After our house being on the market for two years, with two accompanying price drops, I really think it is getting desperation time for me on this house being sold. Let me take you to my world for this last weekend.
We are on 3/4 of an acre with a fenced back yard. (Think large area and a very long obstruction with nearly square corners.) While some things are greening up, it is mostly weeds, especially dandelions. So we decided that I was going to HAVE to put down some Scott's weed and feed stuff.
We have two different spreaders. One is a push type, drop spreader and the other is pulled by our yard tractor and is a combination aerator and drop spreader. The last time I used the tractor pulled one, it was a near disaster. (Unfortunately, that story is best save for around a campfire because it takes a bit to relate.) So, in spite of my lack of desire to do so, I chose to use the push model.
Halfway through the front yard, the handle used to open the drop gate broke. So, I was forced to reach down and pull on the part that controls the opening of the drop gate in order to be able to open it enough to put on fertilezer.
Jo came home from a job at work that needed to be done on a weekend to find me irritated from being bent over trying to control the direction of the spreader and control the amount of fertilizer I was putting down. She proceeded to inform me that I NEEDED to get out the tractor pulled spreader.
Looking at what still needed to be done, I took her advice and opted to go with the bigger unit. At least it would be faster, although I found that spreader to be somewhat difficult because of the fence. One can't just drive around the yard without that darn fence being in the way. (Mind you, this is about the ONLY time that I don't like our fence.)
Anyway, after our adventure yesterday, I commented that after this house sells, I NEVER WANT TO HAVE A YARD AND LAWN AGAIN!!!)
Anyone else out there of like mind?
Terry
TxYellowRose said
07:35 PM Mar 28, 2010
Terry,
Not so much the yard thing. I am more of "I really do not want to have a job where I have all the responsibility but none of the authority."
I am looking forward to being simply a workamping "worker bee," scheduling virtual work on my own schedule, and getting back into a nice spiritual groove of teaching Reiki and facilitating drum circles.
So, basically, I can relate. Hang in there!
azrving said
08:21 PM Mar 28, 2010
Terry and Jo wrote:
Anyway, after our adventure yesterday, I commented that after this house sells, I NEVER WANT TO HAVE A YARD AND LAWN AGAIN!!!)
Anyone else out there of like mind?
Terry
I know what you mean! I spent the entire day doing yard work. I mowed the grass and then I repaired the irrigation system, fertilized and watered the grass....so I can mow it again.
While mowing the grass I noticed that the trim on the house needs to be re-painted and some of the shingles are curling up which means a new roof which means a yard full of roofing nails that the roofer will leave behind for my lawnmower, bike, etc. to find.
My Boat, RV, Motorcycle, and ATV's gather dust while my house sucks the life out of me, leaving me too tired to do anything else. I would love to spend more time with the children and my wife but I have a house to maintain, repair, and then there is the water, gas, property tax, mortgage payment, electric, etc.
We are slaves to our sticks and bricks! The "American Dream" to own a home has made us sacrifice so much of our time/life. I feel guilty complaining when so many are losing their dream but this isn't the life I wanted for myself or my family. I keep thinking about all of the missed trips/vacations with my family, but we had obligations (money & time) to the money pit we call home. Terry and Jo, I FEEL YOUR PAIN.
I read a Blog after finishing all of my chores today and I would like to share it with my RV Family. Link included too.
I wish I could do what you are doing. This is a statement that I hear regularly. Well I am the wrong person to be saying that to. As you may have read in my other posts, I am also a certified Life Success coach with Bob Proctors organization LifeSuccess. Every person that says that they would like to Full Time RV is perfectly capable of doing exactly what I am doing. It is their conditioning or Paradigms that keep them from doing it. From childhood most people have been taught that you have to work hard, buy a house, have 2.5 kids and retire at 65. I say bull****. That is just stuff that is programmed into your head before you are 6 years old. There is no reason you cannot do things differently. An estimated one million people are already living the Full Time RV Life of their dreams, and I am one of them. I started out dead broke, basically thousands of dollars in debt and I managed it. Most people have at least some equity in a house or other property that they can use to start their RV lifestyle. You do not have to quit your job yet or even ever. All you are doing is moving into a new style of house. A house that has wheels, and from which the view out the windows can be changed whenever the mood to do so strikes you.
