waiting for an opportunity to be opened for some nice prospective buyer!

I will be posting that “FOR SALE” sign picture very soon!!

 

 

ONE more day left!!

Two…

Well, it’s been another one of those crazy busy days. Both Harry and I headed to work this morning first thing, as usual for a Tuesday morning. It was wild at work, being the first day back after a holiday. Where normally I am heading home by 5:20, today it was 6 pm before I clocked out for the day. And of course, as luck would have it, we had appointments for both cats at 6:30 for their yearly checkups. We finally landed at home around 7:45 – and very ready for dinner! Luckily, I planned on leftovers, which just needed to be reheated. Even so, we have just now finished dinner at 8:40 pm. So definitely a long day!

But the good news is – Tuesday is over, and we are now TWO days away from D-Day!!

Six…No, Make That Three

Happy Labor Day! Hopefully everyone is having a great holiday.

Around here, it’s been go, go, go. We got up bright and early at our normal time this morning, since we had an appointment at 9 with our realtor.

 

We each had our designated jobs to get done, and got busy finishing up all the last minute touches. Happily, it was a nice sunny morning, so all of the rooms were bright and cheerful.

 

 

 

We had a GREAT meeting with Diane, our realtor. She seems very knowledgeable, and we feel confident that we are putting our sale in capable hands.

 

One small change from the original plan – our official sale date has been changed to this FRIDAY, yes, three days away. That way showings can start as of Sunday, which would actually be a great time, since the fiver will be away having the washer/dryer installed. A nice open driveway!

 

 

Diane seems really confident that the house is going to show well and sell quickly. Obviously, we are hoping she is right!

 

We have a bottle of wine in our fridge just waiting to be opened!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

We now have ONE day and THREE hours until our meeting with the realtor. But who’s counting?

 

We have been working to remove the last remnants of dust and cobwebs from every corner, and to arrange everything in a way that looks open and inviting. Guess it’s a good thing we’ve both spent many hours watching home sale shows on HGTV (or perhaps a bad thing, as the case may be).

 

 

The garage is almost all cleared out now.

 

 

 

 

We have this one small pile which is going to my co-worker. I think she and her husband are coming over today to get all this stuff.

 

 

Our basement is all neat and clean – floor swept, cobwebs removed.

 

 

 

 

Our laundry area is all spiffed up.

 

 

 

 

 

The downstairs hall closet is all emptied out, the last paint job, and a new shelf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The appliances in the kitchen are all shiny and fingerprint free.

 

 

 

Today we have just a few more small jobs – a few more things that we need to put away in the fiver, and a few shelves in the garage that we still need to sort out.

 

 

Our realtor sent us an email yesterday with listings in the area that have a similar square footage, bed and bath number, and sold in our price range over the past six months. I thought it was an encouraging email – there were 16 listings on the list. Most of the homes were on the market between 20 and 65 days, although there were a few interesting ones – 4, 12 and 18 days! The key will be pricing it right, and this we are going to leave completely up to the realtor. She has a great record, and we want to put it on the market at a price she thinks will sell.

One day to pictures…seven days until sale day!

Labor Day Weekend

This year Labor Day is just about the earliest it can be. For many years, I was a teacher, and this weekend used to be the last hurrah before we went back to school. The kids around here will be starting back either next Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on their school districts. And we will have to get used again to the sight of the big orange buses coming through the neighborhood in the early hours of the morning.

This year, Labor Day weekend means that we are about to enter the next stage in our journey. Monday morning Diane, our realtor, will be coming over to take pictures for the house sale. (I may have mentioned that once or twice.) So today and tomorrow are our last opportunities to dust, pick up, straighten, polish and stage this place. Yesterday before I got home from work, Harry took a duster to the ceiling and corners in the garage. Wow. What a difference that little job made. Today he is going to do the same in the basement, and polish up the stainless steel appliances one more time.

Tomorrow I think our main job will be to organize the garage one more time. It’s been pretty cleaned out, but there are still a few saws and other tools that haven’t been taken yet. And a few more things we are getting into the garbage bins every week. So we want to arrange that as neatly as possible. That’s about it.

Almost there. Two days to pictures…eight days to sale day!