Juliebatt--you're absolutely right in that it's VERY tough and stressful to sell a house. I think part of it comes from the fact that many of us emotionally invest ourselves in our homes. It's a slap in the face when people don't choose ours. (kind of like getting picked last for gym class.) As hard as it is, try to keep your chin up. Know that you've done what you can afford to do to sell your house. It will happen. Real estate buying and selling is one of those things where lots is beyond our control. For many of us it's very difficult to not be in control of our lives. We can't make people see houses or make offers. As a realtor there's lots of things I can't make, no matter how much I will them, happen.

BTW--don't get too upset about the $599 house selling before yours. It's a different buyer (at least in this area folks looking at a $600,000 aren't really looking at the $435 house. I've personally live through that. Frustrating, but true.

Try to enjoy the weekend. Don't worry if no one sees the house. Long weekends are kind of strange in real estate. Locals don't look for houses, just out of town buyers.

My DH often reminds me of a funny line from Seinfeld when the RE world is really stressing me out. "Serenity now, serenity now." Doesn't work, but makes me laugh and that DOES work.)

juliebatt - I know you've been on the market for a long time, but perhaps this is a strong indication your house is overpriced. I think many people here have suggested that to you.

Have you posted your listing? IIRC, you don't want to which is fine, but you may benefit from our honest feedback. I could have you mistaken for someone else. If so, my apologies in advance.

From what you described, the house that just listed will be more desirable to people because of the new kitchen nad price, although you've got them beat sq. footage-wise.

Have you posted your listing? IIRC, you don't want to which is fine, but you may benefit from our honest feedback.

Not that I could find. I just searched old posts, best I could find was info to narrow a search of realtor.com. I have 3 possibles that may be her house.

I feel like I'm on the verge of a heart attack!! I just took a little swing around my neighborhood a found out the house directly behind mine just listed for a stinking $405K. 3/2.75/1800 sf WITH a NEW kitchen!! ARGH!! My nightmare continues (I'm currently $435K and 4/1.75/2100 sf with an old kitchen -- and hear it from nearly every feedback!)!!

Julie, try to breathe. When searching the old posts, it jogged my memory, I feel for you.

Please reconsider posting your link to realtor.com. As I mentioned I have 3 possibles, I think I know which one yours is. Getting feedback may help you decide what needs to be done whether it's lowering or a little more elbow grease. I know you have to be tired by now because I'm tired & I don't have a little one running around.

I feel like I'm on the verge of a heart attack!!

I had the same thing while my house was on the market. I nearly called 911 on myself one day until my Mother convinced me it was a panic attack. It got so bad that whenever I even thought about not being able to sell I would get palpitations and thumping.

I bit the bullet, lowered my price, and sold that week. It just wasn't worth the stress to me to make an additional few thousand- I needed to get on with my life.
Haven't had an incident since.

I know you were just kidding, but the stress is a real factor and can indeed damage your health. Do something fun today and try not to think about the house- tomorrow as well. It's a Holiday!

Maybe that top 35 HGTV to-do list sponsored by home depot wasn't all bunk afterall.

Thanks all. I'm feeling better now. One of my friends called me just before the heart attack struck! ;+) Deep down, I really think this has been a big lesson of faith for me and learning to be out of control (a reoccurring lesson in my life!).

And no, I haven't posted the link because I'm a stay at home mom with a toddler and don't feel safe doing so, but thanks for the offers. I'm with a difference agent now and don't have the fancy schmancy slideshows, 360 views, professional photos, enhanced realtor.com listing and what-not anymore. But I feel quite confident after all of the feedback I've received, including all the agent feedback from the agent tour, there is nothing else I or my previous realtor could possibly do to get my house sold without more cash (which there is none, it is officially gone) OR another price decrease. Even as I bid my previous realtor farewell, she agreed that it was all a matter of pricing now. I've seen that demonstrated over and over by watching the listings and sales in my surrounding area for the last 5 months. Even with the dumpiest listing, if it's in the MLS and is priced to SELL, it sells FAST.

I've been at my new price point with the new realtor 2 weeks now. Haven't recieved the number of showings I had hoped for, but hoping that might change a bit after graduation. Not quite ready to drop the price AGAIN. Like the article says...I've already dropped the price nearly 10%. :+( I fear my house has just beomce "old news" now.

