How many couples do you know who spend their evenings sitting in their garage? We were mulling over the reasons our home of thirty-nine years was not selling. Boxes and extra furniture surrounded us, a result of our realtor’s recommendation of a stripped-down model for staging purposes. Our home echoed in its current three-quarters’ emptiness. My husband and I had been coming out here nightly for months to search for P.J.’s and underwear in the relocated dressers.
“Do you think this house will ever sell,” I asked my husband.
He looked up from his cellphone email search, to share his impatience with the situation. “It’s almost fall, and our best-selling season’s over.”
“Did you read that last realtor’s comment? ‘Great house, but too much street traffic.’ If I hear that one more time, I’ll scream!”
He nodded his head in agreement. “It didn’t seem that bad at first, but a lot of people in new additions use our road to make it into town now.”
Can Repairs be Positive?
Trying to be positive, I added, “Well, at least we finished the painting.”
“I notice how you said we finished the painting. I did all the painting. You nearly killed me with all that work, Woman!”
“I can’t help it if I’m a lousy painter. At least I prepped and cleaned-up for you,” I retaliated.
It took a few minutes for us to chew on that exchange. Then I thought of something else encouraging to say.
“Our repairs are also done. Remember the adventure with replacing that light fixture in the basement?”
A grin crossed his face, as he retorted,” I’m just grateful that you and I came out of that experience without getting zapped.”
“Or divorced,” I chortled. “I’m thankful all that work is behind us. Even though it seems to be taking forever, I believe God has just the right buyer for us. It only takes one, you know.”
Wanted: Special One
“That’s true,” he agreed, “but it has to be a special one who doesn’t mind traffic.”
Right there in the garage, we took some time to pray and asked God to provide that special buyer. “Please, God, do it soon. . . before the snow falls!”
Yikes–the Showing!
The next day at work I got a call about a showing of our home that afternoon. I excitedly agreed, forgetting that my husband remained home stranded since I had our only car. Our realtor had warned us to be absent during showings to not dampen any potential buyer’s interest. I quickly called to warn him of their coming.
Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring–No answer? Drat, he may not even be dressed. What if he walks out in his ratty robe while they’re looking at our house? Even if I leave a message, he may be asleep and not get it in time!
I had just hung up after leaving a message when my hubby returned the call. “Hi, Di. What’s up?”
“Listen, a realtor called who is coming to show the house in half an hour! Are you dressed? How does the house look? Make sure you stick the dishes in the dishwasher and make the bed, okay? You’ll probably either have to sit on the bench under the maple tree or stay in the garage.”
As usual, my mate, with the relaxed demeanor of a fully-retired individual, simple replied, “I’ll take care of it.”
I didn’t hear anything while at work so when I returned home that afternoon, I breathlessly awaited my mate’s report. “How did it go? Did they like it? Did they say anything? Is there a comment sheet? What happened?”
He smiled broadly and started to speak after my prolonged interrogation. “I stayed in the garage, minding my own business. All of a sudden, the man and his realtor came out to ask me a bunch of questions. He seemed pleased with our house. I even overheard him say to his realtor that they needed to move on this one before it got snatched up by someone else.”
“Wow, if he only knew how laughable that statement is, ” I croaked.
Waiting, Waiting, Waiting
Our excitement simmered waiting for a call one week, two weeks. . . . After a month of silence, my hubby and I heard from our realtor. It was a go, as long as the loan checked out.
However, I earned my nickname of “Worry Wart” by seeing potential problems. “Why is he interested in our 6-bedroom rancher? The realtor says he’s divorced and has two kids who he only sees on weekends. I just don’t understand.”
“Yeah, but he likes the fact that as a vet the V.A. Hospital is right across the street and the Sports Complex where his sons play soccer is just up a few blocks.”
“But what about the traffic? Did he say anything about that,” I persisted.
“No problem–he goes to work at 5:00AM and returns midafternoon,” my mate replied.
“Wow! How about that. He must be the one. God answered our prayers. But wait, what if his loan doesn’t go through?” (Once a worrier, always a worrier.)
The potential buyer offered a lower price than our listing, but we
counter-offered a higher one that covered our needs. My husband and I waited, and prayed, and took deep breaths . . . .
Our counter offer was accepted and now the condo we selected could be ours and the moving process begun. My dream became a reality: not only would our home be sold, but the condo could be purchased free and clear. Also, our former home debts would be paid off.
It only took one buyer and one God who answers prayer.
Dianna
Sharing the Fruit of Maturity
