Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I received some news this week that sort of put things in perspective. I simply want to share this because I think it might help all of us sellers out there in this yuck market.
On Sunday...
My 14 yr. old relative calls to tell me that her best friend in school just passed away. My relative has overcome a brain tumor diagnosis when she was 3 yrs. old and has had several complications due to the cancer in the years following. She is cancer free now, but still has complications here and there because of the affects of the chemo and medications. Last summer, she almost died when she caught an infection that lead to septic shock, which is usually fatal for those with weak immune systems. She was in a comma for three months but is now back to her normal happy-go-lucky self. Her friend had experienced much of the same in her short life, but lost the battle to leukemia a few days ago. She was only 13 and was the family's only child. However, despite what these little girls have been through, they always manage to get through it with a smile on their face. They always have something encouraging to say to others and just seem to have a passion for life that few of us adults will ever experience.
I sat back and I took this all in and thought...for the last 5 months I've been groaning and moaning about how miserable I am living in a town that I hate. I've been burying statues, saying prayers, asking other people to say prayers that my house would sell soon so I could move on with my life. However, I live in a beautiful home. I'm not facing foreclosure and I can afford my mortgage payment. I simply want to sell because I really dislike the area that I moved to (moved here almost two years ago).
Then it hit me. My "A-HA" moment, as they say.
Have you ever been rushing to get somewhere and you're screaming for lights to change and for traffic to move so you can get where you're going? Then as you progress down the road you see what the hold up is. It's a terrible accident and it doesn't look like those involved made it out alive. Just think had the lights not been red or had the traffic not been moving slow...that could easily have been you!
What's my point???
I know many of us do not like to hear, "It's just not your time" and I'm sorry for saying it, but maybe it's just not our time to sell.
Yes, it's a pain having to keep our homes clean 24/7. Yes, it's disheartening knowing that we have great homes, yet buyers want to lowball because of what they're hearing on the news (not talking overpriced homes before anyone gets started). And yes, we all want to sell soon so that we can get on with our lives. But, instead of us battling the doom and gloomers, how about we try to enjoy our homes while we're in them, love our families, while we have them and try to find the good in our situations despite our frustrations, worries and anxieties.
You always think you have it bad, until you find out that there's someone else who's worse off than you.
Keep the faith sellers...when it's our time, it will be!
It is a hard time in our lives (selling), but you always have to remember someone else is going thru something way worse than selling a home. I have to stop myself sometimes, because I tend to get on the kids too much and I have to say to myself they are just kids and they NEED to be kids. Life is to short and selling is going to take way long.....try to enjoy each day!!!!
My 14 yr. old relative calls to tell me that her best friend in school just passed away. My relative has overcome a brain tumor diagnosis when she was 3 yrs. old and has had several complications due to the cancer in the years following. She is cancer free now, but still has complications here and there because of the affects of the chemo and medications. Last summer, she almost died when she caught an infection that lead to septic shock, which is usually fatal for those with weak immune systems. She was in a comma for three months but is now back to her normal happy-go-lucky self. Her friend had experienced much of the same in her short life, but lost the battle to leukemia a few days ago. She was only 13 and was the family's only child. However, despite what these little girls have been through, they always manage to get through it with a smile on their face. They always have something encouraging to say to others and just seem to have a passion for life that few of us adults will ever experience.
I'm very sorry to hear about your little relatives friend. Please talk to her parents to make sure she gets help. A similar thing happened with my daughter last year. She'd lost her godmother/aunt at 41, the godmother/aunts husband a few months before, plus my dad was diagnosed with leukemia and eventually passed. She then lost her school friend right before Christmas. Needless to say my daughter started cutting class because she couldn't face going into the classroom without her friend there. Unfortunatly it did not hit me for a few months, I never made the connection.
After helping to care for my dad during his leukemia months, I learned a lot about cancer and how aweful it is on an adult and can't imagine a child having to go through that. I hope that one day, someone finds a cure for this nasty monster.
If you're interested in trying to find a cure, Stanford University has a program called folding @ home, where you install a program to your computer, (http://folding.stanford.edu/download.html - broken link) pick a user name (check the site 1st) and team number, then do nothing but let it run. I started folding after reading about a little boy that had a brain tumor, and never would have imagined that the father I loved so much would one day be diagnosed. If someone is interested in this and needs help, I'd be glad to help
Quote:
Originally Posted by talk2u
I know many of us do not like to hear, "It's just not your time" and I'm sorry for saying it, but maybe it's just not our time to sell.
Keep the faith sellers...when it's our time, it will be!
You're right, and so far it's what I keep telling myself. I feel that my dad is looking out for us, and when the time is right (now that we've found a house to buy) our house will get sold. We're patient, and so far have tried to stay positive.
Talk2u, thank you for sharing your very heartfelt story. You are so right!! We get on our "wheel" and forget what life is about. It is about living. Your home is where you live, not just an investment vehicle.
If I may be so bold, I will also say that when the offer comes in, please don't get caught up over $1,000 or $5,000 or the washer and dryer... Look at the offer is your opportunity to move on with your life in a place that keeps your family together and hopefully will be much more abundant. I am sometimes amazed at how folks will get so caught up on the little things and forget the larger picture. People will spend thousands of dollar on junk food or that new TV or whatever.. but fight over a $2,000 and not move on with their lives. Perspective folks. It is all perspective.
Great post!!!
And Shelly, along those same lines and this may sound stupid, after my heart attack a couple of years ago I realized at some point it's only money. I can always get more if I have to by working harder or cutting back on things I do.
I keep trying to tell my wife in the scope of things a couple of thousand is really nothing, most people spend that on entertainment or a vacation or toys.
While we have lots invested in our houses please remember it's only a house, wood,nails,sheetrock and paint. It's not the living breathing thing like a family that gets driven crazy when we get depressed when we can't sell right away or have people look who are seemingly just waisting our time.
The best book I could recommend for these situations is "Don't sweat the small stuff" which was given to me by one of my bosses.
Y'all keep your chins up, it will happen when it's ment to!
And even though I've worked for 30+ years to be able to make this move and I can't sell.....at least I'm still breathing. Dead would be worse than another winter in Minnesota.
What a great post! Thank you...
Yes, we all forget sometimes that some people out there are in a much worse situation than we are. Once you don't have your health nothing else matters that much anymore.
I hope you will sell your home soon :-)!
Thank everyone for the kind responses and encouragement!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
