How we sold our house off Craigslist

Perhaps the title is somewhat misleading.  The house is not, in fact, sold but is "under contract" as they say.  Regardless, our experience merits being recorded.  Oh, and it's a bit of a long story so do get cozy.

Sometime near the first of April, Chris and I felt/decided the time had come for us to move.  Chris and Wes (co-founders of Pasplore.com) absolutely need to be able to work in the same place (and definitely not 3 time zones away).  We needed to get our house on the market quickly in order to catch the high season.  So, like any man with a clear objective before him, Chris went to work getting our family and house ready to move West.  We began packing, selling furniture on Criagslist, booked a moving truck for June 29th (well, actually it was 2 moving trucks in case we decided to go to Boulder instead of Seattle, but that's another story),  hosted a big yard sale, and began talking to real estate agents.  We were encouraged to hear that our little neighborhood was the best selling neighborhood in Durham this year.

It was sometime around the end of April that Chris came down the stairs to tell me he listed our house for sale on Craigslist, "just to test the waters."

Well, with this pictures and a short paragraph, we received 3 emails from interested buyers who wanted to see the house.  The thing is, we weren't ready to show our house to any perspective buyers.  We asked if they could wait 1 1/2 weeks until we wrapped up some final projects we'd procrastinated.  They agreed and we went to work.

A few days later, thanks to fortunate (I have to think divinely inspired) timing, Chris's amazing parents Brent and Marilyn arrived for a visit.  These saintly people spent their vacation time slaving away on our house to get it ready to sell.  Their energy and expertise in all things "handy" were desperately needed and much appreciated.  The first home showing was scheduled the same day they were to fly home.  We were motivated!

Sadly, I don't have pictures from their visit.  The only record of their time with us is this lengthy to-do list of house projects we completed.

• Clean out nasty, dank cellar.  (Marilyn and Lizzy. Yes, the girls braved the spiders, cobwebs, and bugs, and trash from the previous owners)
• Replace the baseboards in the kitchen (Chris and Brent)
• Install light above cellar stairs (Brent...did I mention he studied electrical engineering?)
• Fix the clothes dryer (Hooray!  After weeks of wet laundry strewn about the house, he just popped down to the cellar and figured out what was wrong and how to fix it. How many father-in-laws can do  that?)
• Fix Stella, Chris's Vespa-like scooter that hasn't been working well for some time. (Brent, of course.)
• Paint: doors, baseboards, touch ups, etc (Marilyn)
• Landscaping: weed, trim, dig, plant, mulch, mow, weedwack.  (Lizzy and Marilyn)
• Paint front porch cement.  This one wins the "Biggest-Improvement-Why-Didn't-We-Do-This-Sooner" Award (Lizzy)
• Paint picket fence (Lizzy)
• More painting: Kitchen portico, door,and casing.  (Chris)
• Plumbing: fix leak in apartment kitchen and braving the cellar (Chris and Brent)
• Fix eaves, seal up cracks, crevices, miscellaneous jobs (Chris and Brent)
• Wash windows inside and out (Marilyn)
• Haul the scrap wood, junk, and random cellar items (like an old toilet that has been there who knows how long) to the DUMP.  The neighbors are hopefully a bit less embarrassed of us.
• Buy a new shower curtain and hem it to fit. (Lizzy)
• Keep Esther away from the power saws and out of the wet paint. (All)

Apart from being tired and a bit sore, we did have a nice time together and even managed to go out to eat a few times.  Esther positively loves her grandparents, as do we all.

As we were driving to the airport, Marilyn told us she would hope and pray that our house would sell quickly so we wouldn't have to keep showing it.  Well, her prayers have always been powerful and in this instance things were no different.  The house did sell quickly and here is how it all happened.

MONDAY:
Morning -  Finish final projects, clean the house, shower, take Grandma and Grandpa to the airport.
5:30pm -  Buyer #1's agent and cousin arrive.  Show them the house.  Wonder what they were thinking.  We think they like the house but aren't quite sure.

TUESDAY:
2pm - Show house to Buyer #2, Buyer#2's agent, and a friend.  Assume they aren't interested in the house.
2:30pm - Buyers #1 arrive along with their youngest daughter, agent, and friend.  Everyone is friendly.  We think they like the house.
6:00pm - Receive offer on the house from Buyer #1.  Full asking price but only 24 hours to decide.  A few negotiations (that Chris drives a hard bargain). We notify other buyers, but agree to sign Wednesday by 4pm.

WEDNESDAY
3:55pm - Buyer #2's agent frantically pulling an offer together as we are preparing to sign Buyer #1's offer.  We hold off signing to wait for the other offer.  We are pacing, restless, and amazed.

4:10pm - Receive Buyer #2's offer.  Higher than our asking price, longer due diligence period.  We inform Buyer #1.

6:00pm - Receive counter offer from Buyer #1.  Even higher still than original asking price.  Very short due diligence period, high due diligence payment (ie. money they lose if they back out), and a very prompt closing date. Buyers #1 are out to dinner and ask that they "can toast to signing the contract before dessert is served."  We agree to sign.

6:30pm- Show the house to Buyer #3 who still wanted to see the house "just in case something fall through."

And that, my friends, is how we sold our house off Craigslist for more that we asked and during the worst housing recession of the century.  It may seem like a lucky chance to some, but for Chris and me, it was a gift from God.  As we move forward to the uncertain and un-salaried future in Seattle, it's reassuring to know that God is there and that He has the power to help us.