Just to offer a slightly different perspective. To recap, your competition has a remodeled kitchen. The house that sold for $599k was completely remodeled, presumably with a new kitchen as well. Almost every feedback you've gotten has mentioned your old kitchen. You've lowered your price by 40k and spent another 20k in carrying costs over the past year for a total of 60k.

In hindsight you might have spent 20k on a mild kitchen remodel and had the house sold by now. Looking forward, you might drop your price by another 20k and spend another 20k over another year trying to sell the current old kitchen. Or you might just suck it up, take the house off the market for 2 months, spend the 20k up front now to freshen up the kitchen, and come back on the market at the current price or even 10k higher.

Just something to think about. In a buyer's market you can "lose" the money now by making the house more attractive for a quicker sale, or lose the money later when you have to lower the price and have the house sitting for months. In a buyer's market, buyers are much more interested in a move-in condition house, and much less interested in having to do a remodel themselves. Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

I think part of it comes from the fact that many of us emotionally invest ourselves in our homes.

I've been accused of this too and wonder what people here mean by it.
Most of us, me I know, panic because we are emotionally invested in our money, future, college education for our kids, retirement etc. If that's what emotionally invested means fine. But its put out here like its some sort of irrational emotional issue and frankly worrying about money doesn't seem irrational to me.

But I feel quite confident after all of the feedback I've received, including all the agent feedback from the agent tour, there is nothing else I or my previous realtor could possibly do to get my house sold without more cash (which there is none, it is officially gone) OR another price decrease.

Julie, without seeing pics of the kitchen, it's hard for us to give input. Is it possible to take a few shots and upload them online? To me as a buyer, I don't need the updated kitchen, especially if it means I get the cheapo cabinets. I toured a house last week where a man must have designed the new kitchen. What a shame.

Can you afford to stay in the house a few months?

Chiefneil: "Just something to think about. In a buyer's market you can "lose" the money now by making the house more attractive for a quicker sale, or lose the money later when you have to lower the price and have the house sitting for months. In a buyer's market, buyers are much more interested in a move-in condition house, and much less interested in having to do a remodel themselves. Best of luck whatever you decide to do."

This is why I say I wasted $20K and the last year of my life. I took a gamble on the market and lost.

We started thinking of selling a year ago and talked thoroughly to a realtor. Our house was a fix up dump at the time. She said if we sold it as-is, we could get about $430K (and the comps supported that at the time). We noticed the fixers weren't selling so well anymore (the end of the fix/flip frenzy), and we really needed to get closer to $500K in order to afford to stay in the neighborhood (by buying a smaller fixer house under $350K).

We mulled it over during the summer, then interviewed 4 more agents. They all confirmed if we put a little money and sweat equity into the house, we could sell it for much more. I went over all of the updates I was planning, and all 4 were in agreeance.

I spent the next 6 months painting every square inch of my house in the lastest trendy colors of the "remodeled" houses that were selling fast in my neighborhood. I put tile in the bathrooms, laundry and front entry. I replaced the worn carpet of the family room with cherry wood laminate to match the existing laminate in the adjoining kitchen. I gave my kitchen a facelift by replacing the counters, adding new handles (had none), adding beadboard, and painting over the old 70s paneling. I replaced all the flat slab doors/closets and exterior doors (30 in all) with raised panel doors. I changed all the hardware and plumbing fixtures to satin nickel. I replaced every lightfixture and ceiling fan. I added crown molding in both of the main living areas. I completely redid the front flower bed. Painted my dead yellow grass green. Cleaned up the back as best I could. Fixed the fence, painted all the worn things, planted a garden in the old pond. I cleaned, decluttered, and put away every personal effect (which took 6 weeks alone!). This all cost approx. $7000 which we used from our HELOC, leaving us only $3000 left to carry the house. My DH doesn't make enough to pay all our current bills and debt, so we use credit to float the extra. I've gained an additional $13,000 in debt just trying to keep us afloat the last year. This is where the $20K comes from. I have nearly no credit left. I can't qualify for anymore. I have very little cash left as well. I couldn't afford a kitchen remodel then, and I still can't afford it now.

