Here we go again...

[Dirigo]

...another ride on the house selling rollercoaster.

We had a VERY interested "drive-by" looker around 3:30pm and the Realtor called at 4:30 to ask if she could show our house at 6:30. We cleaned up a bit and vacated the house.

We drove through the 'hood around 7:00 and saw the "lookers'" vehicle in our driveway along with the Realtor's vehicle.

Realtor called with a post-showing report saying the prospective buyers are golfers. We live about 3/4 of a mile from the largest golf facility north of Boston and our house is decorated in a golf theme...lots of golf artwork on the walls.

The prospective buyers are now on a long ride home to NJ so they have plenty of quality time to discuss whether or not they want to make an offer.

So it is pins and needles time for us again in the Northeast. Good wishes and crossed fingers are requested from TOTV'ers! Maybe we'll be joining the lucky few that were able to sell their homes "up north" and realize the dream of living in TV.

Maybe we can be as lucky as Gracie!

Dirigo

[Tbugs]

Since the prospective buyers are avid golfers, you should tell them about The Villages. Surely, Florida is a better place to play golf than in the Boston area.

[Pturner]

Oh Dirigo,
It sounds like good karma. Please, please, please, let this be the one. My fingers and toes crossed.

Please let this be the one.:pray:

[Dirigo]

Since the prospective buyers are avid golfers, you should tell them about The Villages. Surely, Florida is a better place to play golf than in the Boston area.

Now, now...don't be like that :smiley:. Whose side are you on anyway?:confused:

[angiefox10]

Sending positive thoughts your way!

[Oren L Miller]

Oh Dirigo,
It sounds like good karma. Please, please, please, let this be the one. My fingers and toes crossed.

Please let this be the one.:pray:

at may age the best I can do is cross my fingers for you. Toes would be cramped up for months. Best of luck :highfive:

[nkrifats]

...another ride on the house selling rollercoaster.

We had a VERY interested "drive-by" looker around 3:30pm and the Realtor called at 4:30 to ask if she could show our house at 6:30. We cleaned up a bit and vacated the house.

We drove through the 'hood around 7:00 and saw the "lookers'" vehicle in our driveway along with the Realtor's vehicle.

Realtor called with a post-showing report saying the prospective buyers are golfers. We live about 3/4 of a mile from the largest golf facility north of Boston and our house is decorated in a golf theme...lots of golf artwork on the walls.

The prospective buyers are now on a long ride home to NJ so they have plenty of quality time to discuss whether or not they want to make an offer.

So it is pins and needles time for us again in the Northeast. Good wishes and crossed fingers are requested from TOTV'ers! Maybe we'll be joining the lucky few that were able to sell their homes "up north" and realize the dream of living in TV.

Maybe we can be as lucky as Gracie!

Dirigo

Best of luck to you

[obxgal]

Dirigo sure do hope this one works out for you so you can start your new life soon down here.

[jebartle]

I have a good feeling about this! Good luck and hurry down to your happy home in TV....

[DebbieB]

Keeping fingers and toes crossed for you and sending lots of good karma your way!

[Schaumburger]

Good luck -- hope they make an offer...

[BeeGee]

is a good description....hope it all works out for you. It can be emotionally draining. Will be crossing my fingers for you.

[kathyzapp]

Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Positive thoughts coming your way!

[katezbox]

Wow - and here we just talked about this a couple of nights ago.

TBugs - no one would call central Maine:cold: "the Boston area" who has ever been there.... with no disrespect to you, Boston or Maine!:posting:

[john p troiano]

why does the village realestate not offer va mortgages, and the village bank will not do va mortgages????

[Dirigo]

Well, no offer has been forthcoming, but it is only Monday.

On another note, I am helping my 86 year old Mother sell her house and we have a contract tonight, so your kind thought and crossed fingers did work some magic here in the steamy (tonight anyway) Northeast.

On yet another note, Saturday my team tied for first in a charity golf tournament and we offered up our prize for auction thereby adding to the "take" from the tournament for the charity. And I shot a career low round on my home course yesterday.

Wow! You guys have some real power when you start ending energy my way...THANKS...now about selling our house...:smiley:

[graciegirl]

Well, no offer has been forthcoming, but it is only Monday.

On another note, I am helping my 86 year old Mother sell her house and we have a contract tonight, so your kind thought and crossed fingers did work some magic here in the steamy (tonight anyway) Northeast.

On yet another note, Saturday my team tied for first in a charity golf tournament and we offered up our prize for auction thereby adding to the "take" from the tournament for the charity. And I shot a career low round on my home course yesterday.

Wow! You guys have some real power when you start ending energy my way...THANKS...now about selling our house...:smiley:

I am going to tell you a secret. I have heard many people tell their success with burying a statue of St. Joseph upside down in the front yard. Well, I have always liked St. Joseph and his whole family and just couldn't do that. Plus it seems a little bit like superstition.

My dear new friend from Buffalo, New York told me about some guy named Father Baker who is big around Buffalo and Western New York. My dear new friend said she had asked him for help on the sale of last house and was going to do the same for me.

Well, our house sold in nine days. So...you might give a shout to this fellow, Father Baker, who saw to the building of the large and beautiful basilica in Buffalo New York...which I have never personally seen. Father Baker passed away, I am told several decades ago, but he must be the reason we sold our house so quickly. Just ask him to help you sell YOUR house. Couldn't hurt.

Thank you Karen.

[Dirigo]

This is showing number six. I read somewhere that 10 was the average number of showings before an offer.

We hope for the best but we aren't as excited about a showing as we were at the start.

Oh well, "they" always say things happen when you least expect it.

So if you aren't too tired, cross everything that will cross and send those positive thoughts northward once again.

Someday we will be living in TV and will be crossing fingers for others to sell their homes so they can move to TV.:smiley:

We will be one of you then :gc:

[Jhooman]

My toes, fingers and hairs are crossed for you and me. We have buried St Joseph upside down, released our house with love, sprinkled blessed dirt about and burned incense until I could barely breath.

