Tell Me Friends, What Do I Hear?

Answer: That's metaphysically absurd, man; how can I know what you hear?

I do not recall the stress of showing a home during my youth (the family moved a lot and bought and sold a lot of homes), but it must have been there. It probably was Mom's job. In fact, every time we moved, she would develop itchy rashes on the inside of her elbows that wouldn't subside until a new house was purchased and we were in residence.

The way I am experiencing this is totally different. I don't know if the response is because of how nice the place shows online, or because it's so well priced, but I wasn't expecting this much activity so quickly.

It has become clear that from noon until 5 p.m., seven days a week, I'm living in a model home. Jan and her firm are fielding requests for showings and calling me, sometimes with only a half hour's notice, to arrange showings. And that's what I'm here for.

So, the place went on the market on Thursday. Jan said within 10 minutes of uploading the MLS files, she had a phone call with someone wanting to see it.

Yesterday (Friday) I had two showings. Today (Saturday) I had six showings, with a seventh about to arrive (ETA 3:45).

They're here. A young Japanese woman who just graduated from USC (or was it UCLA) in film studies. The Realtor asked if I was in the entertainment industry, and I said I used to be.

Somewhere in my head, I see these people, looking over my home. It's new and novel to them but it's just a house, but a house they might want for a home. Who will it speak to?

Some folks kind of pretend I'm not here. I leave them lots of leeway so they can. I stay up in the office unless they want to ask questions, then I'm more than happy to oblige.

And I'm more than willing to spend half-days accommodating potential buyers, especially if it means a really quick sale. In my secret heart, I'm hoping that we'll get multiple offers, and that I get my asking price, if not over asking.

An early sale also means a more comfortable cash flow during the transition. I'm just hoping that, if the place sells that fast, I still have time to make one last visit up the coast, but it depends on how long the escrow is going to be, etc., etc.

My first showing today was at noon, but the client had an emergency and couldn't come, so the Realtor stopped by to let me know. He walked through the place saying things like, "Wow, this is so clean," and, "You'll have this place sold in a week, no problem."

Sales brochures and Realtors' business cards

So where we once had our aquarium I now have business cards and brochures for the house. When Jan called about the 3:45 showing, she said something about daylights savings time and scheduling showings later than 5 p.m., then said, "But we'll probably be sold before the time change."

The time change is a week from tomorrow. Holy crap, I'm going to have to get the move to La Crosse organized right quick. I'm already sketching out lists in my head and experiencing the first gleamings of panic attacks over the prospect.

Patty has taken to spending the entire day in the back of a kitchen cupboard, emerging only when the sun goes down. Doug was here all Thursday, and people have been parading in and out all day Friday and today; I'm amazed she's not all freaked out.

So now things like final packing and retrieval and storage of the household start coming to mind. Then the drive across country and the hunt for a temporary (and then a permanent) home in La Crosse.

Oddly enough, I don't feel like I'm standing on a friendly cliff anymore. With my acceptance that, with Doug's work, the house is finished and having folks wandering through creates a tiny crack in my map of the world, and this house is separating away from me and Steve and my history here. And it may sound paradoxical, but I think that I will feel much closer to Steve once this place is sold and all that history settles into the books for later perusal.

Like I told Jan: "I know I'm really selling it, because it doesn't feel like I live here anymore. I'm just in residence to show the house and make the sale happen." She told me that was exactly the attitude to have. "It's not your house, you know, but it is your equity. Once you have the equity out of the property, you will feel great about this sale."

Jan just called again. It's 4:15 and she wanted to send someone over at 4:30. I said sure. No problem. This could be the one that gets the bidding going. This could be the new owner.

Come on down!

(Nope; husband has an artificial leg, and walking up and down all these stairs would be a real hassle for the guy. Other than that, they really like the layout of the place.)