We listed the house at $474 Feb 1, thinking that was highly aggressive and would get the house sold in a month or two at most (we could not afford to carry it much longer!). We were ALL surprised. Now I'm $435. I have nothing left to work with except my equity. We can no longer afford a house in this neighborhood and have started looking farther out. We're trying desperately hard not to create a commute longer than 15-20 minutes for my DH. This was one of his stipulations when aggreeing to sell in the first place (his current commute is only 5 minutes and he comes home for lunch). Our price range has dropped to under $280K now.

Anyway, that's my sob story and a too long explanation why I can't remodel the kitchen.

Before:
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After:
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I'm sorry you are so stressed about this. I know it's hard on your husband too, but not as much since you are dealing with it daily.

I'm amazed you could do all your updates for $7000. You must have shopped carefully.

I don't know what to tell you, because I think your kitchen looks pretty good. Yep, not stainless steel/granite, but it's not an old kitchen, just not with the current trends. Nice and big, space to move around, those cool appliance garages ... I'd like to have a kitchen like yours. The cabinets aren't wonderful, maybe, but spacious and clean and kinda cool for people who don't want to be just like everyone else.

This seems like a tough period in your life, and I wish you all the best.
Minet

Its probably none of our business, but why are you selling? It looks like you've made it a pretty nice place to live, why not sit tight until your local market is better?

Easy for me to say - in your shoes I'd probably not take that question too well, but I don't mean it meanly.

julie - I like your kitchen as it is and think you did a great job making it look cool. It appeals to the modern taste in me.

I can understand how hard it is on you and not being able to afford to stay. I've been there. After I got divorced I got stuck with the house and its payments as we bought in a high market that tanked the year after and couldn't afford to sell as I would have owed more than I could sell for and this was with 20% down. I had $200 to live on every two weeks (that included everything, food, gas, clothes, other groceries etc.). Easier as a single person, but still rough, but I made it through. What other options do you have but selling? Can you take a part time job to work evenings/nights? I know it will be rough for a while, but maybe that would help keep you afloat until the house sells or even allow you to stay for a while. I know it isn't fun, but at least it would allow you to do something to help your current situation.

Julie
I pray that things will begin to get better for you and that you will have the peace of God in the midst of all this.

I like your kitchen, though. It's so nice and roomy and different. It would be a plus for me if I were viewing your house.

You were right to update the kitchen. The last photo is the one that really showcases the size. The first two photos pre fixes makes the kitchen look small and cluttered. The angle of the photos doesn't do it justice. The best photo is the last one taken from farther away.

Had I seen the first redo photo (photo number three), I would have skipped your house completely b/c it makes the kitchen look small and the counterspace almost non-existent. Photo 4 shows how big it really is.

Just a tip on how photos can make or break whether someone wants to see the house!

Just one more thing. Is it possible to lose one of the cabinet garages? To me, one is enough and having two takes away the impression of counterspace.

And something a tad picky. The phone on the kitchen wall. It looks like it doesn't have a long cord and that if someone wanted to use it, they would have to stand while doing so. Can you either put a little desk or small table there or switch out the phone for a cordless?

I know, picky - but if a potential buyer can visualize space for a small desk by one being there, then they will see that talking on the phone in that room is not an issue. It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but it's something that I would think about.

Julie-
You did an incredible job on the kitchen. The last picture really showcases the kitchen. The paint is much nicer than the wallpaper was. It looks like the kitchen has been professionally staged.

Thanks all. I really like my kitchen now and wish I did it long ago! If I knew how cheap it would be to make such a HUGE difference, I would of. But I thought nothing short of a complete kitchen remodel was in order. All of the friends/family that have seen the before/after of my kitchen love it too and say it's they're favorite room in the house! LOL! I actually have a TON of cabinet space and they're custom built-in cabinets -- from 1990 though!

Minet, I did most of the work myself, hence the $7000, coupled with good shopping (oh, and didn't mention I also replaced both bathroom vanities/counters/sinks with to $50 finds on craig's list!). I went over my original budget of $5000 because I started running out of time and wasn't able to hold out for the good deals, plus I hired a handyman at the end to finish up some stuff for me (my christmas present, LOL!).