Tomorrow we have another showing, this is their fifth time at our house, someone suggested I charge them rent for the frequency of showings, plus getting the house ready is a chore as you all know.

We are so ready to be in The Villages. This has been a reflective time for us, several of our friends are passing away from cancer, our desire to sell our house is simply an inconvenience, not a crisis, even if I feel the urgency to be there and not here. We are blessed with good health today, I just need to keep it in the day. But we are still dreaming about The Villages.

My toes, fingers and hairs are crossed for your sell and my sell too. Let's still enjoy the day we do have.

J

[whartonjelly]

Eyes are crossed for you.:mornincoffee:

[kathyzapp]

Positive thoughts for all of you trying to sell your homes. May you be relocating to The Villages very soon.

[natickdan]

This is showing number six. I read somewhere that 10 was the average number of showings before an offer.

We hope for the best but we aren't as excited about a showing as we were at the start.

Oh well, "they" always say things happen when you least expect it.

So if you aren't too tired, cross everything that will cross and send those positive thoughts northward once again.

Someday we will be living in TV and will be crossing fingers for others to sell their homes so they can move to TV.:smiley:

We will be one of you then :gc:

It sounds like some positive things have already started to happen, so here's to hoping a contract happens soon!

[2BNTV]

Dirigo:

I am sending best wishes and good thoughts this will be the one to make an offer so you can start living the dream.

Good luck.

[Dirigo]

My toes, fingers and hairs are crossed for you and me. We have buried St Joseph upside down, released our house with love, sprinkled blessed dirt about and burned incense until I could barely breath.

Tomorrow we have another showing, this is their fifth time at our house, someone suggested I charge them rent for the frequency of showings, plus getting the house ready is a chore as you all know.

We are so ready to be in The Villages. This has been a reflective time for us, several of our friends are passing away from cancer, our desire to sell our house is simply an inconvenience, not a crisis, even if I feel the urgency to be there and not here. We are blessed with good health today, I just need to keep it in the day. But we are still dreaming about The Villages.

My toes, fingers and hairs are crossed for your sell and my sell too. Let's still enjoy the day we do have.J

May the 5th time be the charm for you. Gosh, after the third time I'd wonder what they are up to...but buyers today are skittish, I know!

[Dirigo]

No word on yesterday's showing so far, but we have another showing today at 2pm. That will be the seventh showing. I read somewhere that ten showings before selling is the average, so while we don't have our hopes up, one never knows!

Thanks for all the encouragement.


Dirigo

[aljetmet]

You'll sell when you least expect it!
Our neighbor put their house on the market in Feb and just closed last weekend.

Asking price seemed to be at the market compared to zillow.com.

Wishing you well! We probably will put our house on next Feb.

Good Luck!

[EdV]

Dirigo, I think seven showings in a month’s time is pretty darn good these days. Good agents will try to get and pass on any negative feedback to the seller when possible. If you get to 10 showings and no offers of any kind, I would ask your agent to hold a group agent meeting without your presence. They can then try to determine why it’s not moving with so many showings.

Just my thoughts and good luck.

[BookBarb]

We've had 10 showings and #11 is tomorrow with no hint of a contract. We've had positive feedback from people who have come, staged the house, leave when they come, clean every morning before we leave for work, had the realtors from our realtor's office come through and give us suggestions, and still nothing. However, it has only been on the market for 10 days so we are not at the panic stage.Buyers are very, very picky and have lots of options, so they are very careful. I'm hoping for good news with every showing, but I am just disappointed when nothing happens. We will keep plugging along; we want to be part of the good life!!!:thumbup:

[wendyquat]

Best of luck to you! I was in the real estate business for 30 years and it was common knowledge in a good market that it took an average of 12 showings to make a sale so maybe you are CLOSE! I hope so! We put our house in NC on the market last July and went through all the frustrations and fruitless showings (never did make 12 though) and suddenly a nice young couple came the first of March this year and it was exactly what they'd been looking for. Six weeks later we were closed and on our way to TV! Stay positive! It will happen if you are priced right!

[BookBarb]

I really think we are priced right as that is what people who come for showing say as well as other realtors, so think we are ok with that. Some don't want a pool, some want a more traditional house (ours is contemporary), for one the bedrooms were too small, one said the house was like a resort! Many comments, which are helpful, but not much we can do about it. Things that we can change, we do, but everyone has their own likes and dislikes. The elementary school, middle school, and high school are all Blue Ribbon Schools. The other homes in our community cost way more, so they are getting a good community. Guess we have to just wait wait for the right one.:smiley:

[lincap]

Selling a home is a combination of pricing, condition/location of property and luck. Don't underestimate the "luck" part. We sold our home in the first week at the first open house to a couple that were not even looking to buy a home. They were visiting friends in the neighborhood, saw the open house and decided to take a look. Fell in love with the house and decided to make an offer. Now that was luck. Moving to TV was definately in the cards for us. Best of luck in selling yours. Don't get discouraged. There is a buyer for every home.

[Dirigo]

Seventh showing came and went with no offer. Nothing negative mentioned from any of the showings. The house is priced to sell and is in line with recent comparable sales. Condition and cleanliness are primo.

The right person has yet to discover it.

Meanwhile, we are considering the unthinkable (for us frugal Yankees), buying a home in TV before selling "up North".

A fellow I play golf with dropped dead a week ago at 65 :(. I'm 61. You never know when it will be your turn to cash in your chips so we may throw caution to the wind and "just do it".:thumbup:

Dirigo

[Pturner]

Dirigo,
Just as you're about to resign yourself to doing that... the offer comes. I feel an offer coming. I do.

Now, my fingers and toes would thank the would be buyer to move ahead with an offer.;)

[pzjay]

Dirigo,
Just as you're about to resign yourself to doing that... the offer comes. I feel an offer coming. I do.

Now, my fingers and toes would thank the would be buyer to move ahead with an offer.;)

Dirigo...Praying & hoping for you also.

