Respite

We had another fun-filled week at the house. (Note to self: invent a sarcasm font.) We were both worn slam out by Friday, but we packed up a bunch of stuff, lined up storage and took a couple small loads over. It was just Mom and me this time, and while we got a lot done, it wasn't as much as we did with the girls.

The second realtor was better prepared than the first. She had all the paperwork handy along with neighborhood comps. Long story short, the listing goes live April 1 for $179,900. That's the tippy-top of what she thought we could get, and our real target price is $172,000. If we don't get any nibbles in a month or so, we'll drop the price a couple grand and it will effectively generate a new listing in the MLS and get more attention. Houses have been selling better in our neighborhood, so I'm hopeful.

I'm taking this week off and will be at home. I need to write, and I have a game plan for that. KOD is very short, so I'm adding a subplot for my antagonist that I hope will highlight his descent into crime while my protagonist struggles to leave her life of crime behind.

Next week and the week after I'll be downstate (home on the weekend because we have a Celtic Festival the middle Sunday). Alex will be spending his spring break helping at the house, and the following week my mom and stepdad will be coming down. It's great having a retired handy man in the family! I hope to get Vicky and maybe Erik out there a day or two, too. If nothing else, Erik has a pick-up truck. Maybe I can get the guys to load up my garage to take to the storage unit. Between the truck and the van, maybe it wouldn't take too many loads. I hope to get the painting done next week, too.

So there you have it. It's not at all fun, but I hope it will be worth it. The faster we sell, the better, not just because selling will save us a bunch of money, but also because the house needs a young family. I'm just grateful to have so much help getting it all together. Hopefully by summer we'll be free and clear.