You can even keep you old house and rent it out so that you have an extra income to support your RV Lifestyle.
-- Edited by azrving on Sunday 28th of March 2010 08:40:06 PM
Racerguy said
08:36 PM Mar 28, 2010
Terry I know exactly what you mean.We set on 1 1/2 acres and the way it lays out makes it very labor intensive. I have been fed up with the constant work to keep it up for some time now. It was especially tuff when I was still working a j**. We may finally have a deal on our property and will know April 5th for sure. This time I'm not considering it actually sold until all the t's are crossed and i's dotted. I'm excited about the possibility of NO MORE YARDWORK. Hang in there.
dream reachers said
01:54 AM Mar 29, 2010
"The world is your home and you don't have to mow the yard." The fulltimers motto. One thing that lead us to the decision to go fulltime was that my wife found that horseback riding was becoming painful to her knees so we decided to sell the horses. We thought that if we are selling the horses, trailer and tack, why keep the 5 acres with house, barn, out-buildings and fences to keep up which seemed to be taking all my free time. We sold the place. Now no more mowing, bush-hogging, fencing, shoveling manure, painting etc. ect. etc. I still do work on volunteer jobs but it is something I want to do not what I have to do and I only do it for a month or two at a time with plenty of rec. time in between. We will not buy another place until we are done with fulltiming, which we hope will be a while.
Rob_Fla said
05:42 AM Mar 29, 2010
Terry and Jo, I feel your pain too. We have now been on the market with our home for 1 1/2 years and are switching to a new realtor this week. We hope the change will bring more traffic to our home and most of all, a buyer. I spent most of the day Saturday cleaning yards, windows and such. Spent Sunday picking up inside, cleaning and packing for a week in Tampa. New realtor will be taking in pictures and getting us posted online this week. Our new realtor is with a national franchise that gets 40,000 web hits a month so hoping to get more relocation traffic. The new company has the highest internet traffic of all companys in our city. Since everyone today is using the internet for research we hope this will improve our exposure. We have a excellent in town location with approx 1 acre to RAKE, MOW, PULL WEEDS, and maintain. You are right it is sucking the life out of us!
Robert and Debra
Cindy T said
07:57 AM Mar 29, 2010
Terry, You're not alone! We're on a little less than 2 acres & the weeds are already sprouting. Spent the weekend cutting back the maiden grass, shrubs, etc etc. I do love my home but it sure is a lot of work! Would like to be sipping lemonade under my awning somewhere, but it is not to be just yet! Hang in there everybody!
Cindy T
Dreamers said
08:08 AM Mar 29, 2010
We Agree! We Agree and We Agree!. Bob says every day, every hour that he will never mow another yard. It's funny that when we were younger (with a lot more energy) we looked forward to maintaining the S & B and the yard with lots of flowers, etc. Now, we get sick just thinking about it. Guess its because we don't have the energy anymore or maybe its the wisdom we've gained thru the years. Life is about living and doing for others and not about the best looking house in the neighborhood. It's about enjoying this beautiful world that God gave us and visiting the grandkids who all live so far away there is no time for them in this S & B world with a job. Yes, we plan to do some camphosting and possibly some workkamping but not constantly. We'll take plenty of time to relax and play in between.
This waiting is the hard part. Our house has only been on the market 2 weeks today. And, we have not had one looker at this point. It could be a long wait and don't know if we can stand it. Not getting any younger and we know our years are limited. DH is 73 and I'm 68 and neither is in the very best of health. But, we want to do this and we have found ways to try to make it work for us. At the end, after seeing these United States, we may continue to just live in our unit but stay in the area in close proximity to our medical people. But, we'll still be able to change the scenery and the neighbors.