P - you are too kind.....:angel:

[Dirigo]

We had showing number eight today. Ho hum...

We are anxious, but not excited. This is becoming a PITA.

Someone who was in our home this afternoon must have taken a bath in her "scent" because the house reeked of perfume. And I think she took a wiz before she left because the scent was strongest in the bathroom and our "show" towel was wet. Can't begrudge her for needing to go, but going in an occupied house that is for sale is not something I would do if I could help it. Maybe she couldn't help it.

I don't mind strangers coming through our home to look around, but I don't like them leaving any evidence behind that they were here.

Guess I'm getting grumpy. I need to play golf this weekend and relax.

On a positive note, some folks we met in TV last winter are coming over for supper tomorrow night so I'm sure the converstaion will eventually turn to TV.

Thanks for letting me vent. I'll have a better attitude tomorrow...honest I will.

Dirigo

[ssmith]

Ahhh so sorry Dirigo! Hang in there, keep your eye on the prize!

[Trish Crocker]

I am going to tell you a secret. I have heard many people tell their success with burying a statue of St. Joseph upside down in the front yard. Well, I have always liked St. Joseph and his whole family and just couldn't do that. Plus it seems a little bit like superstition.

My dear new friend from Buffalo, New York told me about some guy named Father Baker who is big around Buffalo and Western New York. My dear new friend said she had asked him for help on the sale of last house and was going to do the same for me.

Well, our house sold in nine days. So...you might give a shout to this fellow, Father Baker, who saw to the building of the large and beautiful basilica in Buffalo New York...which I have never personally seen. Father Baker passed away, I am told several decades ago, but he must be the reason we sold our house so quickly. Just ask him to help you sell YOUR house. Couldn't hurt.

Thank you Karen.

Gracie, when we sold my fathers home things weren't going as fast as we would have liked so my brothers suggested the St. Joseph idea. The closest thing to a St. Joseph statue I had was from a cheap copy of a Precious Moment Christmas nativity scene. I took St. Joseph, carried him out to the backyard and buried him. That's when the confusion started!! Looking at the remaining figures, I realized that I had possibly buried one of the wisemen instead...and then the issue came up ..should he be buried upside down, facing the east, head up...etc, etc......sooo...I tried to find him, buried somewhere in my dad's 1/2 acre back yard. Needless to say, he's still out there somewhere. Btw..the house did sell.

[Trish Crocker]

:smiley:I am going to tell you a secret. I have heard many people tell their success with burying a statue of St. Joseph upside down in the front yard. Well, I have always liked St. Joseph and his whole family and just couldn't do that. Plus it seems a little bit like superstition.

My dear new friend from Buffalo, New York told me about some guy named Father Baker who is big around Buffalo and Western New York. My dear new friend said she had asked him for help on the sale of last house and was going to do the same for me.

Well, our house sold in nine days. So...you might give a shout to this fellow, Father Baker, who saw to the building of the large and beautiful basilica in Buffalo New York...which I have never personally seen. Father Baker passed away, I am told several decades ago, but he must be the reason we sold our house so quickly. Just ask him to help you sell YOUR house. Couldn't hurt.

Thank you Karen.

Gracie, when we sold my fathers home things weren't going as fast as we would have liked so my brothers suggested the St. Joseph idea. The closest thing to a St. Joseph statue I had was from a cheap copy of a Precious Moment Christmas nativity scene. I took St. Joseph, carried him out to the backyard and buried him. That's when the confusion started!! Looking at the remaining figures, I realized that I had possibly buried one of the wisemen instead...and then the issue came up ..should he be buried upside down, facing the east, head up...etc, etc......sooo...I tried to find him, buried somewhere in my dad's 1/2 acre back yard. Needless to say, he's still out there somewhere. Btw..the house did sell.:smiley::smiley:

[2BNTV]

We had showing number eight today. Ho hum...

We are anxious, but not excited. This is becoming a PITA.

Someone who was in our home this afternoon must have taken a bath in her "scent" because the house reeked of perfume. And I think she took a wiz before she left because the scent was strongest in the bathroom and our "show" towel was wet. Can't begrudge her for needing to go, but going in an occupied house that is for sale is not something I would do if I could help it. Maybe she couldn't help it.

I don't mind strangers coming through our home to look around, but I don't like them leaving any evidence behind that they were here.

Guess I'm getting grumpy. I need to play golf this weekend and relax.

On a positive note, some folks we met in TV last winter are coming over for supper tomorrow night so I'm sure the converstaion will eventually turn to TV.

Thanks for letting me vent. I'll have a better attitude tomorrow...honest I will.

Dirigo

Hang in there!!!!!!! It will sell. You only need one yes!!!!!!!!!

When it does sell, you will be bouncing off the walls with excitement.

Remember the sports axiom, "you don't get too high and you don't get too low"

Wait a minute, I need to remember that myself!!!!!!! :D

TV or Bust!!!!!!!!!!!

[Trish Crocker]

no idea why my message posted twice...sorry~

[2BNTV]

no idea why my message posted twice...sorry~

It's just a guess. I have had this happen to me as I was expecting the screen to change and it didn't so I resubmiited the post thinking it didn't go through.

I usually just edit the second post with a dot and the reason being "duplicate post".

Stuff happens. :) Hope this helped.

[Dirigo]

Our ninth showing came and went without and offer. The ninth person said the house was #1 on her list, but was concerned about the maintenance of our private road.

We accepted that the house probably wouldn't sell before snow flies and we were talking to the fine folks who responded to my post asking for a house to rent this winter.

We decided that money was money whether we paid it for rent and heat and plowing, or took less for our house. I directed our broker to ask the ninth showing to make an offer taking her apprehension about the private road into consideration.

Her first offer was not as low as we had feared:). We thought she might come up a little, so we took a chance and made a counter offer. She came up more than we expected :). I wanted to try one more counter offer, but the advice of all those whose opinions I trust (my wife's, the lovely Diane's, first and foremost) said to take it. We accepted her counter and signed a contract last Saturday.

