showing our backside

After weeks of silence on the home building front, Dad2Amara and I are finally getting into what I truly enjoy about house construction: the selection process.

I believe one of the most important decisions a home buyer will make during the custom building process surrounds the exterior of the home.

Guests will drive up to your home and will begin to formulate an opinion on your home based on its curb appeal.

If money were no object, cedar shake siding would be the way I'd go. (Need advice on how to select cedar siding? Check out this great article from This Old House, one of Dad2Amara's favorite magazines.)

But because our checkbook does not have unlimited funds, we chose vinyl siding that has the look, and texture, of cedar shake siding.

Our building prefers Alside siding.

That was the easy part.

All of a sudden, I entered some new homeowner paradigm -- our consultant advised me that 85 percent of her homeowners chose siding colors in the tan family. Too bad I had already formulated a color for the house Dad2Amara designed. And it was damn close to what other homeowners were choosing.

I hate looking like every house on the block. That's why we have the Yellow House. No one else on our current street has a house our color.

But I don't want to stand out too much. No one wants to be that house in the neighborhood.

So what was I to do? I didn't think of this predicament. So I wasn't able to Google it ahead of time.

If I had, I would have found helpful tips like this one or this one.

So I scoured the color selections Alside offers. And I purposely stayed away from anything beige or tan or brown. Not much was left.

In the end, Dad2Amara and I chose platinum gray. I think that goes back to my expensive style.

But now I think I may like the Cape Cod gray because of my love of the Shore.

You can see both colors on Alside's Color Palette.

If you were coming to Amara's new house would you want our front and backside to be in a subtle platinum gray? Or how about the darker Cape Cod gray?

let's make a deal

So 72 hours after a second showing of the Yellow House, still no offers.

Dad2Amara has an awful feeling that the potential buyers have passed on buying our lovely abode.

Me? I'm still optimistic.

Maybe they're still pondering exactly how they will make an offer.

A buyer has plenty to consider when buying a house.

• Sale price. In this weak economy, how much should a buyer offer to buy? Note to buyer: may I suggest buying the Yellow House for $20,000 more than the listing price?


• Closing date. We can be out of the Yellow House immediately. What's not to like about that?


• Closing costs. I can persuade Dad2Amara to add this is to seal the deal.


• Contingencies. Find something you don't like in the Yellow House? Want to make sure it's taken cared of before you move in? Let me know. It's done.

Everything's negotiable. Dad2Amara and I are realistic about selling the Yellow House.

So come on down, potential buyers! Let's make a deal!

where will we go next?

Our realtor reassures us every day that the market is taking a turn for the better. She says buyers are out there. And she insists that the Yellow House is the nicest one in the area.

But I have my doubts. I've seen many houses sit with an MLS for months.

So we put the Yellow House on the market way earlier than most people would suggest.

Susan commented a few days ago, questioning what we would do if we sell the Yellow House. And she's right. After all, we haven't even broken ground on Amara's new house.

There are lots of options for those who are current homeowners that choose to build a new home.

Some homeowners decide to factor in build time into their selling contract. This allows them to stay in their current residence while construction takes place. However, this would not work for our family since the market is in such a rut right now. I couldn't conceivably ask a buyer to wait six months before moving in. I'd imagine that would be an immediate deal breaker.

Some sellers choose to live with relatives until their house is complete. Yeah, not an option either. Not only do Dad2Amara and I have the craziest schedules on earth, but we also have Lady, Dog2Amara. And we have lots of stuff. And our relatives don't live anywhere near Amara's school. Financially, this would be a great option. But I think our bank account will have to get over it.

Lastly, many apartment complexes do offer a month-to-month lease. The website SoundMoneyTips.com says it best:

"...for those unsure of their next step in life, a month-to-month lease is not a bad option."

Dad2Amara and I are sure fo what's next. We just don't have a contingency plan as of yet.

