Monday, September 14, 2015

No place that is HOME

As we approach ONE YEAR that the house is on the market, I am feeling HOME-less.  I have a roof over my head, so I am not "homeless."  But the things that, for me personally, make a house a HOME.....those are gone.

When we first started getting the house ready to go on the market, we started packing and purging.  I can honestly say that not one thing that has been purged is missed.  As for the packed...I am not 100% sure what is actually in there.  I know there is decorative stuff, pictures, books, etc.  I know there is kitchen stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if alot of that gets donated.

My house is de-personalized, sans a wedding photo that sits on my dresser.  And I miss my stuff!!!

I miss my pictures, and I miss my books, and I miss my "knick nacks."  My house was never cluttered, in the sense that there was stuff on every surface.  But pretty much everything got packed.  It does make dusting easier!  But it looks empty. It FEELS empty.

I started emotionally detaching from the house a year ago, getting excited for a new start.  A new place to make our home.  This house was the first house we bought, the house we brought our children home to and the only HOME they have ever known.  But it was time to move on.

Except we didn't move on.  We are still there.  My husband isn't there, so there is a void that just won't be filled until we are all back together.  I have a basement and attic with packed boxes...and empty boxes waiting to pack the rest of the stuff.

But I don't have a new home either.  We may not be able to purchase a new house right now.  Which will force us to rent (which I know alot of you think is a great idea....but we really really don't).  A rental house won't feel like HOME.  If we are there for a year, I won't unpack most of our stuff, just to have to pack it again.  So the boxes will sit....possibly in storage.   And if we think we will be renting for awhile, I will probably never feel settled as the things that make it feel like HOME to me won't be practical.

I was on Pinterest a few weeks ago and found these little painted rocks.  I clicked on them, and poked around the website and found some little postcards.  I loved them instantly, and at $2.50, they were a steal!  I sent them to G-man, who also liked them and said "where would they go?"  I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA.  I wasn't looking to purchase them....I just liked them.  But when he asked where they would go...it really hit home that they didn't have a place.  Without having a place to move to, I can't exactly answer that question.  Again...it wasn't about purchasing them....it was about the idea that even if I did...they didn't have a place to go.

We have dropped the price of the house again....we are hoping this will be IT and it will all be over soon.  More on this to come.

4 comments:

  1. Mysti - I am sorry that you are still in "house limbo". It's been a weird season for buyers I think. Our neighbors down the street are downsizing and have watched sales happen all around them - as close as two houses away! He has a great house, nice lot, and is competitively priced. I think he was very observant when we told us that HGTV is killing him. Buyers watch all these shows and want stuff done to the house BEFORE they buy it. They like to watch the "before" and "after" BUT want the CURRENT owners to do all the work to their liking so they won't have to after the purchase.
    Keep your head up! Hopefully this will be over very soon and your family can be reunited!

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    1. HGTV has made people think they can get these fully upgraded homes for nothing. They know that it is a buyers market so they demand things from sellers. I don't know if it is just age or what....but I wouldn't expect a seller to do all of that.

      We are trying to be positive that we will be under contract in the coming weeks.

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  2. Hello Mysti,
    I enjoy your blog and admire you. I don't usually give advice but I do hope this helps you. I come from a military family both parents and married an airman. I have lived in over forty homes on three continents with only two that were owned. I am not sure when I realized this myself but home is where my family is. I kept certain boxes with items that I dearly loved. My Shisa dogs from Okinawa, my Hachinohe horses from Misawa, my grandfather clock from Germany, plus photos, etc. These go out first and they always have a home. I hope you sell your home soon.
    Take care,
    Sandra

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    1. Thank you for the perspective. I think not having my family together is really driving all of this.....

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