House for Sale!
Using the Law of Attraction to Sell a Home
by Nancy Pritchard, November, 2008

In 2004 my husband and I made what we felt was a terrific investment. Our elderly next-door neighbor, Becky, was soon to be moving to Homewood, and although our neighbor was very excited about moving, she was overwhelmed with the thought of selling the house that had been her home for the past 50+ years. When Carl and I decided to buy the place and use it as an investment property, Becky was thrilled to be selling her house to friends that she knew well. In fact, everyone involved saw the house transaction as a win/win situation.   

Two months (and more dollars than I care to count) later, Carl and I were the proud owners of a rental property. The house next door! And the real estate market was booming. We knew that our new investment was sound and secure, as in no time at all we had two honest, responsible tenants living next door. 

Sounds like a dream come true, right? What could possibly go wrong?   

Can you say 'collapse in the housing market' or 'economic downturn?' My husband and I sure can. We can also say that we never, ever, ever in a million years want to play landlord again. 

I'll spare you the specific details of our rental saga. Let's just say that four years after our purchase, we have a house we'd like to sell. Our rental property has been empty since June, which is when the multitude of renters began to taper off. I was told by an acquaintance in the real estate industry that many new brand homes are currently being rented until they can be sold, to temporarily defer some of the mortgage costs that many owners could no longer afford. So why would anyone want to rent my quaint little 1948-era Cape Cod when they could have a 4-bedroom, 4-bath 3,500 square foot behemoth for close to the same price? 

My love affair with rental real estate ended right then and there. That's when Carl and I decided to sell - to make the switch from being landlords to being former landlords.  Around that time, my negativity began to take over. As I'm sure you're well aware, the housing market it not exactly saturated with anxious buyers these days. And as I mentioned previously, the house we are attempting to sell is right next door to my own.  So every morning I would walk outside and there was my rental, my nemesis, my own personal money pit mocking me from across the yard. The well-intentioned realtor we hired suggested that we sink some more time and money into the place to make it more 'sale ready.' I cringed as I pulled out my checkbook yet one more time for this house, when the truth was I didn't want to spend another penny or lift another finger for the sake of that place! I just want to be rid of it! I just wanted to find someone to take the nuisance off my hands! My dislike for the house was growing day by day. To be honest, it was getting so bad that the negative energy was starting to zap some of my zeal out of other areas of my life. Just the sight of the house was starting to make me feel depleted. 

Enter my current favorite author/hero, Louise Hay. I have friends who have been recommending Louise's material for years, and last month I finally picked up a copy of her mega-best seller, You Can Heal Your Life. Ms. Hay is a breath of fresh air, and I discovered her right at the time I needed her most!  Louise reminded me that the Law of Attraction still reigns supreme in the universe, so that any energy I send out into the universe will come back to me in kind. My negativity about the house will only breed more negativity. And who would be interested in buying a home that's filled with negative energy or as some people would say, 'bad vibes.' When I reviewed all the messages I'd been sending out about our house for sale, I cringed. I realized I had better spend some time turning my negative thinking around.     

So I started to retrain my thoughts. Instead of obsessing about all the money I'd invested in my rental house, I started thinking about what a lovely little home it truly is. And it is:  brick construction - nice ¼ acre lot - in a safe, comfortable neighborhood only five minutes from downtown Frederick. In addition to practicing affirming thoughts about the house, my husband and I started to love it with little touches - a new wreath for the door - a new welcome mat - a potted vine for the kitchen counter. For the past two weeks I've practiced sending loving energy to the house next door. Every morning, instead of seeing the house and thinking, "Oh this place is such a burden!" I've shifted my thinking to:   "This is a wonderful home in a great little neighborhood" and "This is the perfect home for the right family." Anytime I pass the house, I'll spend a moment or two sending positive energy in its direction.   

I believe that our thoughts really do create our world. Is there an area in your own life where negative thinking might be sabotaging your happiness? Even though it may seem corny to you at first, try turning your pessimistic thinking around. Instead of living in that negative space, try surrounding your 'problems' with love and possibility.       

Our house has been on the market for three weeks now, and although we've had plenty of interested spectators, we've yet to have anyone make us a serious offer. Even so, I remain very optimistic about the sale. That's been one very positive outcome to my change in attitude. I've been happier since I started 'loving' the house next door instead of seeing it as a burden.  In fact, I've created so much loving energy around the place that I believe I'm almost going to miss it when it sells. 

Almost. 

Nancy Pritchard is the Facilitator for the monthly Tao Study Group, 'Living a Peaceful Life' at The Healing Way. The group meets the first Thursday of each month from 7 - 8 pm. For the date of the group's next meeting, see the online calendar of events.

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