What does your wife say?
Her opinion matters more than ours.....

Sorry it didn't work out for you. Times are tough, but hopefully things will work out okay in the end. Good luck to you going forward.

4 years ago my neighbors had their home on the market. They said the same thing - don't want to "give away" the house. It has been listed for 4+ years straight and not one price drop. During this period, the market has dropped at least 35%. They are way, way overpriced, to the point that the listing is a waste of time for everyone.

If you know the market value of the home or the expected price that you could sell it for....and you don't want to sell it for that price. Then you might as well move back. Otherwise, you could go a long time without selling, and that is no fun.

Not sure what you think about the highrise living...but maybe you are glad the house didn't sell because you have a "home" to go back to?

Hey if I remember correctly your home is in HR? We listed and sold fairly quickly, and can't find a new home. I repainted my entry/living/dining rooms, decluttered, puts lots in storage and made sure everything was updated, not expensive updates but nice.

We are looking now and need a specific type of plan so are having trouble finding the right home. We did notice they seem to be overpriced or very outdated. We don't care about dated but are hesitant to put more money in than we will be able to get out. Do you mind sharing your listing?

"Don't want to "give away" the house."

There is your only problem. You know what your options are.

What are the comps like? What have your realtors said about possible reasons the house isn't selling (aside from the pond)?

What you may consider "giving away the house" could just be the market right now. If you can't come down to the market price then moving back in for a few years might be your best option.

"Two realtors later, not one offer on our house."

Most likely overpriced.

From what I remember, he never wanted to move in the first place... likely why the price is high.

What does your wife think about the current asking price on the house? Does she also feel it is too high?

How does your wife like highrise living? And how about you? Is it as bad as you thought it would be?

Thank you all for your feedback. We did start too high back in August '10. Should've gotten an appraisal (if it was overpriced then why would the realtor allow us to put it out there for an unrealistic price?) We started at 415K. Now at 350K. House across the street sold for 410K. We have a smaller kitchen and unfinished basement. A lot of the feedback is that it is priced fairly, just too small or not the right floor plan. These would be huge and expensive upgrades. So frustrating to continue to get negative feedback, or positive feedback but no offers. Always in their "Top 5" (thanks). You start feeling like no one appreciates it more than you do.

Highrise living was at first dreadful. Felt like a bug trapped indoors. Noise. Dirty air. Neighbors mostly twenty-somethings. Dogs used grass poddy pad out on the balcony, but we received complaints about the smell even though we kept it picked up. You can't really clean them completely. So now we round them up and take them out several times a day. We like walking to get something to eat, the convenience of light rail transportation and have adapted to using city's bike program (Bcycle) which works okay. I do like exploring around the city. Mapquest is our friend. But I will say to those who say city life keeps you moving unlike the suburbs: You can be sedentary in a high rise environment too. It's what you choose to do. Actually I think I was more active in my suburban yard. Go figure.

When cleaning up the backyard to sell, DW thought it best to pull up a lot of the things growing. That broke my heart. Yard's not the same. I'm from the "Noah's Garden" school (great read), but it's not what you expect to find in our suburb, guess I'm a little different.

And another thing. The man who filled our pond has a huge koi pond, so we gave all of our fish (some jumbos) to him as partial payment for his work. Two days later he called to tell me the two largest one's died, as did some of his. He'd added too many and threw his pond out of balance (we all knew better). I haven't told my DW yet. I can't break her heart.

This has been quite a ride for us. DW wanted to do this in the first place and it took me months to adjust. Now she wants to move back. No pond, lost fish, yard's not the same.

Why can't we just leave things alone? Dang, I'm was okay with everything. Guess we're two different people. I think she's like a salmon choosing to swim against the current and I'm just here for the ride. Life lessons.

Paul

"A lot of the feedback is that it is priced fairly, just too small or not the right floor plan. "

In case you don't know, that is how buyers tell you your house is overpriced. What they are saying is that your house is smaller than what they could get elsewhere for the same price.

"You start feeling like no one appreciates it more than you do. "

Well, duh! No buyer is ever going to love it as much as you do right now. You've got years of memories tied up in it and to them it is "just a house." That will change when they make it their home, but it is completely unreasonable to expect potential buyers to have an emotional attachment comparable to your own.

Anyway, best of luck in whatever you choose to do. It sounds like you have spent the better part of year living in limbo. That is rough on everyone. Hopefully you 2 can come to a decision you both can live with.

Thanks for your reply Bill. It wasn't easy to read, but very real. Thanks for the insight and perhaps I should work on growing thicker skin. Paul

Dirtboy - I'm always in the market for a good garden read... There are two 'Noah's Garden' on amazon -- one by Sara Bonnet Stein and one by Rosemarie Bishop. Which is the one you're referencing?

I remember your original post, and while it was sad, you seem like a pretty resilient person, who can find pleasure wherever he finds himself.

Hi gwbr54,

Thank you for the kind words. The book that changed everything for me was "Noah's Garden" by Sara Stein. I think I knew what I wanted to create in our yard, and when I read the book, I was so excited to read that someone else had the same idea. It's like giving your yard back to nature. Let it grow and the birds, bugs and critters will come!

Paul

Thanks, Paul -- I just reserved it at my library.

I think I will read it too. I am always out gardening, bonsaiing, and landscaping. It is my way of releasing stress from daily activities.

Great to hear. I'd love to get your feedback once you've read it. It was tough for me to put down. Didn't want to stop reading. Thanks!

Paul