Closet for Sale, House Included

We are trying to sell our house. The plan is to sell the house and move to another state to be closer to relatives, one of whom is my son. It was actually son's idea, although he was probably inebriated at the time and has no doubt been wracking his brains ever since for a way to suggest that perhaps we should stay put. He need not worry. Despite the fact that we are supposed to be in one of the top ten housing markets in the country, no one has so much as taken a look at the house, at least not at the inside.

The funny thing is, everyone who is not in the market for a house loves my house. The salesman who sold us an overpriced vacuum cleaner, the mover who came by to give us an estimate on moving our goods and chattels, the bug lady and of course my friends, but I discount what the friends have to say because what else can they say. But it does have some nice features - the above closet which is ten feet long, newly painted, and filled with built-ins, the granite counters and brick floors in the kitchen, the bonus room which used to be a carport and now is the perfect spot for a pool table or a large screen TV, the mud room with utility sink, the lavishly landscaped yard, and a large master bedroom. It's also within walking distance of the elementary school and a pond with ducks, as well as biking range of Wal-Mart and a 16 screen movie theater. One would have hoped it would be an easy sell, but you'd think we were trying to unload the Amityville Horror, with termites thrown in.

Fortunately for us, we don't have to move at any particular time. If it sells, it sells, if not, we stay put for another year or so and then try again. It's just that it's hard to make plans for the future when you aren't sure where you will be in that future. I have the unsettled feeling of living with my mental suitcase packed, poised for a quick getaway. Do I make that appointment for my dental checkup three months from now? Ask my employer to pay the registration for a conference in November? Look for a job in the new-city-to-be? Or let the listing lapse and try again next summer? I don't deal well with uncertainty.

But as one of my co-workers reminds me, it really only takes one person to want it for it to be sold. So for the moment we are keeping our hopes up and the house relatively clean and presentable. You never know.