A Month Later ...

... and the house is SOLD! Yes, after about 10 days on the market I got my first offer. There were 40+ calls but only a handful of showings (and a handful of no-show showings, grrr - how rude!). The offer came from my first showing! This will be their first house and I cannot believe that on August 12th, closing, I will no longer own this house - this house that has grounded me to Woodbridge - my hometown. But I have no regrets. I'm happy to be passing on this home to a couple that has so much excitement and joy in their eyes as they look around my now empty shell of a house and imagine what life will be like for them. We all march onward!

The best form of advertising was the yard signs. I spent a little under $650 on advertising in the FSBO magazine, FSBO online slide-show, flyers and yard signs. Next time I'll take a pass on the slide-show for sure and maybe even the magazine too. Selling by owner has been quite easy. The only annoying part was speaking to prospective buyers whom didn't speak English well enough for me to understand! That and dealing with no-shows were a pain in my butt. Otherwise, it's been smooth-sailing with the toughest part behind me.

So it looks like I will be leaving the last week in August for Korea and start teaching September 1. As I continue to tell new people about my upcoming plans they say, "you're so brave" but the truth is I'm scared out of my mind. I will be standing in front of a class full of mostly adult Korean men all expecting something from me; ummm ... shall I freak out now or later?, oh nevermind! ... I always worry about job performance even though I've never failed at working hard! Anyway, I know I'll be culturally shocked and maybe even unwelcomed in some areas by some people. But it's all part of the challenge that I want to face. I know I'll eventually land on my feet and be better for it at the end of my journey.

I think I may write an essay after my visit to Korea to compare and contrast the role and importance of image and appearance in South Korea vs. America.

Here's some eye candy. Her name is Shema and she is my sister. She can be such a stincker and I love her to pieces.