I was talking to a Villages friend about our contract price in an email and I made the comment that "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". He corrected me by saying "a bird in the hand is worth everything, because there are no birds in the bush". He's right...buyers are scarce.

We didn't get as much as we wanted or as much as we felt our lovely home was worth, but we made a profit, we don't have a mortgage, and we can afford a home in TV that we will be happy with.

We have been shopping online for way too many hours ever since we signed and are flying down to TV over the Columbus Day holiday weekend to look at a few houses. There is a house we found that we really, really like the looks of, so we have to act fast as the best ones always go fast. Our deal could still fall apart, we know, but we had these two free airline tickets that had to be used before January 1, 2012 anyways, so off we go to TV this weekend! We may make an offer on a place contingent to the sale of our house. If all goes well we could be living in TV by the holidays!

Thanks to all for listening and thanks for your support.

Maybe our dream of living in TV...this dream we've had for over 12 years...the dream that got us through all those snowy, dark, cold days, and some hard times, and some health problems, maybe that dream is about to come true.

Kinda chokes me up, y'know...?

[2BNTV]

Congrats on the sale of your home. I am sooooooooooo happy for you.

Best wishes as you start to live the dream. :)

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Dirigo - Hope the deal on your current home goes through o.k. Keeping our fingers crossed for you!

Bill :)

[quirky3]

That's so great! Life is a celebration, isn't it? So much to look forward to!

[Mudder]

Really happy for you, know how cold Vasselboro can be in winter. You're right , a few extra dollars is not worth missing out on one more day in The villages !

[Pturner]

Our ninth showing came and went without and offer. The ninth person said the house was #1 on her list, but was concerned about the maintenance of our private road.

We accepted that the house probably wouldn't sell before snow flies and we were talking to the fine folks who responded to my post asking for a house to rent this winter.

We decided that money was money whether we paid it for rent and heat and plowing, or took less for our house. I directed our broker to ask the ninth showing to make an offer taking her aprehension about the private road into consideration.

Her first offer was not as low as we had feared:). We thought she might come up a little, so we took a chance and made a counter offer. She came up more than we expected :). I wanted to try one more counter offer, but the advice of all those whose opinions I trust (my wife's, the lovely Diane's, first and foremost) said to take it. We accepted her counter and signed a contract last Saturday.

I was talking to a Villages friend about our contract price in an email and I made the comment that "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". He corrected me by saying "a bird in the hand is worth everything, because there are no birds in the bush". He's right...buyers are scarce.

We didn't get as much as we wanted or as much as we felt our lovely home was worth, but we made a profit, we don't have a mortgage, and we can afford a home in TV that we will be happy with.

We have been shopping online for way too many hours ever since we signed and are flying down to TV over the Columbus Day holiday weekend to look at a few houses. There is a house we found that we really, really like the looks of, so we have to act fast as the best ones always go fast. Our deal could still fall apart, we know, but we had these two free airline tickets that had to be used before January 1, 2012 anyways, so off we go to TV this weekend! We may make an offer on a place contingent to the sale of our house. If all goes well we could be living in TV by the holidays!

Thanks to all for listening and thanks for your support.

Maybe our dream of living in TV...this dream we've had for over 12 years...the dream that got us through all those snowy, dark, cold days, and some hard times, and some health problems, maybe that dream is about to come true.

Kinda chokes me up, y'know...?

OMG, it chokes me up too. I've gotten my hopes up with yours and felt let down when showings didn't bring offers, though not as much as you and the lovely Diane, I'm sure.

Now I have goosebumps.

Please let us know when it closes. I can't wait!

[BookBarb]

You waited until the right one came along, and that's all that it takes. Our right one came after 20+ showings and it was all worth it. We closed yesterday and are headed to TV tomorrow to become FROGS. You will soon be here too.:a040:

[ssmith]

Sounds like it is all coming together for you. Congrats! Thanks for sharing your journey.

[Dirigo]

You waited until the right one came along, and that's all that it takes. Our right one came after 20+ showings and it was all worth it. We closed yesterday and are headed to TV tomorrow to become FROGS. You will soon be here too.:a040:

"Fairy tales can come true. It can happen to you if you're young at heart"-who sang that song? Seems appropriate, doesn't it? Congratulations!

[Jim Straz]

"Fairy tales can come true. It can happen to you if you're young at heart"-who sang that song? Seems appropriate, doesn't it? Congratulations!
Frank Sinatra!

[LvmyPug2]

Congratulations! I know exactly what you are going through. We close in TV in less than two weeks and I can hardly believe it is happening. Years of dreaming of becoming Villagers and now it is happening. WooHoo!:a040:

I will say, "virtual" house hunting on the Internet did not prepare me for the whirlwind of actually shopping for a house in TV. I was overwhelmed by all the options. Before we started we were convinced we would buy a pre owned CYV somewhere between the two town squares We ended up falling in love with a new cottage model home in St James. My advice is look at a variety of models and locations. Have fun shopping and welcome to TV

[graciegirl]

Oh Dirigo.

I am so happy for you and the lovely Diane. She gave you very good advice and so did your friend telling you about the birdless bush.

We took far less than what our house would have sold for six-seven years ago but we are here and in our new home and loving it.

We sold our home and dashed down here and picked a lot, rented a house, stored our furniture .........here we are.

I now send you all kinds of good wishes because the actual packing and moving was so much harder than we anticipated. Thank heavens our almost 50 year marriage is pretty solid, because that part was a TEST!

Be assured of a warm welcome on this end and our welcome mat is always out. Please stop by for a hug and a snack and some warm conversation.

Lifting my coffee mug to great happiness to you both and every dream come true!!

[angiefox10]

WOW! What a wonderful morning to sit here and read all your stories of selling your homes! Congratulations to all of you! You've made my day!

[Dirigo]

Oh Dirigo.

I am so happy for you and the lovely Diane. She gave you very good advice and so did your friend telling you about the birdless bush.

We took far less than what our house would have sold for six-seven years ago but we are here and in our new home and loving it.

