is it time to get a real job?

There has been a lot of talk in our house since the failed auction about me getting a real job. If we have two houses it really could put a ridiculous amount of financial pressure on us. Even if we rent our old house out, we still need to renovate the new one. The true is the whole thing scares me to death. I haven’t worked outside the home for more than 8 years. I really don’t know where to begin. I guess a resume is a good start, but I can’t remember the dates I began and ended my last couple of jobs, I could only work during school hours and I have not references.  Who would employ me, I am 34 years old and I have no skills besides raising kids, drinking beer, and making hair accessories!

The Auction

Well…our house didn’t sell at auction on Saturday, which really sucks!

The real estate agents were very excited before the auction began.  We had an open house half an hour before. There were around 20 people walking around our property when we arrived 5 minutes before the auction started.  Everything was looking positive. We walked though our back gate and came in through our back door and decided to listen to the auction from our master bedroom. We could hear everything perfectly and we remained unseen to the public.


We had some close friends & my family come along for support. Some mingled in the crowd and my best friends Lee, her husband Garry and my oldest friend Sam stayed with us while the auction was on. It started off slow, someone place a stupid bid well under the price any house would sell for these days. The auctioneers place a vender's bid higher to get the ball rolling. Then it started to move a little faster, lots of silly little bids and then it stopped dead and our house was passed in. We stayed in the bedroom while our real estate agents tried to negotiate a reasonable offer from the highest bidder. She wasn’t prepared to make an offer at that time, but wanted to bring her father back later that night to get his option.  All these vultures; bargain hunters (investors & developers) were hanging around outside waiting to see if they could also get our house for next to nothing.  Numbers and details were collected by the real estate agents, most of them didn’t seem like they would make a fair offer either.

We had to change our plans that night to allow another viewing by the highest bidder with her father, turns out she cancelled and we are down $50 (extra time in the kennel for our dogs) for no good reason. Beside our house not selling and no real offers the worst moment of the day was when I discovered lace from my underwear draw sticking out when we entered our master room. I felt sick knowing that some stranger was riffling through my personal drawers. It’s so rude, and a big intrusion on what little privacy we have while our house is on the market. I cannot think of one good reason why a buyer would need to do that!!! Just nosy and horrible! I bet you they didn’t even bid, properly just came for a sticky beak.

We put on sausage sizzle after the ordeal was over for our family and friends.  My girlfriends were awesome and supplied me with plenty of champagne, to soften the blow. Reuben and his mates drank beer.  My parents and sister took Phoenix & Skye back to their place for a sleep over which was wonderful because I just couldn’t deal with parenting the kids after the failed auction. Our friends, Alex, Reuben & I headed to the cinema to see The Hunger Games. I loved it by the way; it’s almost as good as the book. 

So the next week will be tough, if we get no fair offers. We will have to figure out a plan. Do we keep the house on the market or rent it out. One thing is for sure we are not desperate enough sell it for less than its worth.

My Parents Place

My parents live in The Basin. Its such a beautiful peaceful place to live in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Though it can get very cold there in the winter. The other weekend we went over to help out around the house. My parents are hoping to retire shortly and want to sell there home to move to Lakes Entrance. My dad was a massive help to us, when we were getting our house ready to to put on the market. So naturally we want to help them out as much as we can.

Reuben and my Dad chainsawed some trees and branches that had fallen during the strong winds a couple of weeks ago and I helped my mum clean out the laundry and one of the bedrooms. After the our auction we should have more time to help paint and clean. We finished the off the day with a BBQ and by drinking my Dad's awesome homebrew beer.

So Long

 It has been so long…I’m not sure where to begin it’s been almost a month since my last blog post. Maybe I'll start by telling you whats on my mind this moment and mostly every other moment.

 The stress of selling our home is doing my head it. Keeping everything clean and spotless 24/7 for viewings is exhausting when you have five people living in the house. Strangers coming into your home leaving cupboards open makes you feel uneasy. It almost doesn't feel like its not our house anymore. After an inspection, when I come back home I can feel the energy has shifted.  People driving by your house stopping to read the sign, staring into the windows and some even asking if the can come have a look without the real estate agent. The whole process hopefully will be over on Saturday after the auction. That is if we do get bidders.  I don’t even want to think about no-one showing up; I think my heart would break in two.