MFbenson, read my post before the photos. My DH no longer makes enough for us to break even. We acquired too much debt living off credit while he was unemployed for 1.5 years. It's time to get out and start over.

sparksals, that last shot fools the eye since it was with a wide angle lens. The first three are with a normal camera and more representative. The one I have in the new ad is similar to #3 but taken with a wide lens. I wanted to be more represented. It's not tiny, but it's not huge either and wouldn't allow a little desk there. I did have the garbage there and had to move them to the laundry room to open up that run to the hall -- else it makes my boxy floorplan seem even more conjested (the other feedback I always receive - "not an open floorplan"). I don't have a cordless that isn't unintrusive when you're walking down the hall and can't afford one besides this $5 slim one that's there now. We don't use it. It's just for show and to cover up the terrible job the previous owners did on cutting the paneling around the phone jack. I also would love to loose the garages, but I can't because of the way the cabinets were built in (one creates a weird false wall). Plus, they're now permanently attached to the countertop. That is another reason we never attempted a cheap kitchen remodel, it would be a beast with all the weird things the previous owners did (like closing in an entry to the kitchen next to the fridge, which now has a little pass-through). And one of the best things most people remodel in this floorplan is rip our the wall between the kitchen and living room to make a great room -- another costly move. We didn't feel it'd be worth redoing the kitchen unless it could be done -right- IYKWIM?

"My DH no longer makes enough for us to break even. We acquired too much debt living off credit while he was unemployed for 1.5 years. It's time to get out and start over."

Got it - I do better when explanations are direct and to the point. :)

That's a tough spot to be in. Is refinancing the debt or or the home loan an option? Even if its not a permanent solution it might buy you some time.

$280K would buy twice the house I have, and $435K would be a dream home around here. It boggles my mind that house prices and salaries were able to get so far out of whack in some areas.

I think the kitchen looks soooo much better. Personally, I'd like the backsplash tp be painted in that same pretty green. I know the money is all spent, but I think the cabinets would look nice with some molding around the edges--maybe shaker style. If by chance you come across matching wood trim (is that birch?), give it some thought. I think it would make a big difference.

Julie, thank you for humoring me and posting the pics, your kitchen remodel is beautiful! I don't know what's wrong with people these days, to me, I would rather have those 1960's wood cabinets then the 2007 cheapies. I love what you did to the wood over the sink with cutting it straight. World of difference!

The 1st pics look like the house I grew up in. We even had the scalloped wood over the sink. When we sold the house last year, all we did was take the cook top & oven out, new counter tops & floor, painted, cleaned really good and changed light fixtures / added a new range.

I have nothing left to work with except my equity. We can no longer afford a house in this neighborhood and have started looking farther out. We're trying desperately hard not to create a commute longer than 15-20 minutes for my DH. This was one of his stipulations when aggreeing to sell in the first place (his current commute is only 5 minutes and he comes home for lunch). Our price range has dropped to under $280K now.

Anyway, that's my sob story and a too long explanation why I can't remodel the kitchen.

If you can't afford the house, how does he think you will keep it? Sounds like he needs to bend for right now while you try to make ends meet. Maybe one day you can move closer again. He's spoiled living that close to work, my son drives close to an hour and my husband is close to 2 hours. We do what we have to to live cheaper, even if it means a longer commute & living in a cheaper town like mine.

I couldn't imagine having my husband out of work for over a year. Your husband is very lucky to have you with all you've done to get the house ready for sale and to be able to keep it for this long. Hopefully you can get a buyer. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you

mfbenson, I agree!! I don't know how people in CA manage -- well, I know, they're all dual income families or live in condos. :( Guess in my poverty, I'm rather spoiled still. It's a matter of looking at the glass half full, but it's a hard outlook to change when things used to be so promising in the computer industry before the dot coms and 9/11.

quip, I agree, the molding would look better, but it would be quite time consuming for 37 doors and to try to match the stain. And somehow, I think this kind of buyer would see right through it and still say "ick" because it's not cherry or maple. I almost painted the cabinets white instead, but ran out of time and sanity (LOL!), so I changed the color palate. Reminds me of Starbucks now! I call it my bistro kitchen because I have a series of coffee cup paintings I found at IKEA over the little table in the corner. I'm thinking of doing the same colors over again in my next house since we've all come to like it so much! Oh, and the white beadboard backsplash matches the existing white beadboard around the table (not pictured). It makes sense and looks much better in person. The photos really don't do it justice.