We sold our home and dashed down here and picked a lot, rented a house, stored our furniture .........here we are.

I now send you all kinds of good wishes because the actual packing and moving was so much harder than we anticipated. Thank heavens our almost 50 year marriage is pretty solid, because that part was a TEST!

Be assured of a warm welcome on this end and our welcome mat is always out. Please stop by for a hug and a snack and some warm conversation.

Lifting my coffee mug to great happiness to you both and every dream come true!!

Thanks Gracie...you are the First Lady of The Villages IMO. We will stop by when the dust settles and visit with you again. Thanks again...Dirigo

[Dirigo]

Frank Sinatra!

Give that man a cigar!

[Dirigo]

Congratulations! I know exactly what you are going through. We close in TV in less than two weeks and I can hardly believe it is happening. Years of dreaming of becoming Villagers and now it is happening. WooHoo!:a040:

I will say, "virtual" house hunting on the Internet did not prepare me for the whirlwind of actually shopping for a house in TV. I was overwhelmed by all the options. Before we started we were convinced we would buy a pre owned CYV somewhere between the two town squares We ended up falling in love with a new cottage model home in St James. My advice is look at a variety of models and locations. Have fun shopping and welcome to TV

I am getting tired from lack of sleep I am so excited. The lovely Diane too...

Thanks for your suggestion. We will remember to keep an open mind.

[whippersnapper]

why does the village realestate not offer va mortgages, and the village bank will not do va mortgages????

I wonder if this is due to the stipulation if something happens to the person with the loan the property becomes property of the VA and can be sold as a VA property without restrictions. Just a guess.

[BnCinME]

Congratulations on the sale of your home! :thumbup:

[Schaumburger]

Dirigo, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the sale of your home goes through. Happy house hunting -- hope you find the future home of your dreams in TV. :wave:

[Turtlediver]

I am so thrilled for you, can only hope it will be my turn soon....people keep coming to look but no nips yet....

[angiefox10]

I am so thrilled for you, can only hope it will be my turn soon....people keep coming to look but no nips yet....

Sending positive thoughts your way!!!

[Dirigo]

I am so thrilled for you, can only hope it will be my turn soon....people keep coming to look but no nips yet....

Location, location, location had been replaced by price, price, price. Price is ALL THAT MATTERS today.

Free advice being worth every penny here's my 2 cents worth. I got my mother's house and our house sold within the last six months using this method.

Ask your broker to print out some very recent sales comparable to your home. You want all recent comparable sales, not just the sales they showed you to get the listing (which were probably too high).

Figure out the sale price per square foot. Multiply the number of square feet in your home by the $ per square foot average. Price your house about 10% above that and be prepared to negotiate down to about 85% to 90% of that number.

Make sure you price below the nearest bracket that people search for on realtor.com. for example, if your calculations indicate that your house should sell for $305,000 price it at $299,000 to catch those lookers that stop at $300,000. And don't price on the nines, like $299,900...today's buyers don't like to be messed with.

Ask your broker to ask every person that looks at your home to "just make an offer"....tell them to "throw a number on the table and see where it goes". Then negotiate up to about 85% to 90% of the final list price.

Your mileage may vary, and, hey, I'm no expert, I'm just telling you what worked for us...twice.

[pzjay]

I was so happy to see you have sold! We arrived yesterday and are just thrilled to be here permanently as will you! As was said so many times before, take less for the home and START LIVING the good life. Adjustments to budgets are easy but getting back time is impossible!
Congratulations for wishes for many many yrs of happiness here!
Peg & Bob:clap2::clap2::welcome:

[Dirigo]

I was so happy to see you have sold! We arrived yesterday and are just thrilled to be here permanently as will you! As was said so many times before, take less for the home and START LIVING the good life. Adjustments to budgets are easy but getting back time is impossible!
Congratulations for wishes for many many yrs of happiness here!
Peg & Bob:clap2::clap2::welcome:

We argee...100%!

Put your pride aside and get on with it!

[Barefoot]

Location, location, location had been replaced by price, price, price. Price is ALL THAT MATTERS today.

Free advice being worth every penny here's my 2 cents worth. I got my mother's house and our house sold within the last six months using this method.

Ask your broker to print out some very recent sales comparable to your home. You want all recent comparable sales, not just the sales they showed you to get the listing (which were probably too high).

Figure out the sale price per square foot. Multiply the number of square feet in your home by the $ per square foot average. Price your house about 10% above that and be prepared to negotiate down to about 85% to 90% of that number.

Make sure you price below the nearest bracket that people search for on realtor.com. for example, if your calculations indicate that your house should
sell for $305,000 price it at $299,000 to catch those lookers that stop at
$300,000. And don't price on the nines, like $299,900...today's buyers don't
like to be messed with.

Ask your broker to ask every person that looks at your home to "just make an offer"....tell them to "throw a number on the table and see where it goes".
Then negotiate up to about 85% to 90% of the final list price.

Your mileage may vary, and, hey, I'm no expert, I'm just telling you what worked for us...twice.

This is exactly the advise a competent realtor should give clients. However, many owners refuse to accept a realtor's advice on actual market value, even when shown neighbourhood comparables. Many owners have a "I'm not giving
my house away" mentality.

[quirky3]

Location, location, location had been replaced by price, price, price. Price is ALL THAT MATTERS today.

Free advice being worth every penny here's my 2 cents worth. I got my mother's house and our house sold within the last six months using this method.

Ask your broker to print out some very recent sales comparable to your home. You want all recent comparable sales, not just the sales they showed you to get the listing (which were probably too high).

Figure out the sale price per square foot. Multiply the number of square feet in your home by the $ per square foot average. Price your house about 10% above that and be prepared to negotiate down to about 85% to 90% of that number.

Make sure you price below the nearest bracket that people search for on realtor.com. for example, if your calculations indicate that your house should sell for $305,000 price it at $299,000 to catch those lookers that stop at $300,000. And don't price on the nines, like $299,900...today's buyers don't like to be messed with.

