House Selling...and other reasons to want to stick your head in a blender
So the renos are complete and I've continued on as planned and put my home on the market. It's been on the market for 22 days and, I tell you, I am going to lose my mind!
Those who have gone through this know what I'm talking about. The concept sounds simple. Find a real estate agent - that's easy, they're everywhere...someone knows someone who is a real estate agent these days. You fluff up your house, do your renos and the agent comes over for a look-see. You fill out a crap load of paper work and the agent takes some pics. A lock box is attached to your door knob and - voila! - your home is on the market.
Time to relax...
Oh no...no, no, no. The work is not over, my friend. In fact the madness has just begun. I honestly thought that all the reno work of the last 6 months was exhausting enough, but nothing, I repeat nothing, matches the stress and exhaustion of having your home on the real estate market!
Every weekday for the last 3 weeks I have been in a constant cleaning rotation.
Each morning before I head out for my long commute to work I have to spend 20 minutes cleaning up - making my bed, sweeping the floors, wiping the counters and making sure cat hair hasn't totally taken over any part of my house. Before I go to bed I have to make sure everything is put away. No leaving my clothes on the chair in my bedroom - nope - has to be hung up, put in a drawer or tossed in the laundry. Dishes have to be in the dishwasher. Cat litter needs to be sifted through. It's madness!
Then there's the "showings". Perfect strangers wandering about your home, opening your closets, and as in recent case, weighing themselves on your bathroom scale (some people seem to lose sight that you are actually in someone's home...not the Housewares department at Walmart). Your cleanliness, your decorating style, your neighbourhood is all held up to the light and scrutinized. Some agents will even get the clients to give feedback which is then emailed to you, just so you can have the joy of finding out why your place sucks and they won't be making an offer. If you take any pride in your home at all these comments are a bit of a punch in the face, especially when you've worked hard on your home, as I did.
But the big ball of fun doesn't stop there. You hit that frustrating point where you see other places getting sold and you torture yourselves with the question of "why not my home?" You then have to make the decision, as I just have, to lower your price a bit. Because - surprise, surprise, it doesn't matter how much you think your house is worth, it's how much the market thinks your house is worth...isn't that fun? It feels like admitting defeat and you initial the paperwork to make the change with a scowl on your face. Will this be enough? Is price the absolute problem? You hope...and that's all you can do.
So that's where I am - in the midst of house selling madness, sitting through day number 23 on the market and hoping a little price drop will make my dream of home selling success a reality. I just want it sold and able to move on to smaller commutes, a gym in my building and the joy that the next time I reno, it will be all for me.
So, good luck out there to all of you living through the insanity that is house selling...why again are we doing this to ourselves?
Those who have gone through this know what I'm talking about. The concept sounds simple. Find a real estate agent - that's easy, they're everywhere...someone knows someone who is a real estate agent these days. You fluff up your house, do your renos and the agent comes over for a look-see. You fill out a crap load of paper work and the agent takes some pics. A lock box is attached to your door knob and - voila! - your home is on the market.
Time to relax...Oh no...no, no, no. The work is not over, my friend. In fact the madness has just begun. I honestly thought that all the reno work of the last 6 months was exhausting enough, but nothing, I repeat nothing, matches the stress and exhaustion of having your home on the real estate market!
Every weekday for the last 3 weeks I have been in a constant cleaning rotation.
Each morning before I head out for my long commute to work I have to spend 20 minutes cleaning up - making my bed, sweeping the floors, wiping the counters and making sure cat hair hasn't totally taken over any part of my house. Before I go to bed I have to make sure everything is put away. No leaving my clothes on the chair in my bedroom - nope - has to be hung up, put in a drawer or tossed in the laundry. Dishes have to be in the dishwasher. Cat litter needs to be sifted through. It's madness! Then there's the "showings". Perfect strangers wandering about your home, opening your closets, and as in recent case, weighing themselves on your bathroom scale (some people seem to lose sight that you are actually in someone's home...not the Housewares department at Walmart). Your cleanliness, your decorating style, your neighbourhood is all held up to the light and scrutinized. Some agents will even get the clients to give feedback which is then emailed to you, just so you can have the joy of finding out why your place sucks and they won't be making an offer. If you take any pride in your home at all these comments are a bit of a punch in the face, especially when you've worked hard on your home, as I did.
But the big ball of fun doesn't stop there. You hit that frustrating point where you see other places getting sold and you torture yourselves with the question of "why not my home?" You then have to make the decision, as I just have, to lower your price a bit. Because - surprise, surprise, it doesn't matter how much you think your house is worth, it's how much the market thinks your house is worth...isn't that fun? It feels like admitting defeat and you initial the paperwork to make the change with a scowl on your face. Will this be enough? Is price the absolute problem? You hope...and that's all you can do.
So that's where I am - in the midst of house selling madness, sitting through day number 23 on the market and hoping a little price drop will make my dream of home selling success a reality. I just want it sold and able to move on to smaller commutes, a gym in my building and the joy that the next time I reno, it will be all for me.
So, good luck out there to all of you living through the insanity that is house selling...why again are we doing this to ourselves?
been there, done that, got the T-shirt
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