817 S. Quincy

I own a home in Salt Lake City, but have a second home in Green Bay, Wisconsin. If you are familiar with Green Bay, you will obviously know that it is not exactly the vacation spot of the world. It is not particularly warm, nor attractive. Green Bay sits on the Fox River which happens to be one of the most polluted sites in America. The economy has two main drivers - the paper industry (including the production of diapers!) and the Green Bay Packer Football Organization. I have a home there because it did not sell before I moved to Utah and has still not sold.

The house is a grand old Victorian circa 1895. It has about 3,000 square feet of finished space, three fireplaces, big rooms, gorgeous transom windows and a grand staircase with a five foot square leaded glass window overlooking it. It is a great house, but was a lot of work. My husband, Chris, and I worked our butts off to update and rejuvenate that house for four and a half years. We invested money, time and our souls into a house that no one seems to want. We have reduced the price several times, but still no one has even made an offer. It had been on the market for exactly 5 months and 3 weeks. Our contract with our realtor just expired last week so the sign came down.

Have you ever had to pay for two houses at once? It sucks. The winter season has started, so now we have TWO heat bills to pay. We also have TWO property tax bills and TWO mortgage payments. I'm completely feeling sorry for myself and just wanted to clarify that it is expensive to pay for two houses.

I firmly believe that things happen for a reason. I guess this belief is based on my religious background (no, I'm not Mormon) although my faith is truly being tested through this financial crisis. I am a materialistic person. I like to buy stuff. I can't right now and it's killing me. I don't need much, but I do like to be able to go to Target and buy things I want without worrying about the final cost. I like to be able to buy extra things at the grocery store, like Boca burgers, non-generic Tostitos, and Ben & Jerry's pints and not worry about the cost. Every day that my house in Green Bay doesn't sell, I feel more and more sorry for myself that I can't go buy a new black turtleneck sweater. It would help expand my wardrobe SO MUCH if I could just go buy a new black turtleneck sweater. So...what is the reason for all of this? Of course you know I've analyzed this to death.

Top 10 Reasons why Chris and Carol's house has not sold:

1. It's a lesson in humility.

2. It keeps us tied to Green Bay and our friends there.

3. It forces us to learn how to budget.

4. Harrison and Ella will be able to see their old house again when we go to visit over Christmas.

5. It gives my in-laws, who live about a mile from the house, something to worry about.

6. Our property taxes keep the vital Green Bay economy alive.

7. It gives the real estate agents in town something to talk about.

8. It keeps my mailbox in Utah full with promotional fliers and packages from Green Bay realtors who want to take over the listing now that it is off the market.

9. It gives me something to bitch about.

10. No one wants a gigantic, old, drafty house.

Now that I wrote down all of these reasons - I feel like I'm back to square one. There really is nothing to learn from this except to remind me daily that I made a terrible mistake. We bought a money pit. It's going to suck us dry and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it!