Our house

Sunset from the front windows

"House for sale by owner". The sign was firmly planted at the bottom of the road in May 2006. Two hours later when I returned from grocery shopping, it lay on the ground. Grabbing the hammer, I hurried back down the hill and slammed the stake back into the ground. The next morning the sign was face down. What was happening? We decided to change the location slightly, moving further uphill where the soil was more receptive. At least one foot of the stake was buried below the ground. This time it stayed for almost two days before apparently being caught by the wind and carried further away.

It seemed apparent that the house did not want want to be sold. The sign was permanently removed. It was time to examine other options. Our initial goal was to sell the house, put the proceeds in safekeeping and travel for a year. After weighing the options, we decided to rent the house to a friend, leaving the furniture in place and storing a few valuables in the basement. This plan worked very well. We were gone from September 2006 to September 2007.

In the spring of 2010, we decided to list the house with a realtor. My husband was finally convinced that we should downsize, buy a condo and use the residual cash for future travels. Following the advice of experts we didn't invest in upgrades to the interior, money that we would not get back in the sale. I decluttered, cleaned and simplified the rooms. Fridge magnets, family photos and precious trinkets were stored away. Special bed coverings and towels were purchased for display. Kitchen counters were emptied of small appliances. Floors were washed and vacuumed. I even resorted to baking cookies before several showings. For six months we vacated our home whenever strangers wanted to cast a critical eye on our home.

In November 2010 we removed the listing. Winter weather is not kind to our road and we were concerned that prospective buyers would be deterred by the slippery slope.

The following spring we listed again with the same real estate agent. Once again everything was cleaned and prepped. People came and went. Some wanted a fenced yard, others wanted upgrades. During the next six months we lowered the price twice. No one made an offer. In August my husband had surgery and it was less convenient to vacate during his recovery period. We began to resent the intrusions.

As we were going to be away for most of the winter, we decided to leave the listing active. To our surprise we finally received an offer a few days before Christmas 2011. Unfortunately it was a lowball offer that we couldn't take seriously.

There have been several showings this year with ongoing feedback about the need for upgrades.The question for us is "What exactly do they want?" We could spend thousands of dollars on new flooring and kitchen counters that would please one potential buyer and displease the next. We would never hope to get back the cost of alterations. Apparently buyers want a "turnkey" property, a place that does not require any changes or alterations. They want the house to display their colour of preference, flooring of choice and contain stainless steel appliances in a granite countered kitchen!

So, do we make alterations or do we, once again, accept the idea that our house does not want to sell?!