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Eight showings. Good feedback. No offers.
Those are the results of Groovy Home’s first week on the market. We’re a little disappointed, but far from panic mode. Should we fail to get any offers over the next two months, though, our realtor Hailey will have to talk us down from the ledge. Or, at the very least, start medicating us with copious amounts of alcohol. Meanwhile, in other news…
[Mrs. Groovy here. Whoa, cowboy! Before you move on to other news or hit the Ripple, take a step back. There’s no way we’re staying on the market for two months. I’d pull the listing before we do that. Keep in mind our expectations were very high from all those folks who told us to be prepared to move out quickly. It’s not even two weeks yet. And a similar house at the end of our street just went on the market. Its list price is $5,000 higher and it’s smaller by 200 square feet. That should bring us some traffic.]
Groovy Ranch
Plans are done and have been sent to the engineer so he can determine what needs to be done to make sure Groovy Ranch remains upright for decades to come.
While we’re waiting for the engineer to do his thing, Mrs. Groovy and I are putting together the bidding specs for Groovy Ranch. We should have that done next week.
Coffee with New Old Friends
I don’t know if this is a testament to the collegial nature of the FI community or cultish nature of the FI community, but Mrs. Groovy and I have yet to meet an FI blogger in person and not form an instant bond. This past weekend we had the pleasure of meeting Vicki from Make Smarter Decisions and Women Who Money, and her husband Jeff as they made their way back to New York from Florida. Fabulous people. And I’m not just saying that because they’re from Upstate New York, know every word to the Erie Canal song, have a profound appreciation for the wort-infused subtleties of Genny Cream Ale, and are inveterate Parrotheads. No, I’m saying it because they’re genuinely nice people, and we had a blast meeting them. It was like catching up with old friends. [Mrs. Groovy here. I told Vicki I was very happy to see you and Jeff exchange phone numbers because you’re not exactly a social butterfly. Vicki and I will have to make sure you two don’t go mashugana at the bar at FinCon.]
Vicki and Jeff are the fifth couple we’ve met in person through the FI community. Here’s a list of all the great folks we’ve met face-to-face so far:
| Blogger | Significant Other | Website | Blogger and Significant Other Are Awesome | Blogger and Significant Other Are Semi-Awesome | Blogger and Significant Other Are Not Awesome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fritz | Jackie | The Retirement Manifesto | ✔ | ||
| JW | Lucy | The Green Swan | ✔ | ||
| Jillian | Adam | Montana Money Adventures | ✔ | ||
| Claudia | Garrett | Two Cup House | ✔ | ||
| Vicki | Jeff | Make Smarter Decisions | ✔ |
Is That a Ten Gallon Hat? Or Are You Just Enjoying the Show?
When the movie Blazing Saddles came out in the early 70s, I was a youngin, and I really didn’t understand why everyone in the movie theater cracked up at the below scene.
Well, a couple of years after Blazing Saddles left the theaters, my understanding of human biology and amore ripened, and the “ten gallon hat” scene suddenly made sense.
I decided to share this snippet from my wonder years because something akin to the “ten gallon hat” scene happened this past weekend. Mrs. Groovy and I were in Crooked Creek Park for our daily constitutional and we met Buddy, a beautiful dog that definitely had some husky in him. We talked to Buddy’s owner, Jeff, for a good fifteen minutes, and Mrs. Groovy asked Jeff if we could feature Buddy as the dog of the week on our blog. Jeff graciously said “yes,” and Mrs. Groovy snapped a picture.
Anyway, a few hours later, I heard Mrs. Groovy laughing hysterically in the living room. When I asked what was so funny, she beckoned my to see her picture of Buddy. For whatever reason—be it the onset of spring, pheromones from other dogs wafting through the air, or Mrs. Groovy’s fetching red hair—Buddy was clearly “enjoying the show.” And Jeff clearly forgot to bring along Buddy’s ten gallon hat.
Mrs. Groovy and I suddenly faced a dilemma. Our website has standards. Sure, we’ll veer off every now and then and connect dingleberries and transvestites to the world of personal finance. But showing a picture of a male dog with his manhood in an agitated state? That’s a little beyond the pale.
So to maintain this site’s PG-13 rating, we employed the fine art of digital manipulation. Here, then, is a more family-friendly picture of Buddy.
Fight-O-Meter
Sorry, Fritz, but Mrs. Groovy and I have had another week of zero fights. I know this is freakin’ boring, and I would surely love an opportunity to reduce Mrs. G’s seemingly insurmountable lead. But there simply hasn’t been anything to fight about. Our designer has been very responsive, the builders have been very helpful, and Mrs. Groovy and I have been eerily harmonious when it comes to developing the specs for our project. Perhaps this will all change once we actually pick a builder and start to build Groovy Ranch? Perhaps a real donnybrook will break out once the framing begins? Or when the windows are installed? Who knows? All I can do is dream. [Mrs. Groovy here. Yeah, keep dreaming.]
