We Signed Papers

Today we signed a contract to sell our home.

We did the disclosures about everything to do with our property, we signed disclaimers, we set a date for the photographer to come and take photos of our home. He's coming Monday morning.

And we set a price.

It's not as high as I had hoped, it's not anywhere near what we paid for this house in 2004, but it's probably realistic.

$409,900 for a beautiful, large, open, newer 3 bedroom house with gorgeous gardens and solar panels and separate guest quarters and a loft upstairs. All new kitchen appliances. Big basement. Lovely private yard setting.

The way it is priced, there are two possible scenarios in my mind for how it will sell:

• it's priced too low and will sell in a week and we'll be homeless by summer, having not yet found anything in Santa Fe.

• it's priced too high for this area and will linger with few showings until next fall or winter. That has happened with homes in our neighborhood.

The house will go live in the MLS listing and be available to show in mid May.

Our realtor will do the listing write up, but he asked me about the gardens and for some pictures of it in summer or fall seasons to use on the listing site. I gave him some photos and this description:

Private .56 acre lot featuring low care, unusual specimen trees, shrubs, vines and groundcovers, surrounded by additional acres of common area meadow and woods.  

Homeowner will provide a written inventory and documentation of all plants and named cultivars in this special garden.  

Hardscape features include a private gravel seating area, bluestone walkway, ornamental dry creekbed and bridge leading to the meadow, low dry-stack stone walls and a walled patio off the kitchen.  

Hummingbirds visit all summer. Gardens are planted for fall color.

Will anyone want to buy this house? We'll soon find out.