Still looking for a used 5er with a base weight of not more than 10000 pounds. Of course it needs to be well cared for and a "steal". We live in northcentral Alabama and have found one we would like to see in the Tampa/Orlanda, Florida, area but with this JOB it's hard to get there.
I took a lot of words to say, we understand!
Happytrails said
08:34 AM Mar 29, 2010
All that you all are saying is just a distant memory for us now. BUT we agree!! We went through all the "pain" of waiting for our house to sell and we felt very discouraged so many many times. You guys hang in there......there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The many hours of yard work, and it is work, is what almost put Mike on the operating table with his back. Just as you mentioned, our yard was a beast to maintain and although our yard/home was a beautiful one we often sat back and asked ourselves.... why???
It took us awhile to sell but the wait was sooooo worth it. Please know that all of us out here are pulling for you guys and you have our support and encouragement.
Hang in there.....the best is yet to come!!!!!
Terry and Jo said
01:29 PM Mar 29, 2010
azrving wrote:
My Boat, RV, Motorcycle, and ATV's gather dust while my house sucks the life out of me, leaving me too tired to do anything else. I would love to spend more time with the children and my wife but I have a house to maintain, repair, and then there is the water, gas, property tax, mortgage payment, electric, etc.
We are slaves to our sticks and bricks! The "American Dream" to own a home has made us sacrifice so much of our time/life. I feel guilty complaining when so many are losing their dream but this isn't the life I wanted for myself or my family.
This is one of the reasons that I like the idea of living in a fifth wheel. I've come to the conclusion that the reason we have such a large house is because of all the STUFF that we have. I have a three car garage but only one resides within it. I could get in a second vehicle, but then I'd almost have to remodel everything.
We've always liked the idea of a fair sized home (ours is 2200 square feet) so that we could entertain guests, especially when they are involved with our church functions. But, I got to figuring that with the couch, two recliners and 4 dining table chairs, we can have just about as many people in the fifth wheel as we put in the house. I was in the garage earlier in the year and looked at the stuff that was there and decided that 95 percent of it hadn't been used in probably a year or more.
We are definitely planning on either an auction or a garage sale. Can't wait for that.
Terry
RonandJacki said
03:06 PM Mar 29, 2010
Even though it only takes me about 20 minutes to mow our little patch of a back yard, when I'm huffing and puffing I often wonder when the stroke will occur. I'm at the end of my lawn mowing wits. It's time to let somebody else do this chore. Now, where did those grand kids go?
Merikay said
04:06 PM Mar 29, 2010
We are just at the beginning of the process. The house need so much work! in a better market we might just be able to sell it as is, but not in this one. I figure it will take us 1 1/2 years to get it ready to sell!
Hope we don't have to wait another couple of years once it is ready. We are aging as I write.
Renting it out is not an option.
Hdrider said
06:19 AM Mar 31, 2010
I hear ya... we sit on 5 acres. Of course we said we was going to do a small yard on this one,,, and we stuck to that pretty well. But it's the extended area's that we put shrubs and bushes that we now have to weed. Or the long driveway that we have to keep clean along with the area beside it. Of course we have to keep the brush down in the tree's so the dog does not have to run through poison oak or pucker bushes.. oh and,, and,,, and. It never stops. When the house sells and we hit the road the onlt mowing I will take great joy in is the mowing the grounds keeper will be doing while I kick back and do my part by smelling it,,, NOT cutting it.
dentalassistant said
09:42 AM Mar 31, 2010
Terry and Jo, Hang in there! When we put our house up for sale, after signing,the agent said it would probably take more than a year. Mike moved ahead to Tennessee and I stayed behind working in Mississippi. I planned on enjoying the pool and yard for the summer :) Well, it sold in less than a month! With a 3 day weekend, we closed, packed/moved ourselves, and started a new chapter in our lives. We know it happens in Gods time. Don't be discouraged, and keep us updated. Mike & Rose
After our house being on the market for two years, with two accompanying price drops, I really think it is getting desperation time for me on this house being sold. Let me take you to my world for this last weekend.
