By: Laura Dusek- Lifestylio Founder
It’s been a few days, and I needed to give myself time to sort through my feelings… so bear with me as I write this.
For the past three months, we have been marketing our home in the Valley of Spokane, Washington—For Sale.
Just over a month ago, we were asked to show our home on very short notice… and we did.
Later, we learned that a couple from California had asked a local real estate agent to show them 17 homes in the span of a single weekend.
To our surprise, we heard back:
“Yes—we LOVED the home and are working on a way to come back to Spokane to see it once again.”
Hope has a way of quietly settling into a space.
Even when life is already full.
Even when you know better than to get ahead of yourself.
And still… you prepare.
We have a lot going on personally, but we chose to lean in—to make this home feel as welcoming and cared for as possible.
We opened the pool.
Cleaned it.
Hired a team for spring yard cleanup.
Aerated, thatched, seeded, and fertilized.
Brought in a team of professional cleaners so the home would shine like a brand-new diamond.
We pulled out all the stops.
Not just to sell a house…
…but to present a home with intention.
Then the day came…
| “We prepared everything… even the quiet.” |
After conversations with the buyer’s agent—after making it known we were ready, that we cared—it even reached a point where we wondered if we had been ghosted. Nope, trust the process reminding ourselves.
And then we heard:
“Sorry, they decided because of the stairs… to take it off their favorites list.” Our realtor almost couldn’t bare to share the news…
Disappointed feels like too soft a word.
Because this wasn’t casual interest.
This was planning.
Effort.
Travel.
Time.
Hope placed carefully on the table.
And then… just as quickly… removed.
🌿 A Gentle Truth About This Season
This is a season of real estate.
But it’s also a season of people.
Behind every listing is not just a property—but a life being opened up.
Every showing asks a homeowner to pause their day… adjust their rhythm… and invite strangers into something deeply personal.
To you, it may be one of many homes.
To the seller… it is their home.
Their memories.
Their effort.
Their care.
And often… their next chapter quietly waiting in the background.
🕊️ What This Experience Teaches
There is a deeper lesson here—and it’s one worth holding onto beyond real estate.
Consideration is a form of respect.
Not grand gestures.
Not perfection.
Just simple, thoughtful communication.
A moment to pause and say:
“This isn’t the right fit for us—thank you.”
Because clarity, even when it disappoints, is far kinder than silence or last-minute decisions after others have invested their time and energy.
This applies everywhere.
In business.
In relationships.
In everyday interactions.
We are always moving within each other’s lives… whether we realize it or not.
✨ Choosing How We Respond
This process will always come with ups and downs.
That’s part of it.
But this moment—this one—felt heavier than most.
Not just disappointment…
…but a reminder of how easily people can forget the human side of the process.
And still…
Tomorrow is a new day.
We choose not to carry this forward.
We choose to release it… and trust what’s ahead.
Because the right people will come.
The ones who don’t just see the layout… or the features…
…but feel the home.
And when they do—
They will value it.
Care for it.
And continue its story in a way that feels right.
Until then…
We breathe.
We reset.
And as they say in the business world—
Next.