But before building the Yellow House, Dad2Amara and I lived in an apartment. Actually we lived in several apartments. So we're no strangers to living in tight quarters.

We have some nice apartment complexes near our neighborhood that would work with our lifestyles. And it'll be nice to pay for rent that's less than the cost of our mortgage.

Hey, we love each other. So why can't we love each other in 800 square feet?

woo hoo

Even with me being out of town, the house selling show must go on.

And I just got the request for a second showing of the Yellow House!!

It's going to happen while I'm in California. But I have faith Dad2Amara will have the house in tip top shape.

How exciting!

no offers yet

Two showings our first weekend on the market.

And no offers yet on the table.

I'm bummed.

Unrealistic? Probably. But I'm still bummed.

cross your fingers!

With all the talk of recession and slow house sales, I knew for sure the Yellow House would be on the market forever.

Or so I thought.

I got a call this morning asking to show our house Sunday.

Two showings in one day...six days after putting it on the market?

Maybe it's Saint Joseph. Or maybe it's because our realtor used the same "for sale" sign in our yard that she used in my friends'. (They sold in 45 days.)

Whatever it is, keep your fingers crossed!

how we're selling our house

The Yellow House has been on the market for less than a week.

Saint Joseph has been in the ground for 48 hours.

And I'm sick and tired of cleaning our house each night.

But we've been asked to show our house on Sunday morning!

After an exhausting week, the last thing I want to do is vacuum. Or dust. But I know I have to. Because you never know when a potential buyer will want to take a look.

So I fuss each night. And I leave for work every morning, only after inspecting our home's nook and crannies.

Guess it's done some good. Because someone's at least interested in seeing the Yellow House in person!

Or maybe it's Dad2Amara's faithful devotion to praying to Saint Joseph...

guess we really need to sell our house now

The financing papers have been signed.

And the bank has sent over our appraisal information.

All that's left is for us to sell the Yellow House!

praying to St. Joseph

My girlfriend, Susan just sold her house. And she credits the sale - in part - to Saint Joseph.

With this real estate market, I'll try anything.

So she gave me her Saint Joseph statue to bury.

But I freaked out when I couldn't find the instructions for it.

Was it supposed to be buried in the front yard? Or was it upside down in the backyard?

I could hear myself cursing a religious statue. Not a good start.

Then I found a piece of paper inside the statue's box. And it spoke of the practice of burying Saint Joseph. It reminded the owner that this wasn't a case of magic or superstition.

Sellers should believe in Saint Joseph's power and trust in his intercession. The location of the burial does not matter. It all comes down to prayer.

And since lightning would probably knock down the Yellow House's walls if I began to pray, I'll leave that to Dad2Amara.

But in case you're interested in what the prayer is, here goes:

Dear Saint Joseph, head of the most perfect household, foster father of Jesus and guardian of His mother Mary, I confidently place myself and all my concerns under your care and protection. I ask that, through your powerful intercession with God, you obtain for me all the help and graces that I need for my spiritual and temporal welfare and in particular, the special favor I now ask (here mention or think of your home sale).

Good Saint Joseph, I know with confidence that your prayers on my behalf will be heard by God, and if it is His Will, it will be done.

Thank you Saint Joseph, for having responded to my call. Amen.

it's official

The house goes on the market tomorrow.

And the home building process begins again.

Five years ago, Dad2Amara and I built the Yellow House. Dad2Amara was convinced buying a home in a mediocre area would be better than plunking down another month's rent.

So we signed the paperwork for a home in a neighborhood with an alright school district. But it was OK because we weren't planning on starting a family for a few years. We had time to build equity, then we'd move again.

Just hours after signing on the dotted line, we found out we were pregnant with Amara.

So with kindergarten staring us in the face, we have decided to sell the Yellow House...in spite of an economic downtime in the region.

We are house number six on our street on the market. But I am also confident that we are the nicest one out there.

Our builder says we should be in our new house by mid-September.

So wish us luck in selling. And send any prospective buyers our way.