A Long Time Coming

So it's been slightly over three weeks since I last made a post to this weblog. I don't know that I've ever gone that long without a post. I may have, but that doesn't mean I know about it.

But that doesn't mean that nothing's happened.

Firstly, we've moved. We're listing our house as soon as the realtors come by and we sign the agent agreement this weekend. There are still some minor fixups to make - repainting the ceiling in the living room, patching up the Dry-Lok in the basement, that sort of thing. And of course, we're listing our house for far more than it's worth (don't tell anyone).

Or are we?

When we bought the house, we paid for what we thought was 1427 square feet - at the time (2006), when the real estate market was ridiculously overpriced, houses were sold based on really shoddy assessment practices. Among other things, rooms below grade (even garden-level rooms, or the lower levels of split-level houses) shouldn't be counted in a house's square footage.

In our case, it was. According to the city assessor's office, our house is a pathetic 977 square feet in size, even though it's got a gigantic finished lower room.

Right now houses in our market are selling from anywhere between 50 and 100 dollars per square foot. At our desired listing price, $110,000, we're asking about 120 dollars per square foot - or, more accurately, per per official square foot. When we go with the unofficial size, it's closer to 70 dollars per square foot, right smack dab in the range of prices.

But we're getting rid of that problem - which is good. A positive step, in fact. We're living in the county now, which means we don't pay city income tax. And we're in a place that is surrounded by trees, nature, birdies, and girlies 'round the pool.

Bonus reason to live here: it's a slightly shorter trip to work on the bus and train. Everyone wins!