Saturday, March 10, 2007

Sugar House reel

So we still own our sweet, odd little condo in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake. You know ... the one that almost killed us our first year here with the three different deals that fell through? Which caused us to not rent it out, and pay double housing for a whole year after taking a 25% pay cut so G could start a Ph.D.? That sucked. We finally rented it out in October 2004 and with a couple months' exception, it's been rented ever since. We're not making money on it, but we're not losing much -- maybe $15/month or so.

Well, this week we got a call from a realtor in the same office as our old realtor who said he had some people interested and wondered if we were interested in listing it again. We decided to give it a go.

Apparently the market in Salt Lake has changed a little bit. As of today we have two full-price offers. The realtor expects two more tomorrow. Holy moses. Maybe our asking price was too low. Huh. It was $15k higher than what we started at 3.5 years ago, and we are still going to make a nice little chunk on this property. I'm so glad we didn't sell it for nothing three years ago. We came darn close.

Anyway, so we are going to have a little nest egg to sock away for when G gets a doctorate and a grown-up job. I so wish we could put it in a house of our own right now. I know exactly where I would want to live. But I keep telling myself ... when the time is right, the right house will be there. I've been telling myself that for about 7 years now, ever since we bought the condo in 2000. Then I had my eye on a darling little brick cottage in the same neighborhood. Looks a little less likely now.

When we moved away from that condo, I cried. It was where S learned to walk, where A came home as a newborn. We put our heart and soul into it ... new windows, new flooring, painting walls and cabinets, my little xeriscaped garden. Sewing curtains, raking leaves. The first place that was ever ours. The only one so far. We'll probably never have a chance again to live in a pink gemstone-brick house with a berry-colored door and a walled patio where crabapple trees bloom for my birthday.

But we'll live somewhere else wonderful. I can't wait to see where.

4 comments:

Victoria said...

I hope it sells soon with a great chunk left over for you to use on something fantastic, you all deserve it! Can't wait fo rall the wonderful things coming your way with his schooling almost done-it's all going to be worth it! :)

Lisa M. said...

We have been wanting to move to Sugar House forever. Yes, the market has changed, and it is becoming a very *trendy* place to live. We decided on the avenues, a while ago. We'll see.

Our fifteen year old, has 2 years of school left.

Then' we'll make our move.

I would love to be in the city again, close to PCMC.

Good luck for you. It's great.

*Hugs*

Julie said...

Exciting that you're going to do so well with the property, and I understand the bit of sadness at leaving a place with so many memories. I love your good attitude.

Bek said...

I felt that way about our first condo. It was where my babies came home and learned to be kids... I cried.

My sister in law lives there now and I have never been back.