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Peace.
OMG, I am literally LOL over the dog. Since you made me laugh out loud at work, I’ll forgive you for “No Fights”, this week only. Sorry I’m late getting to this, work has been absolutely NUTS this week.
BTW, I agree with you that my “significant other” is awesome. More awesome than that blogger dude husband of hers, for sure! I’m a lucky man, made all the luckier by having friends like the two of you.
2 weeks is waaaaay too soon to fret, especially with 8 showings. Now if it hadn’t been shown at all, I’d be concerned. Remember to breathe, and you don’t HAVE to sell ASAP, as much as it might feel like it right now.
Ps – I’ll actually be coming up NC/VA and beyond through next month 🙂
At least you are getting feedback:)
I haven’t met any other PF bloggers yet but hope to do so soon. Sounds like a lot of fun!
Good job on the dog pic:)
So happy you got to meet up with Vicki & Jeff. It was so fun doing a talking trash episode with Jeff as Mr. Groovy at last year’s FinCon and I look forward to all of us all hanging out at this year’s event.
I’m also happy to hear of no fights. The house will sell soon…if not I’m afraid the fight-o-meter bell might get rung off! Hang in there Mr. G!
P.S. Thank you for the info on single and double window panes. I’ve got it straight now. 🙂
Thank YOU for participating in the “Groovy Parody” at FinCon.
I knew little about double and single hung previously. Many people swear by double hung — especially with small children around because you can get ventilation from the top without opening the bottom. Single hung proponents say that there are fewer parts to break. Also, in building there’s something called the “envelope” which pertains to all boundaries that separate the inside from the outside. A single hung window gives you a tighter envelope which may mean less draft.
Thanks for the shout-outs there Groovy’s! We were SO happy that we were able to catch up with you. And now we can’t wait for the next meet-up! I’m thinking there will be some beverages other than coffee at the next meet up 😉 That seems to be a common thread between bloggers too. And Jeff can wear his Genesee Brewery t-shirt! Hang in there about the house. It’s amazing (and wow are people picky now! The HGTV factor is at work for sure!)
You’re making me blush, Vicki. But in all honesty, it was a true pleasure meeting you and Jeff. Mrs. Groovy and I have been kind of in the blogging blahs lately, and your visit fortified our souls. We really do have an amazing community. Can’t wait to see you guys again at FinCon. Cheers.
Good luck with the home sale. It’s annoying when so many people came to see and no offers.
I like all the FIRE bloggers I met too. I think we’re all pretty relaxed and flexible about life. It’s a great tribe.
Thank you, sir. Any chance you’re swinging by FinCon this year?
Housing market is so local. My son put his house on the market last week in a Little Rock, Arkansas suburb and it sold that same day for higher than the asking price. But my brother-in-law in a ritzy Atlanta subdivision has had his house on the market for 3 years!
Haha! I hear ya about local. Our market is so local, the local gets down to street level. Houses a few blocks away are going to contract in a few days. But not ours. We’re cursed, I tell you. Cursed!
You’re an idiot. Don’t say crap like that! Ours will sell. It better. I’m not doing this daily cleaning routine for more than a month without a contract in sight. We’ll get a good offer this weekend.
Mr G – you need to start manufacturing some fights that you can win if you’re going to make up any ground on your bride.
You meeting with Vicki got me thinking about the bloggers I’ve met and broken bread with … not a bad one in the bunch! What a great community.
I like the way your mind works, Ty. Very devious. Perhaps you might have some suggestions for a few manufactured fights? I need all the help I can get. And you are so right about the FI community. Best people on the web.
I know how stressful it can be to sell a house. Keep that high confidence up and I’m sure you will get what you are looking for (or close to it).
Congrats on another week with no fights. I’m looking forward to reading about Mr. Groovy’s comeback! We “Men Who Money” stick together.
Oh and thanks again for the feedback on how to add the reply to comments plug-in. It’s really nice knowing the commenters on my site actually see my replies!
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Thank you, Jason. It’s good to know people are rooting for my comeback. To paraphrase Butch Cassidy, “It’s comments like yours that sustain in my time of trouble.” Cheers, my friend.
Just when I thought I was up to speed as a new cult member, I now want to grab my umbrella, some toast and rice and two-step into that time warp so I can add transvestite wisdom to my FI lessons!
I had to look up “Rocky Horror prop list” to remember all the garb. Funny, I saw it for the first time at the Waverly in Greenwich Village. I remember people dancing in the aisles, but not much more.
I think you’ll be just fine with the house… Just give it some time.