roselvr, thanks for noticing my little "trick"! I was concerned about matching the stain and I knew those scallops HAD to go! Nothing screamed DATED more than that! So I popped it through my table saw and voila! (can you tell I was soooo impressed with myself?! LOL! I just had to point it out to every family member that saw our "new" kitchen!).
As for the commute, I'm spoiled too. It gives me a nice break from the high-engery-just-like-his-daddy toddler in the middle of the day. It's also nice to have him home after work in time to occupy our son while I make dinner. I don't know what we would have done otherwise, but maybe we would have lasted on our credit longer and he might have found a better job had we not used that big chunk on fixing it up. But yes, I think (and he knows), it was just inevitable. The other appeal of staying relatively close to this area is we are halfway between both our families, being almost in the middle of Phoenix. We are very close to all of them and it would be hard to "choose a side" (and buying a townhouse becomes more attractive). At this point, we're just trying to get the house sold and will cross that bridge when we come to it.

so you move 30 or 45 minutes away from work--does that really change life that much? Maybe he can't come home from work, but there are worse things. So you're closer to one family that another--they're going to say "you're choosing sides"? You guys have a pretty big problem--you may need a big solution that requires some sacrifices--either space, or time.

(of course, first you need a sale, right?)

Best of luck; this must be really hard.

(are you sure you can't take care of someone else's toddler for money?)

Not that much money! LOL!

I am sorry to hear about your situation and my best wishes and prayer goes towards you and your family and hopefully the house sells quickly at your desired price point.

I do not want to come off rude but I think you need to sit down with your family and come up with some contingency plan...like back up plan or plan B...if for some reason the sale of the house is delayed or you are not getting the price you want and may have to hold on to it for longer than you initially planned. It may not be a bad idea for you to start looking for work...with toddler in the house may be it will make more sense to work evening shifts so that when you are out your husband is at home to take care. May be going out to work and meeting other people and being in different environment will also help you relieve this stress...just a thought.

It may not be a bad idea for you to start looking for work...with toddler in the house may be it will make more sense to work evening shifts so that when you are out your husband is at home to take care.

I was married to a man that wanted me to work & bring home money but he did not like it as much when he had to help raise the kids. Some men don't want to help.

I was married to a man that wanted me to work & bring home money but he did not like it as much when he had to help raise the kids. Some men don't want to help.

Maybe, but in this scenario someone better start making some HARD decisions QUICK. Using credit cards and a home equity loan to pay monthly bills is extremely dangerous. Right now, too many "wants" and no one willing to make any concessions.

They are ways to make money from home all you have to do is want to.

I am totally impressed by your work on that valance! I think you made the right decisions on your kitchen, given your constraints.

Yes, yes, we've learned that now. Without getting into the whole long story... Promises were made and broken. We're now at a standstill. You could say that I should be the "bigger person" and go get a job during evenings or what-not. Besides the fact that there isn't anything I could do during this time to make enough to cover our difference besides throwing A LOT of newspapers (and I'm not sure if I could function well enough on the lack of sleep to care for my 2 yo during the day), I feel it is my DH's responsibility to find the 2nd job as his careless ways got us into this mess (and he has more employable skills). I'm tired of making excuses for him and cleaning up the mess for these 10 years of marriage. It seems that the only way he will truly learn is the hard way. So I plan to take my captian down with our ship to ensure this NEVER happens again...

Julie - in this case, I have to disagree with you. Yes, your husband got you into this mess, but you are a couple and if you are short on cash and in such financial straits, then you should be thinking about getting an evening job so he can be home in the evening to take care of your 2 YO.

With your line of thinking, it doesn't sound like you will get out of the mess and it is hindering, rather than helping the situation.

You both should be doing anything and everything to rise up from it and if it means you getting a PT job, then that's what you should do.

As for your husband, since he got you into the situation, he should be more than willing to forgo coming home for lunch. It seems like he's not willing to take responsibility for his actions.

