Home is Where the Heart is...If Someone Will Actually Sell Us Their Home!

We've been searching for a home for the past four months. We've made two offers, one was accepted, but it was a short sale and there were inherent problems with the listing. The second offer (remember this one), for a home that we both adore, we believe was never even presented to the sellers by the agent. We were not even given a counteroffer and the agent was so brazen about the whole thing that she actually wrote an e-mail insulting me and my husband personally, not just our offer.
I spend at least one hour a day looking for homes online. I think that I've looked at 30 houses to date. I know every home in a mile radius of our target neighborhood. I feel like I'm moonlighting as a realtor and after our interactions with most of them I am fairly confident that I'm more knowledgeable than most of them. I'm exhausted and frustrated and we haven't even had the stress of getting to the closing table. After touring three houses this weekend, we actually liked one of the homes we saw and before we had a chance to mull it over, we saw that the home had gone under contract five hours later. Let me repeat, we saw this house at 12pm. We went back to look at it online at 9pm and it was under contract. This is the biggest purchase of our lives and we are just innocent bystanders in the process. Anyone who knows me should know I have a hard time waiting in the sidelines.

I'm not sure if it was the hysteria of house hunting gone awry yesterday, but my husband and I decided to take matters into our own hands. We wrote a letter (HINT: on beautiful stationary with a matching envelope) to the owners who unfortunately had to relocate out of state, which is what prompted them to put their home on the market. It was a well written letter, I believe, and being that we've thought about this house for three months we figured what did we have to lose? For the first time in four months of this arduous process I feel like I've actually done something. We will hopefully receive something back from them and if/when we do all of you will be the first to know. Please keep all your fingers crossed for us.

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

One of the most enjoyable things is to go to the mailbox and receive a letter from a friend or family member. All of the junk mail and bills that I typically receive in my mailbox can get depressing sometimes. A letter, thank you card, or invitation can brighten your day. One of my biggest pet peeves is when you give a gift to someone and do not receive a thank you card. It's something that I remember, I can't forget if I give someone a birthday gift, wedding gift, baby shower gift...you get the picture and don't receive a thank you. Invitations and thank you cards are the simplest way to start letter writing again - it is a lost art form and such an endearing way to communicate with the people that you care about the most.
I have an obsession with stationary and paper. I could spend hours looking at all the different types of card stock that is available for personalized stationary. Have you ever looked at the beautiful and fun address books that you can buy now? Imagine if you organized the addresses, not just phone numbers, of your family and friends in a beautiful book - how simple would it be to drop them a line every now and then?
One of my favorite websites is Wedding Paper Divas. Don't let the name fool you, they have other kinds of stationary as well. Also, you can get such beautiful stamps from the US Postal Service to finish off your letter writing look. For a $1.00 delivery fee, you can order these stamps online without having to wait in the line at the post office to buy Stamps.
If you're looking to be a DIY Stationary Diva - head over to your local Michael's and pick up blank card stock and matching envelopes. Most of these items come with an online template to format an invitation or create your own social stationary at a fraction of the cost. All you need is a laser printer, personal computer, and a little time.
What if you use the upcoming holiday season to begin your letter writing with cards and matching stamps? Imagine all those people whose day you would brighten with your thoughtfulness? How about using a card and envelope in lieu of Evite or MyPunchbowl to let your friend's know about a party you're hosting or a moving announcement that you send in the mail instead of via an e-mail? I've found that the more letters I write, the more letters I receive. It is another simple pleasure and so much better than an e-mail.