Ask your broker to ask every person that looks at your home to "just make an offer"....tell them to "throw a number on the table and see where it goes". Then negotiate up to about 85% to 90% of the final list price.

Your mileage may vary, and, hey, I'm no expert, I'm just telling you what worked for us...twice.

I agree with Barefoot, and thank you so much for these specifics. I have a document that I started at the beginning of 2011 where I copy and paste all the greatest tidbits from TOTV for future reference. This is definitely going in there!

[Dirigo]

This is exactly the advise a competent realtor should give clients. However, many owners refuse to accept a realtor's advice on actual market value, even when shown neighbourhood comparables. Many owners have a "I'm not giving
my house away" mentality.

That was us on the front side of this experience. We had a quality house and we were going to sell to a quality buyer who appreciated the way we kept our house and grounds.

Then reality sets in and you realize that the buyers don't care how lovely your landscaping is, or that you had a housekeeper come in every two weeks since the house was new, or that you maintained your house like it was a temple, ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS PRICE.

Accept this reality, price it right, sell your home and move on with your life...and make up your loss when you buy your next home.

[EdV]

Accept this reality, price it right, sell your home and move on with your life...and make up your loss when you buy your next home.

And based on pricing information on Zillow, you can probably expect to pay 25% less for a home in TV than what it would have cost you in the 2006/2007 peak.

[Dirigo]

And based on pricing information on Zillow, you can probably expect to pay 25% less for a home in TV than what it would have cost you in the 2006/2007 peak.

Roger that Ed...roger that.

We are at 33,00ft between Atlanta and Orlando as this is written...! On our way to TV to make a "Deal or No Deal" on a house.

[graciegirl]

Come on down Dirigo. Come on home!:clap2:

[Jack&Pam]

We went through same process. Congratualations and welcome to TV.

[Dirigo]

We basically flew down from Maine to TV for the sake of checking out this one cute little ranch in The Village of Ashland that we adored. We went to meet with the Villages realtor this morning after a nice breakfast at Panera Bread in the Veranda building.

She greeted us with a long face and told us the house went under contract Sunday evening. We were profoundly sad. Profoundly sad. We went through the motions...followed our plan and looked at many houses and a courtyard villa, but nothing struck our fancy...we were broken hearted.

We consoled ourselves with a very nice lunch at Sweet Tomotoes, then visited with friends until mid afternoon.

Then I checked my email and had a new message alerting us to a price reduction on a house a little out of our range. It seemed very nice to us so we called immediately asking for an evening showing.

We absolutely loved it, and, deciding we could stretch a little, made an offer on it(still subject the to sale of our house in Maine).

If the seller accepts the deal "subject to" the sale of our house and we negotiate a price, we could still lose out if a buyer comes along with ready cash before we close, and of course our buyer cold get cold feet and bail, but, but, but, it seems we may be on our way to becoming Villagers! :MOJE_whot:

[2BNTV]

Inch by inch, anything is a cinch!!! - Reverend Robert Schuller.

Looks like your really close.

Hope everything works out for you. Best wishes.

[Dirigo]

We have a signed purchase and sale contract on a home in TV !!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've met the neighbors, hung out at the pool, checked the Rec Center, and checked out the entire 'hood.

Now we just have to close on our house 29 days from now, and close on the house in TV in 34 days...and work full time, and move out of an 1800sf home. Get some sleep? Not much for the next five weeks!

[quirky3]

Wow! You did it! Congratulations!!! :MOJE_whot:

[2BNTV]

We have a signed purchase and sale contract on a home in TV !!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've met the neighbors, hung out at the pool, checked the Rec Center, and checked out the entire 'hood.

Now we just have to close on our house 29 days from now, and close on the house in TV in 34 days...and work full time, and move out of an 1800sf home. Get some sleep? Not much for the next five weeks!

:BigApplause: :BigApplause: :BigApplause:

[ssmith]

Love the adventure!!! What Village did you buy in? CONGRATULATIONS!:MOJE_whot:

[champion6]

Congrats, Dirigo. Details... we want details, please.

[Schaumburger]

We have a signed purchase and sale contract on a home in TV !!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've met the neighbors, hung out at the pool, checked the Rec Center, and checked out the entire 'hood.

Now we just have to close on our house 29 days from now, and close on the house in TV in 34 days...and work full time, and move out of an 1800sf home. Get some sleep? Not much for the next five weeks!

Congratulations! I hope everything goes smoothly. You should be in TV before the soon starts flying. :)

[Dirigo]

Congrats, Dirigo. Details... we want details, please.

Because our offer is contingent on the sale of our home, another buyer could come along with cash in hand and buy the house out from under us. I must keep the location confidential until we close.

After we close I'll "spill the beans" and anyone who sends me a PM will be given the address and invited to please stop by to say hello.

Dirigo

[Dirigo]

OK, the next phase of our adventure is the home inspection and WBO (wood boring organisms) inspection on Oct 19th.

I noted cracked concrete on the front door stoop on both the left and the right side. Is this something I should be concerned about? Do any of you have cracks in the same place?

Are there any other pre-purchase inspections we should have?

When we get closer to closing how soon before we close should I contact utilities?

OK you Villagers...walk me through this please...

[Dirigo]

Well, we close two weeks from tomorrow. All is done on this end save for the results of the appraisal, some mods requested by the Buyer, some more packing, selling, and donating of possessions, and the moving van. Reservations have been made to transport the car to Orlando, and we have our airline tickets.

Meanwhile, in mild mannered TV, the home inspection is done, small repairs are underway, all insurances are in place effective upon closing, only thing left is to sign the papers and wire the money after we close up here in Maine.

We are exhausted, happy, a tad sad, and "wicked" excited all at the same time. What a roller coaster ride this has been, and still is I guess. I'm feeling every one of my 61 years !

We fly into Orlando on Nov 15th and become Villagers :gc:

[quirky3]

Great progress! Congratulations!

[Bill-n-Brillo]

See, Dirigo? There IS a light at the end of the tunnel!!!

