It Takes A Little Preparation

If you've been following the blog for at least a month, you know that our place is currently on the market. We knew not to expect much with winter and the holiday season upon us, but we prayed about it and felt like it was the right time to sell. JD and I walked through every inch of our house, exterior living space, and attic with our realtor taking notes of what needed to be done. We spent 2 weeks purging closets, organizing pantries, and rearranging everything. We cleaned, we painted, we prepared. And then, we waited.

It has been a month and we are still waiting for our first showing. It's a little difficult not to get discouraged when we have done everything in our power to prepare our home for potential buyers and the buyers don't come. It has left us feeling a little helpless while bordering on hopeless. Our attitudes have suffered because of it. Our realtor is working every avenue and creating wonderful marketing plans, but so far we have yet to see any fruit from the seed we've all sown in this place.

It has been hard to stay positive when it appears as though nothing is happening for us. Selling is not just something that we would like to happen, it needs to happen. We are in a place in our lives where more space is a need versus a want. We need to move to a larger home sooner than later. And if our place doesn't sell this summer, we are faced with a somewhat desperate situation.

As a last ditch effort to do what I could to spread the word about our townhouse, I emailed every person in my address book that lives in our state. I sent them the listing and asked for their prayers. One of my old friends from college replied with a really awesome real estate prayer. It was very detailed and specific which I appreciated since I hadn't considered praying for some of the things listed. What really struck me about the prayer though was the responsibility that I held in selling this place. The prayer repeatedly stated how the home had been prepared in excellence as if for the Lord. That was very sobering to me because while I originally prepared our home in excellence for the market, I have not kept it in excellent condition. I have made new piles instead of sorting and putting away, I have stuffed things in drawers and closets instead of hanging them neatly, I have cluttered hallways and smudged wood floors and left beds unmade. In my defense, the snow was a mess and keeping our floors shiny and clean has been nearly impossible. Just sayin. 


In my moodiness about the lack of activity we've had on the place, I grappled with the notion that I may have had something to do with it. I keep praying for God to send the right buyer, but if my house isn't in market ready condition, why should I expect God to send me anyone?

Sunday we cleaned this place top to bottom. JD went back up in the attic to rearrange, I scrubbed EVERYTHING, we moved furniture (lots of Cheerios and raisins under the couch), we organized toys. We vowed to keep it this way. I called our realtor (who happens to be my best friend) and told her about my revelation and how we vowed to keep our place in excellence. She was so happy and relieved. She said that she had been praying and asking God what else she needed to be doing. She said that she was so pleased that we had prayed and come to the realization that we did.

So we have committed to keep our townhouse prepared in excellence for the buyer that I know and trust God has in store for us. Maybe now we will get some showings!!!! Are you praying???