Yard Sale

The start-up winds are blowing west these days, and we are getting ready to move.  When? Most likely in June.  Where?  We think our final destination is Seattle, but a lot can happen in a few months and we may be doing lots of stops/stays before we get there.  They will be happy stops in Utah and Arizona to visit our family who we've so much missed.  

In honor of the forthcoming move we planned to have a big moving sale Saturday morning.  We sorted through all our possessions made a pile of the things we didn't need or could easily replace.  It made a fairly substantial pile. (See exhibit A). Most of the stuff either we'd had a very long time or had been given to us as hand-me-downs.  WAY too much stuff and I'm vowing to say NO to free things or cheap things or anything for that matter unless I absolutely need it or positively love it.  

The Great and Terrible Purge

When it comes to moving, Chris and I have a bad history. Our first move together was during a blizzard.  We also had mono and had to sit for a while to rest between trips.  Next came the move from Virginia to North Carolina, which was momentous as we had managed in a week's time to (1) learn I was expecting our first baby, (2) we were about to close on our first house, and (3) we immediately set to work on our first home remodel.  As we were unpacking the moving truck Chris kept giving me encouragement telling me that we didn't need any help because I was "strong like unto the men."  Needless to say, I was flat in bed with a high fever by the end of that week.

This move began with a memorable moment as (the day before the big moving sale) Chris and I both came down with some nasty sickness that had us either vomiting or flat in bed.  Nasty.  Poor Esther must have been wondering why mom and dad weren't getting out of bed...ever.  Thankfully a friend who learned we were sick took Esther for the afternoon so she could get out of the house eat a decent meal.  Generally speaking, I would not recommend getting sick at the same time as your spouse unless you live in close proximity to one of your mothers.  Things really fall apart.

Amazingly enough, we were feeling much better this morning and with some help from our amazing church friends, the sale was quite successful.  Glad to see my things go to new homes and cash is much easier to move across the country than boxes.

Crunchy Towels

Isn't there an old saying that goes something like,  "You never truly appreciate something until it's taken away from you...like a clothes dryer."

Outer Banks

We were fortunate to be able to spend a few days at the beach with some friends who rented a beach house.  It was our first trip to the North Carolina beaches since we've lived here...what have we been doing all this time?! We had some fun adventures, enjoyed great company, and loved relaxing in a beautiful place.

 Ocracoke Island - Apparently this is the oldest working brick lighthouse in the world.  We also heard about the "wild ponies" on Ocracoke.  We were told they were enclosed...turns out that means they live in a small pasture with hay, barns, and all.  Cute, but not as wild as we hoped.

Esther was quite the bathing beauty.  She  did all she could to NOT touch the sand for the first while, until her desire to play with the kids and their toys helped her overcome her fears.  Funny girl. 

Picture taken from our balcony...there were loads of dolphins off the shore

Chris even took a very old, very unreliable canoe out to see those dolphins.  He made to within 5 feet of them...pretty cool.  Esther and I were a bit concerned for his safety, but they made it back alive and mostly unscathed.

Wright Brothers Memorial - the first flight

On the drive

HAPPY EASTER

 We had some church friends over for Easter brunch in honor of our 2:00pm church and had a lovely time. (I kind of went overboard on the hot cross buns as we still have over a dozen left over...that was after pawning some off to the neighbors.)

After breakfast we had our 1st Annual Easter Egg Roll (apparently when two hard boiled eggs roll towards each other on a track only one egg will break).  Each guest brought a hard boiled egg to compete but one of our good friends didn't realize the importance of hard boiled.  It was a bit of a mess...but quite hilarious. 

I am determined to make Easter as joyful as Christmas, but still figuring out how to do so.  We started the day listening to the Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah, and enjoyed enjoyed spending time with friends, eating good food, and relishing the beautiful spring weather.  Then we put Esther in her "new" dress and went to church.  The Easter program was lovely.  The choir was small but thanks to lots of rehearsals and a great director, the songs came together really well.  Chris was one of the speakers and have a thoughtful talk on the personal implications of the atonement. I was in and out with a nap deprived Esther and so wish I could have recorded the entire talk because it was beautiful.  He began talking about Christ's injunction to us to "take up our cross and follow" Him, in other words, being willing to suffer the most humiliating and shameful experience imaginable for Christ's sake.  But then, (referencing Elder Bednar) he discussed the enabling power of the atonement which strengthens us beyond our natural ability.  Drawing the connection that we will be able to bear those crosses because Christ will give us the strength to do so by the power of the atonement.   He ended with the reminder that it is a happy Easter--because Christ lives.  

Easter Pictures

 This is how pictures taking went...Esther running away

daddy holding her back

Esther resisting being held back

mommy restraining Esther

yoga?

 Happy Easter to all!  

Duke Gardens Outing

tai chi?

watching two Duke students play Frisbee

Esther loves sitting on things her sized...especially this chair at a friends house

A word about this girl: she LOVES to recline.  She will put a pillow on the floor so she can recline on it.  She tries to recline while sitting on the bottom step of the stairs.  She reclines on people.  She reclines on her booster seat and puts her feet on the table.  And of course, she reclines our bed and leans against the pillows.  I'm sure I don't know where she learned such behavior...

Spring in North Carolina

A couple of weeks ago as Esther and I went for our usual walk around the neighborhood, I took the camera along in order to remember how North Carolina bursts with life and color.  So happy to live here.