Hope the rest of the adventure works out well for you!

Bill :)

[2BNTV]

Your story has given all of us wannabees hope.

I am soooooo happy for you. :) Have a safe trip.

Best wishes as you start to live the dream.

[Pturner]

Well, we close two weeks from tomorrow. All is done on this end save for the results of the appraisal, some mods requested by the Buyer, some more packing, selling, and donating of possessions, and the moving van. Reservations have been made to transport the car to Orlando, and we have our airline tickets.

Meanwhile, in mild mannered TV, the home inspection is done, small repairs are underway, all insurances are in place effective upon closing, only thing left is to sign the papers and wire the money after we close up here in Maine.

We are exhausted, happy, a tad sad, and "wicked" excited all at the same time. What a roller coaster ride this has been, and still is I guess. I'm feeling every one of my 61 years !

We fly into Orlando on Nov 15th and become Villagers :gc:

Gives me goosebumps! Thanks for sharing. Hope we meet you and the lovely Diane real soon.

Of course, the first thing you need to do after the closing up north is to post, "We Closed!" Then you can go celebrate. :)

[Bill-n-Brillo]

.......Of course, the first thing you need to do after the closing up north is to post, "We Closed!" Then you can go celebrate. :)

But make sure the check cashes first!!! :D

Bill :wave:

[Dirigo]

But make sure the check cashes first!!! :D

Bill :wave:

Hi Bill,

We are having the proceeds from the sale wired to our bank at the Maine closing, and the settlement amount wired to the title company in Florida...all in the same day we hope. We will have signed the papers and returned them by FedEx overnight about a week before closing. :thumbup:

Dirigo

[Trish Crocker]

Since the prospective buyers are avid golfers, you should tell them about The Villages. Surely, Florida is a better place to play golf than in the Boston area.

I agree...do so immediately after the closing when you have your check in hand!

[Sadie1313]

Don't give up!!! It took us 1 1/2 yrs. to sell our home in Staten Island, N.Y. We looked on TV website everyday at new and pre-owned homes. We made 3 trips to TV within that time. We did the "LifeStyle" program all 3 times. You can do the program many times, you just don't get the extra perks such as the meals, bowling and movies. You do get the golf cart and the home. Everytime we came here, we went home depressed, as we were still dealing with lookers and not selling our home. We did some work on our home and finally sold it the last day of August 2011. We closed on our home, here in Buttonwood on Sept. 1, 2011. It truly is a "Disneyland for Adults". So don't give up. It'll happen to you too, and you'll love it. Good luck Trish & Pat,

[tainsley]

All the best to you!

[Dirigo]

I gotta feelin' ol' Mother Nature either doesn't want me to go or is sayin' goodbye.

Our moving sale is on this weekend.

Usually, the first snow of the year is a light dusting to maybe an inch-two inches tops. But not this year. ON NO...ol' Mother Nature is throwing a certified N'oreaster at us with 8-12 inches predicted and wind gusts to 35mph.

Its gonna snow harrd all day tomorrow.

Oddly enough, I will mow the lawn this afternoon and shovel snow tomorrow. Such is life in Maine. The old saying is "If you don't like the weather in Maine, just wait a minute".

All is going well with only the appraisal results of the Maine home sale remaining. By way of the Selling Broker, the banker has said the appraisal is in underwriting but to expect "good news" next week.

In TV, the Sellers are cleaning out our soon-to-be home and all repairs have been completed. All utilities and insurances are in place. We even have our new phone number!

The lovely Diane sleeps like a baby while I toss and turn. I envy her.

We are taking a nice bottle of wine to TV with us that we used as a prop when showing the house. We will pop the cork before we retire for the night for the first time in our home in TV.

Will reveal the Village of Casa Dirigo before long!

[graciegirl]

It is so good that you have allowed us here to share your long journey and especially the latest events. You have many friends that you have not yet met who are pulling for you.

I know that you will soon be enjoying this weather, it is raining here a little this morning but three couples on tandem bicycles just passed our house. It is a morning to light the interior lights and savor your coffee and rolls.

We are all waiting for you to arrive. I am now squared away enough that I can offer my help when you get here.

It is amazing and beautiful that you can get to know people before you get to know people. Hurry home Dirigo and the lovely Diane.:wave:

[Dirigo]

It is so good that you have allowed us here to share your long journey and especially the latest events. You have many friends that you have not yet met who are pulling for you.

I know that you will soon be enjoying this weather, it is raining here a little this morning but three couples on tandem bicycles just passed our house. It is a morning to light the interior lights and savor your coffee and rolls.

We are all waiting for you to arrive. I am now squared away enough that I can offer my help when you get here.

It is amazing and beautiful that you can get to know people before you get to know people. Hurry home Dirigo and the lovely Diane.:wave:

Thanks Gracie...you're the best!

[njbchbum]

ah, dirigo, i had the same thoughts about you and mother nature this morning! i believe it is just mother nature giving you a bon voyage - reminding you of the wonderful decision and accomplishment you and the lovely diane have achieved.

when you've got a snowfall in your recent past and folks like totv mayor kathie i and totv hostess graciegirl awaiting your arrival, you hafta know that life is for sure gonna be grand!

best of luck with the sale; and don't forget to bring the opener for the wine bottle!

[Dirigo]

We had six, count 'em six customers today for our moving sale! I am amazed we had any what with folks making preparations for the snow storm. It is just now starting to snow. I did mow the lawn this afternoon as I said I would. It may be the last time I ever mow the lawn we nurtured from bare gravel when we moved in eight and half years ago :sigh:.

I was particularly generous with our customers today...so generous they called their relatives and they took armloads of goods destined for the landfill or Goodwill at pennies on the dollar. Over half the stuff is gone and we have some lunch money to show for it :$:

I'm just glad some of it is gone...I'm so tired of dealing with "stuff".

We had some friends over tonight to help eat up some of the bounty remaining in the freezer...so good to have a small dinner party with old friends among all the boxes and bare walls. All were offered unlimited visits with us once we get settled. Hope they take us up on our offer.