As it stands, you have a 2 YO and you need to find a way to make ends meet. Living on c/c's and HE loans is not the way to do it. YOu need to drastically cut the price of your house so it sells and possibly rent until you get on your feet.

When you're married, financial problems no matter how they are derived become the problem of both spouses and it is also up to both to fix it. You won't get anywhere with your line of thinking.

Do you really think he will be any more motivated if he is forced to take a 2nd job? Do you think it would help your marriage? How would it affect your 2 YO for his/her father never to be home?

IMHO you need to get a job to help out. You're in dire financial straits and if it continues, you may be in a position of foreclosure/bankrupcy and then you lose all the money you have in that house. Don't let that happen.

I'm not sure if I could function well enough on the lack of sleep to care for my 2 yo during the day

IMO, you've done a lot to try to get this house ready. You surely are not like my ex neighbor, she did nothing all day; they also had to sell their house for the same reason.

I'm sure others will disagree but I think you deserve a break for right now. You seem ok to take the consequences, which may be the only thing that wakes him up. You know your husband, you know what's right for your situation. You seem like the type of lady that will be ok; you'll adapt to what ever kind of living you'll have to do if the house sells.

If you do decide to do some type of part time work you may think to do odd jobs where you can take the 2 year old with you. I used to clean hubby's house before we married (it's how we met), I made decent money cleaning & I was able to bring my daughter with me. Your handy, you could probably do all sorts of stuff for the elderly, or even find a local realtor looking for help with houses going up for sale. After seeing what you did to the kitchen, I'm sure you could do some gardening / yard work also. That's cake work compared to what you did

You certainly did a nice job with the kitchen. Roslvr has a good point, working on the side for cash here there may not be a consistent part of the budget but helps and if you work for cash that helps too. I've known a couple of women who help other one or two woman cleaning "companies" out when they got in a crunch. One woman I know cleaned almost exclusively for realtors cleaning vacant upscale houses that were on the market.

Personally, I would never hire someone to clean my home if they had to bring their 2 YO with them. No way. I don't think I'm in the minority on this one.

A 2 YO needs constant supervision and the person hired to clean certainly would not be able to concentrate on the job for which I am paying if they're chasing a 2 YO through my home which is far from child proof.

I am not an expert and it may work out or it may not in your situation...but sometimes people in similar situation may go the route of short sale.

I used to try to plan nap time with coming here. Some days she would fall asleep on the ride over, so I'd let her sleep, almost sure I had a playpen when she was younger. Fold up playpens can be great to keep a kid in one spot as long as they don't climb out.

I used to bring toys, she'd either play or watch tv. I used to close the rooms off that I wasn't working in, and close us in a room I was working in. I would say I was in the house for 2 hours. There wasn't anything breakable, didn't have to worry about that.

When I cleaned for the realtor she stayed with her father or the realtor I worked for as she had kids 8 years older then mine. I wouldn't take her to those since they were usually bigger (clean out) jobs. But to go into a house that was for sale to dust, vac, clean bathrooms & the kitchen; it really wasn't a problem. Depends on how well the kid can behave and the situation. The owner didn't mind, which is what matters

Julie, your plan to let your husband fall won't work since you are legally bound to him. That strategy only works when the person can't take you down with them. And any financial downfall you have as a married couple will follow you into divorce. I don't know if that's the path you're looking at but it kind of sounds like you're considering it. While it may not seem like it, you will be helping yourself by helping your family get out of your current financial situation.

The work you've done on the kitchen is beautiful and you somehow managed to find the time to do it with a toddler around. Seems like you're resourceful and if you tried, you could find a way to manage a job and a child, too.

QUOTE: "I am so frustrated. I feel like my house is cursed. I've wasted a year a $20K on this stinking thing. Makes my stomach turn just thinking about it."

Tell me about it! For me it's been over 2 years, $80K out of pocket, and I've got the damn thing priced at 95K less than construction costs..... I'm just not sure what more the "buyers" want outta me?????

(Note to self: They aren't actually buyers when they simply continue to tour and never make any offers.)

I would replace the appliances, especially the refrigerator and range. They look dated.

