If you're wondering where I am

I am vacuuming. I am planting mums. I am mulching like the world's supply of mulch is almost gone. I am polishing the faucets. I am organizing the shit out of my house. My closets are spectacular. My kitchen cabinets would bring you to tears. Meanwhile, Scott is replacing the shutters and painting the trim and the radiators and all the scuffed corners of the house. Our house is looking increasingly spectacular by the day. Why didn't we do this before? Because we weren't selling our house before. That would be why.

More later about why and where we're going. Just know that I am thinking of you, as I fluff the towels and bleach the grout. Thinking of you, and wishing you had a tall ladder and a fervent desire to wash my windows.

Comments

[Marinka]

This post is a cry for help. Or perhaps a scream.

[Sprite's Keeper]

I know I need help when your fervent desire to clean feeds my own fervent desire to clean. I am SUCH an enabler.

[Kris]

Vacillating between leaving a comment of "best of luck on selling your home" OR "you're batcrap crazy for trying to sell your place in this market".

Good luck with the house. May you get your asking price from easygoing buyers.

[SZ]

Alice, why must you torment us? We must know what's going on immediately! Are you goin' back to Brooklyn?

[Emma]

Good, good, good luck with selling your house. And with your fervent cleaning. I'm such an unorganized slob, I don't know which is scarier. :)

[alice]

I don't need to hear how crazy we are re: the market, please. I am completely aware of how crazy we are. Thank you.

[You Are Crazy]

You are crazy. Have you seen the market?

[sinda]

I knew you were selling, somewhere between the closets and the cabinets. Been there. Good luck! You'll be FINE.

[Leslie]

I think you are brave and I am jealous. I wish I had the courage to make a life changing move right now. Congratulations on being courageous and doing what is right for you and yours.

[You can call me, 'Sir']

Yeesh. Double yeesh, even. Tough time to sell, but I wish you all the luck in the world that everything goes well.

[Pretty Jane]

Dude. We totally did the same thing last year. Wait'll you get to the part where your house looks SO great you say, "Wait, why are we moving? This house is perfect!" Good times.

[MorahLaura]

Re windows:hire a guy with a power washer. Ok it only works for the outsides but shouldn't be too pricey and is way easier than doing it yourself.I'd help you with the insides of your windows but my 7 week old won't stop nursing long enough...

[MotherhoodTheUltimateSurvivor]

You'll be like those people on the home makeover shows who can't sell, get their homes made over, and then keep it because they love it so much.

Happy Grout Bleaching!

[Lisa Milton]

Staging and cleaning. I remember doing that over the summer - crazy stuff.

Wait. I'm still doing it because our house is still on the market.

Hoping yours sells faster and it isn't too painful.

[amy]

the things people will do to move to a place with full time kindergarten!

[Marisa]

Is it bad that my first though was "yippee hooray, it's back to Brooklyn with Alice?!"

Also, Amy's comment very nearly resulted in water all over my keyboard.

[Nicole]

Good luck! I'll be sending good house-selling karma your way, although I'm pretty sure my parents used up all of our whole family's when they sold my grandparents' place about thirty seconds before the housing bubble burst. May the buyers be eager and solvent!

[Lori]

again?! good luck on the move - i hope it's to a happy place.

[elswhere]

No, see, not crazy at all, b/c if you're selling in this market then you're also BUYING in this market, and it all works out.

It's when you buy before the crash and sell after that you end up with tension headaches. Like, er, we did.

Best of luck with the windows, and everything else. Your house sounds gorgeous and I'm sure someone will love it. Maybe multiple people, wouldn't that be nice!

[Fred in CT]

Just sold a house and bought one in less than 3 months. You'll be fine! Although, it isn't the best season for it.

That being said, I KNEW New Jersey couldn't contain all that is Finslippy.

((You can take that as a warning should you be planning on moving elsewhere in NJ. The state just can't handle it.\))

[Another Anna]

There are always a few people with more money than sense wandering around. May one of them find your house perfect and offer you instant cash, more than your asking price, with no more faucet-polishing necessary, because they like 'em grimy.

[TC]

This is BEYOND unfair, BEYOND mean, this post-with-news-but-no-information.

Hmph. And I can't even threaten not to lend you my tall ladder, because my tall ladder is here in California.

[Beth]

Good luck! You'll be fine - just watch some HGTV and stage, stage, stage!

Enjoy the cleaning - you're making me want to do the same. STOP IT.

[Rita Arens]

Ignore these crazy people. You sell your house when you need to sell your house, the end.

Don't forget to look up when you clean.

[merlotmom]

At first I was feeling lazy and inadequate but when I learned the motivation was selling, I felt sooo much better. Good luck.