Costly Changes?
We have entered the 4th calendar month with our house on the market. The house has received a fair amount of interest, and the majority of feedback has been positive, but there is one feature that has been repeatedly panned: lack of yard. It’s ironic that it ends up being the lack of a yard that has kept people from wanting our house. I have worked to progressively replace the grass on our lot for virtually the entire time we have been here.
To be fair, it isn’t just the changes I have made. A large part of it is that we are on a corner lot, where the back of our property is very short, and abuts the side of our neighbor’s garage. Add to that, the fact I have largely eliminated what little grass there was, and the young families that might be interested in our property don’t see any space for their little ones to play. Space like we had for our kids to crawl, picnic, and play in a sandbox and swing set.
The changes I have made over the years, could turn out to be more costly than I imagined, when I was focusing on burning less gasoline, creating less noise pollution, and reducing the need to water and fertilize in order to keep grass healthy.
That little grass patch is what is left in the front yard by the driveway today.
Not much grass to mow here.
I feel that the landscape around our house is one of the finest features, and not a flaw. I recently pointed this out to our realtor and asked that we market it this way, to let buyers better know, in advance, what they will find, hoping to avoid disappointment. It appears my yearnings to have a different kind of yard have narrowed the field of potential buyers.
I am left with the challenge of needing to find people who sees things the way I do. Uh oh. Is that possible?
Relative Something 
The trees might be used to make a tree house and add swings, making a child’s paradise. What you might do is to make it, obviously, more appealing to children in some way. But, of course, I like it just the way it is:-)
Ian Rowcliffe
August 4, 2012 at 7:47 am
Certainly, from my perspective, our landscape is a child’s paradise! Good thinking, that I could find a way to reveal the potential to delighting children in the small forest of our yard.
Ian, you visited me in my dreams last night, offering pragmatic observations about what you found in visiting me in what appeared to be my childhood home! It was a very entertaining dream.
johnwhays
August 4, 2012 at 8:46 am
10 yrs ago we sold our home. The items we prized received the most negative comments – Cedar Siding, had to be maintained, people wanted vinyl; Cozy Heat Fireplace, people just wanted a button to push to turn it on; Wooded Lot, too many trees, people didn’t want to have to rake in the fall….So we feel your pain.
Have the old photo’s of the availablity of lawn to show & negotiate the fee for the change of landscape??
Have faith ~ when the time is right the perfect person will show up, worked for us but took a year!
Judy
August 3, 2012 at 8:34 am
We have another showing today. This could be the one! Or, if not, I’ll be prepared to wait for the rest of a year. 🙂
johnwhays
August 4, 2012 at 8:43 am