Open for business

As we got deeper and deeper into escrow, into purchasing this wonderful home, the time came for us to make a decision about what we wanted to do with our current home. Either sell it or rent it out. Sell it or rent it out. Sell it or rent it out.

Rick wanted to sell, I wanted to rent it out.

Rick won.

Our house is officially up for sale as of this past Wednesday. Immediately, we entered into "model home zone." We are now required to keep our home looking like a model home. We are now required to live in this model home. We are now required to be miserable. Because we are just not the type of folks to live in a stark, perfect, dust free, clutter free home. I tell you it's killing me.

And just before this sign was placed in our yard, our agent took me by the hand and walked me through our house. And pointed out all the things that need to change. Things that needed to change to make our home look more like a model home.

And I took all of her suggestions to heart... We needed a new welcome mat. We must put a potted plant on our front porch. We must take down my shrine to Elizabeth. We must put only three things on our mantal. Not 100. We must remove our mouthwashes, toothpastes and toothbrushes.

All things that I don't want to do. But will.

The funniest thing I was told to do? Make my closet look like this...

I was told that I needed to remove MOST of my clothes and put them in trash bags. Not because they were trash necessarily. Although I must admit some of my clothes have seen better days.

However, I need to have only this many clothes in my closet. And it needs to be the brightest ones. AND... my hangers all need to be 1 inch apart.

I kid you not. My hangers are important to the sale of my house. Or the space between my hangers is anyway.

But I agreed to do it all. If nothing else, I got some free interior decorator advice. And Lord knows I need it. Free or paid. I am just not an interior decorator.

And despite all of the changes we are making in our house... despite all of the suggestions, the cleaning, the de-cluttering, the decorating, the this and the that... despite the beauty of the home that we are purchasing, despite the fact that my daughter has threatened to move out if she doesn't get this new house...

Rick has changed his mind.

I don't know if it's the hanger issue or the loss of his mouthwash... but Rick is not in this for the long haul.

And all I know is... this isn't gonna make the red shoe realtor very happy.

Ah, there's no place like home.... there's no place like home.

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