We are on 3/4 of an acre with a fenced back yard. (Think large area and a very long obstruction with nearly square corners.) While some things are greening up, it is mostly weeds, especially dandelions. So we decided that I was going to HAVE to put down some Scott's weed and feed stuff.
We have two different spreaders. One is a push type, drop spreader and the other is pulled by our yard tractor and is a combination aerator and drop spreader. The last time I used the tractor pulled one, it was a near disaster. (Unfortunately, that story is best save for around a campfire because it takes a bit to relate.) So, in spite of my lack of desire to do so, I chose to use the push model.
Halfway through the front yard, the handle used to open the drop gate broke. So, I was forced to reach down and pull on the part that controls the opening of the drop gate in order to be able to open it enough to put on fertilezer.
Jo came home from a job at work that needed to be done on a weekend to find me irritated from being bent over trying to control the direction of the spreader and control the amount of fertilizer I was putting down. She proceeded to inform me that I NEEDED to get out the tractor pulled spreader.
Looking at what still needed to be done, I took her advice and opted to go with the bigger unit. At least it would be faster, although I found that spreader to be somewhat difficult because of the fence. One can't just drive around the yard without that darn fence being in the way. (Mind you, this is about the ONLY time that I don't like our fence.)
Anyway, after our adventure yesterday, I commented that after this house sells, I NEVER WANT TO HAVE A YARD AND LAWN AGAIN!!!)
Anyone else out there of like mind?
Terry
Terry,
Not so much the yard thing. I am more of "I really do not want to have a job where I have all the responsibility but none of the authority."
I am looking forward to being simply a workamping "worker bee," scheduling virtual work on my own schedule, and getting back into a nice spiritual groove of teaching Reiki and facilitating drum circles.
So, basically, I can relate. Hang in there!
I spent the entire day doing yard work. I mowed the grass and then I repaired the irrigation system, fertilized and watered the grass....so I can mow it again
While mowing the grass I noticed that the trim on the house needs to be re-painted and some of the shingles are curling up which means a new roof which means a yard full of roofing nails that the roofer will leave behind for my lawnmower, bike, etc. to find.
My Boat, RV, Motorcycle, and ATV's gather dust while my house sucks the life out of me, leaving me too tired to do anything else. I would love to spend more time with the children and my wife but I have a house to maintain, repair, and then there is the water, gas, property tax, mortgage payment, electric, etc.
We are slaves to our sticks and bricks! The "American Dream" to own a home has made us sacrifice so much of our time/life. I feel guilty complaining when so many are losing their dream but this isn't the life I wanted for myself or my family.
I keep thinking about all of the missed trips/vacations with my family, but we had obligations (money & time) to the money pit we call home. Terry and Jo, I FEEL YOUR PAIN.
I read a Blog after finishing all of my chores today and I would like to share it with my RV Family. Link included too.
I wish I could do what you are doing. This is a statement that I hear regularly. Well I am the wrong person to be saying that to. As you may have read in my other posts, I am also a certified Life Success coach with Bob Proctors organization LifeSuccess. Every person that says that they would like to Full Time RV is perfectly capable of doing exactly what I am doing. It is their conditioning or Paradigms that keep them from doing it. From childhood most people have been taught that you have to work hard, buy a house, have 2.5 kids and retire at 65. I say bull****. That is just stuff that is programmed into your head before you are 6 years old. There is no reason you cannot do things differently. An estimated one million people are already living the Full Time RV Life of their dreams, and I am one of them. I started out dead broke, basically thousands of dollars in debt and I managed it. Most people have at least some equity in a house or other property that they can use to start their RV lifestyle. You do not have to quit your job yet or even ever. All you are doing is moving into a new style of house. A house that has wheels, and from which the view out the windows can be changed whenever the mood to do so strikes you.
