BY 

Sales VP with Sibcy Cline Realtors
We walked into the bank-owned property, and knew that there was something different about it. The ranch was 50-60 years old, but had an open floor plan-not what you would normally expect. We made our way through the rooms to find that the electric outlets and switches had been made inoperable, and that all of the wiring in the electric panel had been cut. The panel resembled an octopus, with tentacles reaching out.

We then took a tour of the bedrooms, and to our amazement, we found castle murals with monkey bars leading from one bedroom, through the attic area, and into the next bedroom. We found more in the basement that lead to a very special playhouse, too!

My buyers and I chuckled and scratched our heads a bit, but there was at least one reason for those monkey bars-maybe more. It made sense to someone at the time, when the house was a home filled with energy and laughter. A place that was warm with electricity flowing through the wires, water running through the plumbing, and someone swinging on the monkey bars.

The pain of foreclosure was very real in that moment, as it is for me several times per week, and it never fails to move me or humble me. That homeowner did not go down without making one last statement-as evidenced by the electrical mess that was left behind. Someone’s sweet dream had turned into a bad dream.

It made me think of my own home. A place that reminds me of a warm blanket and comfy slippers. The rustic beast on the hillside that is warm, and filled with energy and life. Hard to think about it suddenly becoming unconscious and lifeless, with people going through it and asking those typical questions like, “What were they thinking?, ” and, “Why didn’t they do that?, all the while wondering if the plumbing is ok.

I guess that we always need to remember that there was a reason for the monkey bars! They did make sense at one time-even if it is not obvious to us.