Vicki and Jeff are awesome!! And we can’t wait to meet up with them again. Their rendition of talking trash was fantastic!!!
One day hopefully soon we’ll make it on your list… the check mark is purely optional.
Vicki and Jeff’s Talking Trash rendition was so life-like. It was like we were there — but we weren’t! It was really special.
Oh, you and the Mrs. will be on our list, for sure.
Glad to hear things are moving along. I believe we are in the structural engineer phase also….ah all the phases you will go through!
Thanks for keeping it PG. I have seen enough of that in my day….
Thanks, DDD. Good luck with the engineering stage. I hope things move quickly and easily for you.
No “R” rated material for the Groovies. Not on this blog anyway. 😁
Too funny about the dog! Letting it all hang out there I guess. Hope you get some offers soon on the house. I imagine that is something I’d have a hard time being patient about. Glad you’re hanging in there. And hope to be added to that blogger list sometime soon!
Buddy was very relaxed, or excited. Not sure which one.
We hope you’re added to our list sometime soon, as well! My nephew lives near LA, so perhaps next year.
The house will sell. All it takes is the right person. Sometimes it’s the first person and sometimes it takes 20 to walk through. The hard part is it’s such a personal and emotional thing to have people judging your home. Tom
Tom @ Dividends Diversify recently posted…It’s All About The Cash
The weird but good thing is the lack of offers is due to issues out of our control, according to the feedback. They want a master bedroom downstairs, or a bigger yard, or new construction. (You’d think they would have read the description in the listing, duh!) There’s even a silly question about price that I wouldn’t answer if I were a potential buyer. And two have replied “priced right.” For the other questions all the responses have been “excellent”. So I think we just gotta hold on.
When my mom had her house on the market one feedback was the house was too finished, there weren’t any projects for him to do, *sigh*
The right person will see it soon enough!
lol, at Buddy. Our two dogs Mushu and Meeko, both males have been in full spring mode so to speak for the last few weeks, I spare you some of the peanut gallery comments in our house. 🙂
Keep the Ripple chilled, I sure there will be some opportunities down the road. Not that I’m wishing any for you, but with a house sale, move and building a new home. I’m sure there will be a moment of weakness or two. But I love how on top of their game you guys are. Your teamwork is amazing!
I caught the Vicki and Jeff meet up via twitter. Great stuff. Us New Yorkers, need to stick together. 🙂
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I read that full spring mode can be dangerous if it goes on too long. Never having had dogs, I had no clue this could be an issue.
Thank you — we felt on top of our game but this home sale thing is a little unsettling. We’re a bit in limbo.
We New Yorkers definitely got to stick together!
Here’s hoping you get lots of traffic and an offer SOON! And I’m still jealous about your meet up with Vicki. Can’t wait to say hello at FinCon!
Thank you! Too bad you weren’t with us but your name came up and we were thinking of you. Face to face will be a lot of fun!
Hahahaha, oh man, I don’t know what’s funnier, Buddy the dog or the Ripple reference. While you can’t find that anymore, don’t forget about Mad Dog or Thunderbird, lol.
We’re getting pictures taken of our house today and it will be on the market soon after that. We’re priced competitively, by that I mean a good price for us, but still about $10k below similar nearby homes that are smaller, on busy thru-traffic streets and other things. We want to unload this puppy ASAP. Especially since some homes in our area can be on the market for 6 months and 2 months would still be a quick timeframe.
Good luck with your home sale, I’m sure it will be fine and hope you get some offers soon.
I’ve gotten to meet a fair amount of bloggers, and even a reader, even before Fincon and it is nice that the community is so welcoming. It’ll be good to see you guys at Fincon this year!
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Good luck with your home sale. You’ve got a good game plan, I’m sure it will go quickly.
We heard of a 2nd home going on the market, smaller than ours and higher priced. Competitive listings should help.
Yes, it will be great to meet you in person!
FI bloggers are the best people arent we? 😉 I’ve only met one in person to date but I hope to up that number this year! I’m certain y’all will sell, no concerns here. And Mrs. Groovy makes a good point about your “competition” down the street making you look even better. Hahaha oh Buddy…
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Well, you’ll be meeting us I hope, shortly! As soon as we sell our house we’ll be packing up for Wake Forest.
Buddy’s such a handsome boy. Too bad I didn’t realize he was in his glory when I took the shot.
I’ve given up on your fight-o-meter but I guess that’s a good thing for your marriage and sanity 😉
And Genny Cream Ale – LOVE that stuff! We used to drink it in college. It was kind of hard to find down here in the Baltimore/DC area back then but always a treat.
Don’t give up just yet. The winds of insanity are right around the corner.
I’ve been hearing about this Genny Cream Ale along with beef on weck, a favorite dish of Mr. G’s while attending Buffalo U. He’s been threatening to drag me there one of these days.