Tuesday, March 14, 2006

A House with a Death Wish


My house went on the market last Wednesday. It is now under contract. I have been very close to a mental breakdown for the past few weeks but I think things are turning around. I'll go into all of this in more detail tomorrow. First, I'd like to offer the following thoughts.

I have a great fondness for Mexican folk art. My house is painted in yellows, blues and reds and it is filled with folk art. From the inner balcony, I hung several colorful huipiles (tunic textiles) from Guatemala. I have a framed photograph of Frida Kahlo over the fireplace and a large papier-mache Day of the Dead figure that Gary gave me for Valetine's Day on the piano (see picture above). I love Day of the Dead art and have quite a few pieces sprinkled through the house. This style of decorating is not for everyone. It is very colorful and eclectic. My realtor doesn't get it. But I think all of my art puts the colors of the house into context.

Well, my mom was checking out my house's listing on Realtor.com and she pointed out to me that my realtor had gone in and removed all of my Day of the Dead figurines. On one level, this freaks me out because those things are delicate and I'm worried they could get broken. On another level, I'm kind of offended by their removal. Does he (the realtor) think that someone would walk into the house and think, "Does Marilyn Manson live here? Is this person some kind of a death worshipper?" I just don't know what to think about that. It doesn't really matter since the house is sold already. But it makes me think what other realtors make people take down when they put their homes on the market. If you were looking at a house, would the decor put you off buying it? Am I overreacting here? The whole thing just seems weird to me.

2 comments:

Ellen said...

Kind of rude, but she only cares about doing what she probably knows best-- selling the house. I always loved your love of Mexican art. I have never, still to this day, known anyone who has that appreciation for it. My favorite were those little clay houses that you could lift the roof off of and see the people inside. I love those!!!!

Genevieve said...

I think that the realtor should have told you he was going to do that. it's one thing for him to move stuff around with your permission, another thing for him to just do it. It is still your house, after all!