5 posts tagged “real estate”
Right or wrong, my real estate agent / broker convinced me this morning not to lower the asking price on my condo. He did admit that the selling price has gone down in over a year, but that people were still making offers on the asking price that I have had for the past year. As politely and as patiently as he could, he said that we needed someone who did not mind climbing stairs and yet was able to get the financing to purchase a home. So I can eliminate older people from being potential buyers and any young people trying to get out of the apartment scene are no longer being approved for loans. Sigh.
All that I know is that I refuse to let this bother me next week when I am on vacation with my family.
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Somehow I managed not to listen to any music on my computer since last Friday. How that happens still amazes me.
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Now that I am on disc three of the audio version of the book Three Weeks with My Brother written by Nicholas Sparks, I can see why some people would be offended by the behavior of the Sparks brothers when they are abroad. There are more than a few times when they come across as shallow if not downright crass. The author uses such words as boring when he is at museums and they do act rude at various sacred sites.
It feels good to be reading again. I've only read about the first forty pages of the Paul Theroux book Dark Star Safari, but I enjoy reading what he has to say At times I still have to wonder if his biting comments are just part of a persona he adapts for writing or if he truly feels that way about the people he meets in various foreign countries. He seems to have little patience for anything that smells ever so slightly of packaged tourism and I can understand to a degree. I do not like having trinkets forced on me to purchase. Nor do I enjoy being seen as a mark by various hawkers in foreign markets. More than once I have had a budding foreign artist approach me with some of his goods in hand asking me buy something. On the one hand I realize that they have to make a living, but at the same time I do not respond well to sales pressure.
Putting aside the negativity of Theroux, he does make some valid points about Africa. For example, he begins his journey in Egypt and more than once other travelers say that they have no desire to see Africa. Paul quickly points out to them that they are in Africa, because Egypt is in Africa. I can understand why these people make that distinction though. Egypt is the pyramids and camels whereas Africa is safari and jungles. I have no doubt that that would be the kneejerk response of most Americans when asked about whether they would go to Egypt or Africa. That odd mental distinction is there.
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With ever warming temperatures I am eager to try the pool where I live and have been disappointed to see that it is not ready for swimming yet. It clearly needs to be cleaned. So in an effort to speed the process up, I called the condo association people and asked them why there was a delay. I was told that I was not the first person to call them with this question. Then I was apologetically told that the company hired to clean the pool had been running behind schedule. A date has yet to be given as to when these people will be on schedule.
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This morning my real estate person convinced me not to lower my selling price on my old condo. He said that the last unit to sell was a mere one thousand dollars less than what I am asking. The market is just that bad and the news won't shut up about it. Plus there is going to be another wave of mortgage increases on the ones sold back in 2005 and that will probably lead to more foreclosures and bad press. Sigh. I try not to think about this problem and hope that the place sells this month or next month otherwise maybe renting it is an option that I might have to explore.
Within the space of a week, I had five showings and not one offer on the condo that I am trying to sell. Most people seem to find it too small for some reason. Are families of six or more members trying to live there? This is a two bedroom unit with a one car garage. It is meant for an older single person or someone looking for their first property. Why is this so hard for people to understand? Sigh. Since this is a holiday weekend coming up, I am not expecting any activity at all and just want to put it out of my mind for a time. Plus I am looking forward to a three day work week and a four day weekend where I am hoping to relax.
About the only productive things that I have been doing lately would include taking photos and exercising. The photos have not been that impressive, but I am learning how to better use the features on my camera so I see that as time well spent. Then there is the exercise that almost always makes me happy. Just sweating improves my mood and I am looking forward to spending more time outside this summer. I should be out there now, but I never seem to find the time and the road construction near my place bothers me.
Finally, I have to say that I enjoyed reading an article about Stonehenge in the June issue of National Geographic. Usually that place ends up on some quasi mystical program that completely annoys me. From what I have read and understand no one is really quite sure what happened there and why. There are theories, but other than knowing where the stones came from before they were placed in a circle, most things about Stonehenge are just speculation.
Still sweaty from a late morning bike ride and a casual walk around my subdivision where I took some photos, I feel good. Everything is beginning to turn green around here and there is a second showing this Saturday for my old condo. This showing is for someone who liked the place last year, but did not have an offer on their place then. Oh, dare I hope that an offer will be made on my place now? If I could sell the place now, then I could enjoy the summer without that being in the back of my mind all of the time.
Last night I had a wonderful geek moment and spread about three months worth of comic book across the floor of the office. Naturally as I sorted through them to make sure that they were in my database, I took some time to read more than a few of them again. Personal favorites include Fables, Legion of Super-Heroes, Red Sonja, Scalped and of course Superman. I am looking forward to James Robinson taking over the writing chores on Superman. His creation Starman years ago brought me much reading pleasure.
Two groups of Canadian geese seem to like the open field across from my place and I have no idea why. What I do know is that I hear them honking every morning.
A nagging thought in the back of my mind. Unfinished business. Something that I can not escape. A monkey on my back. The elephant in the room. How can I properly describe how I feel about having to pay two mortgages, because my old condo will not sell? I do not think that any of those phrases quite capture how often I think about this problem. I am not physically suffering, but the financial burden is having a psychological effect on me that I do not enjoy. People tell me that the housing market is bad. My real estate people tell me that the market is bad. My family tells me that the market is bad. The news constantly tells me that the market is bad. Knowing this to be true makes me feel only a little better. I still do not like this feeling of helplessness.
Suddenly I have become the prisoner of strangers. Their whims and opinions affect my life. What they say has some importance to me. Will someone decide to purchase what I once called home? When? Why is it taking so long? Should I lower the price? Should I become a landlord and rent it out? If I chose the rent option, then at least someone else would be paying the mortgage for me. Decisions to make and options to explore. Will I be able to enjoy the summer with these thoughts in my head?
Having this burden is an anchor that drags the rest of my life to a crawl and I want it to go away as soon as possible. That is my wish. That is my desire. That is my hope. That is my plea.
