Are we crazy?

We have officially put our house up for sale by owner during the worst economic crisis in our nation's history since the Great Depression. We don't have the sign in the yard- yet- but we are listed in the MLS, we are up on different web-based realty links AND the coolest part of all of this, we have our own 1-800 number to intercept the calls for us. I was trying to figure out a way to have my mom, friends and others call me on this number so they don't have to pay but then Steve reminded me it's merely an answering service. Foiled again!

Because of putting the house on the market, we (that is code for Steve) has been spending a lot of free time on house projects. Why is it that when you are hoping others will live in your house you do all the jobs that you don't/won't do when it's just you living there? I mean, don't we want to live in a nice house with nothing broken, unpainted or unsafe? Woah, it just occurred to me that maybe you all do live in those kind of houses and we are just lazy...hmmm- take that last question as a rhetorical and let me live in my own reality, thank you very much.

Why move? Why move now? Great questions. Gotta say, ones I've mulled over myself this past month. Here's the beauty of our situation. We don't have to move. So take that US economy! We look you in the eye and laugh... HA!

You see, we live in a failing school district and believe it or not, I am beginning to consider that as a factor of life. Gulp. We are also adding another member to the family- soonish. And because we are suburban Americans, we feel the need to have room- and lots of it. I also really want my kids to grow up playing with neighbor kids, late night backyard games and being around other moms. When we moved into our current neighborhood my major criteria was to be within walking distance of a coffee shop. We've lived here 5 1/2 years and I've gone there 4 times. It seemed like a good idea at the time...

So this is our chance to see what we can do w/ for sale by owner. If it works, great, if not... we'll try again when we have to. So if you know of anyone in the Dayton, OH area who wants to live within walking distance of a pretty cool coffee shop (or so I hear) and in a newly spruced up 150 year old home, send 'em our way.