You can even keep you old house and rent it out so that you have an extra income to support your RV Lifestyle.
http://www.fulltimervblog.com/?p=203-- Edited by azrving on Sunday 28th of March 2010 08:40:06 PM
I know exactly what you mean.We set on 1 1/2 acres and the way it lays out makes it very labor intensive. I have been fed up with the constant work to keep it up for some time now. It was especially tuff when I was still working a j**. We may finally have a deal on our property and will know April 5th for sure. This time I'm not considering it actually sold until all the t's are crossed and i's dotted. I'm excited about the possibility of NO MORE YARDWORK. Hang in there.
I spent most of the day Saturday cleaning yards, windows and such. Spent Sunday picking up inside, cleaning and packing for a week in Tampa. New realtor will be taking in pictures and getting us posted online this week. Our new realtor is with a national franchise that gets 40,000 web hits a month so hoping to get more relocation traffic. The new company has the highest internet traffic of all companys in our city. Since everyone today is using the internet for research we hope this will improve our exposure.
We have a excellent in town location with approx 1 acre to RAKE, MOW, PULL WEEDS, and maintain. You are right it is sucking the life out of us!
Robert and Debra
You're not alone! We're on a little less than 2 acres & the weeds are already sprouting. Spent the weekend cutting back the maiden grass, shrubs, etc etc. I do love my home but it sure is a lot of work! Would like to be sipping lemonade under my awning somewhere, but it is not to be just yet! Hang in there everybody!
Cindy T
We Agree! We Agree and We Agree!. Bob says every day, every hour that he will never mow another yard. It's funny that when we were younger (with a lot more energy) we looked forward to maintaining the S & B and the yard with lots of flowers, etc. Now, we get sick just thinking about it. Guess its because we don't have the energy anymore or maybe its the wisdom we've gained thru the years. Life is about living and doing for others and not about the best looking house in the neighborhood. It's about enjoying this beautiful world that God gave us and visiting the grandkids who all live so far away there is no time for them in this S & B world with a job. Yes, we plan to do some camphosting and possibly some workkamping but not constantly. We'll take plenty of time to relax and play in between.
This waiting is the hard part. Our house has only been on the market 2 weeks today. And, we have not had one looker at this point. It could be a long wait and don't know if we can stand it. Not getting any younger and we know our years are limited. DH is 73 and I'm 68 and neither is in the very best of health. But, we want to do this and we have found ways to try to make it work for us. At the end, after seeing these United States, we may continue to just live in our unit but stay in the area in close proximity to our medical people. But, we'll still be able to change the scenery and the neighbors.
Still looking for a used 5er with a base weight of not more than 10000 pounds. Of course it needs to be well cared for and a "steal". We live in northcentral Alabama and have found one we would like to see in the Tampa/Orlanda, Florida, area but with this JOB it's hard to get there.
I took a lot of words to say, we understand!
This is one of the reasons that I like the idea of living in a fifth wheel. I've come to the conclusion that the reason we have such a large house is because of all the STUFF that we have. I have a three car garage but only one resides within it. I could get in a second vehicle, but then I'd almost have to remodel everything.
We've always liked the idea of a fair sized home (ours is 2200 square feet) so that we could entertain guests, especially when they are involved with our church functions. But, I got to figuring that with the couch, two recliners and 4 dining table chairs, we can have just about as many people in the fifth wheel as we put in the house. I was in the garage earlier in the year and looked at the stuff that was there and decided that 95 percent of it hadn't been used in probably a year or more.
We are definitely planning on either an auction or a garage sale. Can't wait for that.
Terry
When the house sells and we hit the road the onlt mowing I will take great joy in is the mowing the grounds keeper will be doing while I kick back and do my part by smelling it,,, NOT cutting it.