Tomorrow we will go room to room and finish packing that room up so we can feel like we are accomplishing our task.

Closing paperwork for the TV home should arrive early next week via email and we will print them and get our signatures notarized and overnighted back to the closing company.

The moving van comes a week from Monday...Holy Cow, Batman...this is gettin' real!

Our soon-to-be next door neighbors sent us an email today asking about our progress. What nice folks they are. We are looking forward to getting to know them better. They are Brits and only can stay six months a year, unfortunately.

We can't wait to take our first golf cart ride to Peachwave for a frozen yogurt luncheon. Yum....

[Dirigo]

...and all that remains is for our house to close 36 hours from now and the funds wired to the closing company in Florida...the house we bought is in the Village of Liberty Park.

We still can't believe it is happening, but there is nothing left in our house tonight, so somethin's happenin'! :D

Thanks to everyone who listened to our tale and cheered us up when we were down !

ANYONE who wants to come by and say hello is welcome :wave:. Please send me a PM and I'll dash off the address to you :024:. We arrive late on the 15th and will be staying with friends in Bonita until our moving van arrives on the 17th.

Dirigo and the lovely Diane.

[njbchbum]

well, hooray for you and the lovely diane! safe travels to you! hope to meet up when we get there in jan! wishing you lots of laughter and wonderful new memories!

ps
if you find that you forgot something in maine, lemme know - will be there thanksgiving week!

[Cynbod]

Congratulations to you and the lovely Diane. Thank you for sharing your journey. I am so glad everything worked out for you two. Good luck in your new home in Liberty Park.

[champion6]

Congrats, Dirigo. The best is yet to come.

[Schaumburger]

...and all that remains is for our house to close 36 hours from now and the funds wired to the closing company in Florida...the house we bought is in the Village of Liberty Park.

We still can't believe it is happening, but there is nothing left in our house tonight, so somethin's happenin'! :D

Thanks to everyone who listened to our tale and cheered us up when we were down !

ANYONE who wants to come by and say hello is welcome :wave:. Please send me a PM and I'll dash off the address to you :024:. We arrive late on the 15th and will be staying with friends in Bonita until our moving van arrives on the 17th.

Dirigo and the lovely Diane.

Whoo Hoo! In less than 1 week you will be in TV. Congratulations and enjoy your new home in Liberty Park. Just in time to miss the impending winter! :wave:

[Dirigo]

Today we closed on the sale of our home in Maine and on our home in Liberty Park. I guess that makes it official. This evening we are Villagers.

Phew ! What a ride...

We arrive on Tuesday!

[loonlovers]

Hi, Dirigo....looks like we'll be neighbors. We've heard that a couple from Maine is moving in. I'm guessing it's you two. If so, welcome to the "hood." My husband and I are from NH and moved down here a little more than a year ago after selling our home there. Best move we ever made! We're just around the corner and will stop by to say hello!

[Dirigo]

Hi, Dirigo....looks like we'll be neighbors. We've heard that a couple from Maine is moving in. I'm guessing it's you two. If so, welcome to the "hood." My husband and I are from NH and moved down here a little more than a year ago after selling our home there. Best move we ever made! We're just around the corner and will stop by to say hello!

So nice of you to welcome us, thanks! We look forward to meeting you. Please do stop by!

[oatmealgirls]

Thanks for sharing your TV journey with us.

Amazing that you closed on both homes the same day - way to go!! - Congrats!!

Enjoy your new home!!

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Today we closed on the sale of our home in Maine and on our home in Liberty Park. I guess that makes it official. This evening we are Villagers.

Phew ! What a ride...

We arrive on Tuesday!

"Stick a fork in it - you're done!" Congrats on your closing(s)!! :a040:

And now it's on to the good life in TV!! Ribbit...... :pepper2:

Bill :)

[DebbieB]

Awesome news! Congratulations to you both. We are coming down to TV Thanksgiving week to officially start building our new home in TV (Tamarind Grove). We are still unfortunately waiting for our island home to sell, thinking we may reduce price a bit to get it sold during high season which is just starting there now. Driving us crazy it hasn't sold yet.

[LvmyPug2]

Welcome to TV!! We have been frogs for 3 wks and I am still pinching myself that we have finally realized our dream of owning a home here.

[2BNTV]

Today we closed on the sale of our home in Maine and on our home in Liberty Park. I guess that makes it official. This evening we are Villagers.

Phew ! What a ride...

We arrive on Tuesday!

How were you able to be in two places at the same time? :)

Congrats on becoming frogs. I am sooooooo happy for you.

[Dirigo]

Thanks for sharing your TV journey with us.

Amazing that you closed on both homes the same day - way to go!! - Congrats!!

Enjoy your new home!!

Thanks! "Gettin' it done" is my claim to fame...

[Dirigo]

How were you able to be in two places at the same time? :)

Congrats on becoming frogs. I am sooooooo happy for you.



Thanks very much!

I bought a used Star Trek transporter on eBay ;)

[Dirigo]

Thanks oatmealgirls, Bill-n-Brillo, DebbieB, and LvmyPug2 !

We are too tired tonight to keep our eyes open and too excited to go to sleep!

[Pturner]

Today we closed on the sale of our home in Maine and on our home in Liberty Park. I guess that makes it official. This evening we are Villagers.

Phew ! What a ride...

We arrive on Tuesday!

Dirigo,
I'm so excited for you I could scream. Hold on while I jump for joy...

Ok, I'm back. Have a safe trip down. All best!


[pSIZE="7"]RIBIT[/SIZE]

[Dirigo]

Dirigo,
I'm so excited for you I could scream. Hold on while I jump for joy...

Ok, I'm back. Have a safe trip down. All best!


[pSIZE="7"]RIBIT[/SIZE]

Thanks PT. We'll see you when you come down next...

[EdV]

Oh Oh, a couple of Maineiacs moving in. There goes the neighborhood.

Just kidding, enjoy the ride for the rest of your lives.