I would replace the appliances, especially the refrigerator and range. They look dated.

She said there was no money left....

The appliances are fine to me, it's not an $800,000 house. They look don't look old to me, and look clean and they look like they work. If someone comes in, they can use the kitchen and when they are ready to reno they can. To me throwing perfectly good appliances in a landfill is the problem.

Our appliances aren't new either. When we buy, I expect to find used appliances.

Quoting Julie from another post: I'm a miserable son of a gun here in Phoenix. Sounds all too similar. Started out $475 on Feb 1, all the agents thought that was very competitive and house showed beautifully. 5 weeks later, $450. Received offer for $435 from investor (who actually contacted me by letter, not knowing my house was listed, so had nothing to do with the MLS), that fell through 2 weeks later. May 10, new realtor, new price at $435 and thought my house would FLY off the street compared to the comps. DH lost his job this past week so we lowered to $425 on Monday. No showings at the new price so far. >:( If this keeps up, we'll just have to cut the price and dump it in the next month. It's a horrible, horrible feeling.

Julie, I saw this in another post and wanted to tell you how bad I feel after reading this. You are due for something good to happen... I will keep you in my thoughts.

I'm sorry also, Julie.

Wishing you fair winds & safe harbor...

Tricia

Thank you both. Just had salt rubbed in my wound last night. There were some people hanging out over my house when I was listed at $450 at the end of the old agent's contract. We extended another 10 days just because their agent kept saying they were lining up a construction loan before they made an offer. Come to find out they made an offer on another house, a major fixer upper with a huge lot with mountain views backing up to a greenbelt. It had just come on the market at $375 (rock bottom for my area). I heard weeks later through another agent that it was actually a bidding war between three buyers, of course the ones that were interested in my house won. No one knew how high it went though. Closed this week for $400K (what I figured). And here I am sitting a mere $25K more and no one is looking. I just have to continually let it go. It's obvious there are higher powers at work here. LOL

Julie --

I can't believe that in your desperate situation, your hubby still needs to be 15-20 minutes away from work! It sounds as if you are doing all the work and sacrificing and he doesn't want a long commute. I take a bus and train to work which takes me an hour because driving is too expensive. I can see why you are also in debt -- he needs, he needs, he needs (rent the movie "Pollock"). I hope you two are really young, because if you aren't, he's not going to change. When you two have to go into foreclosure and lose everything and have no money, I guess that's when he'll learn, but it may be too late and you're going to have to learn his lesson with him as well as your child. I feel really bad for you because you seem like you're doing everything and working hard to succeed. You are too nice -- believe me, I would be throwing a violent tantrum with my BF if he pulled that sort of sh*t. Another reason not to get married........

tell hubby to 'suck it up' and face a longer drive - unload the house as quickly as possible and if necessary rent for a while.

I am 68 yrs old, drive 45 minutes one way to work, have a husband with cancer (who hasn't worked for 3 months and probably won't be able to go back to work for another 3 months) and just took on a mortgage on a second (our retirement) home.

Yes, it is nice your hubby can come home for lunch, yes it is nice you are a stay at home Mom, but face it, the boat is sinking underneath your family and someone needs to start bailing pretty quick or all 3 of you will go down with it.

Sorry if this sounds cruel but it is reality. Carolyn

Okay, I'm really sorry that a fellow poster, who meant well, brought this old thread back into the light.

We are in no danger of foreclosing because we have so much equity in the house. We will unload the house before we ever have to make a late or skip a payment of anything (I won't let our credit be ruined as well).

I, also, don't want my husband to have a long commute. Longer hours for him at the office means longer hours for me at home. I want and need a break too. This IS NOT only his preference, but mine as well. But this is a moot point now that he's LOST HIS JOB.

Anyway, I do not have the time or energy to explain all of the back story to justify myself to everyone on this forum, nor do I feel the need for anyone's approval here, plain and simple. I have made my peace with it and I can still look at myself in the mirror. We will not be bankrupt and we will not be homeless. We will be absolutely fine. Might be pretty miserable the first few months to get used to a new way of life, but when everything's said and done, we will come out ahead and much happier in the long run.

I know all of you mean well, but let's just drop this original thread now, thanks! :)