Saturday, August 13, 2005
First House Showing - God Help Me!
Mr. Chick and I came home from a family outing this afternoon to yet another message from the persistent lesbians who are interested in seeing our home. They love our neighborhood and would really like to live on our block, specifically. They're nice ladies (I've already met them when I caught them leaving a note on my car indicating their interest), and I've since learned they have a 4 year old little girl and a 15 year old. Another daughter, I believe. They've heard me give the run-down of the features of the house, and they've seen the backyard. They expressed some concern over the size, or lack thereof, of the house. But they must like it enough to really want to see it because they've called several times, asking to see the layout inside.
Mr. Chick and I talked it over, and while it's nice to have a potentially interested buyer without having to do one lick of marketing, it's early still. The market around us is HOT HOT HOT and the price seems to change (aka go UP) on a daily basis. Therefore, we don't even know yet what we'll ask for the house. Also, we don't know yet when we're moving. Could be September, October, November, or next summer at this rate. It's hard to lock in on a closing date when we're so up in the air. These people have mentioned a bunch of times just how flexible they are - blah blah blah - that's great, but we don't want to "pop our cherry" too early and then end up having to rent back at a higher monthly amount than what we pay now and miss out on the ability to have sold the house for even more had we just been patient. Mr. Chick also thinks that if this is such a desirable house and price-point, a bid war is possible and we could end up getting MORE than we ask for the house. If we end up selling it without even really putting it on the market we could end up foregoing that possibility. Good for the buyers, bad for us. Hell, we're greedy. We need every red nickle out of this house for a fat down payment on the next place. We'd be lucky to even afford what we have now in Portland, and what we have now is too damn small. So, yeah, we're gonna milk this for all it's worth.
Anyway, these nice, eager ladies left another message and I just looked at Mr. Chick and he just looked at me and we both shrugged: why not? Let's let 'em come look at it, as is, and be done with it. They might not even like it once they see inside. So I called them back and arranged for them to come take a peek tomorrow. TOMORROW! Yeah, I know I said they'd see it "as is", but who am I kidding?? OF COURSE I'm going to try to get it more show-ready than it is today! I already steam cleaned the living room this morning (gotta love it when your baby spills an entire cup of milk on the carpet and then stomps on it like it's a mud puddle), and mopped the kitchen floor. The kids rooms aren't *too* bad, and the bathroom will need a quick once-over. It's the master bedroom and half-bath that make me want to skewer red-hot pokers slowly into each eye. The master bedroom and bathroom are PIG STY's and should not be viewed by anyone, much less someone looking to buy the house. That's a deal-breaker right there.
"The living room is a tad small, but lovely. I like the fireplace. The bedrooms are OK-sized - cute paint in the girls room. The kitchen works - nice cabinets. I like the colors... very neutral but warm. Bathroom is functional. But holy hell - did you SEE that master bedroom? A disgrace. The shit-brown carpet made me want to gag, but not nearly as much as the disgusting dust-ball collection growing in the corners. And did you see the bathroom? Oh, you didn't make it that far? Well, I did and I was repulsed. I think I might have even thrown up a little into my mouth. Don't these people know what a cleaning sponge is for?? Clearly not. There is more hair on the floor than on my dad's entire head! We're outta here!"
Obviously, I don't clean up my bedroom and bathroom as often as I should. It's the last place I tackle, and usually I run out of steam before I get to it. Now, I HAVE to get to it. PEOPLE are coming over to SEE it specifically. I'm so screwed. Mr. Chick and I already agreed to not worry about totally cleaning out closets and under sinks and such. Believe it or not, those are already pretty organized and not horrible. I'm going to de-clutter a bit, of course. Stuff like remove all the unnecessary items off the kitchen counters (all about the illusion of space, baby!), and off the top of the refridgerator (WHERE am I going to put that crap??) I'm going to clean away the baskets on top of our entertainment center that hold most of our movies and DVD's (which now number more than said baskets can handle and are therefore stacking up and spilling over. Hence the need to address the area) I'm going to wash some windows but not worry about the touch-up paint the baseboards so desperately need. I'm going to do my best to tidy my laundry area (located in the garage - gak!) but you can only do so much in this heat. Maybe, just maybe, I'll even have something baking when they arrive (at 12:30, after their church) so the house smells good and homey. But probably not, because I'll still be running around de-cluttering, cleaning, and pulling my hair out.
All this and the house isn't even officially on the market yet!
But, on the bright side, it will be good and clean for our friends who are coming for dinner tomorrow. It won't all have been for naught. Maybe I'll even let them finally see our master bedroom! Most people have never laid eyes on it and have no idea we have a whole other half-bath.
PS - At this point I've decided to put the larger diamond into my wedding/engagement ring as originally planned. We'll save the smaller diamond for another ring, purchased at another time. Of the two rings, I'd like my wedding ring to be the stand-out, most beautiful and impressive. So the bigger diamond goes there, and my smaller-yet-still-really-pretty diamond will be set in a fun, right-hand ring down the road. Mr. Chick is negotiating with the store so see if there is any wiggle room on the price and/or getting a new appraisal thrown into the deal. He's good at stuff like that - after 3 years of law school he better be! Negotiations, unless with a small child, are not my specialty and make me nervous and uncomfortable. So we'll see where we come out after he talks with the manager tomorrow. We're told it will essentially be a entirely new ring - same design and diamonds, but completely rebuilt. Hence the high-ass cost. That's what I get for choosing a rather intricate design in the first place, huh? Serves me right. Nothing is ever easy.
Mr. Chick and I talked it over, and while it's nice to have a potentially interested buyer without having to do one lick of marketing, it's early still. The market around us is HOT HOT HOT and the price seems to change (aka go UP) on a daily basis. Therefore, we don't even know yet what we'll ask for the house. Also, we don't know yet when we're moving. Could be September, October, November, or next summer at this rate. It's hard to lock in on a closing date when we're so up in the air. These people have mentioned a bunch of times just how flexible they are - blah blah blah - that's great, but we don't want to "pop our cherry" too early and then end up having to rent back at a higher monthly amount than what we pay now and miss out on the ability to have sold the house for even more had we just been patient. Mr. Chick also thinks that if this is such a desirable house and price-point, a bid war is possible and we could end up getting MORE than we ask for the house. If we end up selling it without even really putting it on the market we could end up foregoing that possibility. Good for the buyers, bad for us. Hell, we're greedy. We need every red nickle out of this house for a fat down payment on the next place. We'd be lucky to even afford what we have now in Portland, and what we have now is too damn small. So, yeah, we're gonna milk this for all it's worth.
Anyway, these nice, eager ladies left another message and I just looked at Mr. Chick and he just looked at me and we both shrugged: why not? Let's let 'em come look at it, as is, and be done with it. They might not even like it once they see inside. So I called them back and arranged for them to come take a peek tomorrow. TOMORROW! Yeah, I know I said they'd see it "as is", but who am I kidding?? OF COURSE I'm going to try to get it more show-ready than it is today! I already steam cleaned the living room this morning (gotta love it when your baby spills an entire cup of milk on the carpet and then stomps on it like it's a mud puddle), and mopped the kitchen floor. The kids rooms aren't *too* bad, and the bathroom will need a quick once-over. It's the master bedroom and half-bath that make me want to skewer red-hot pokers slowly into each eye. The master bedroom and bathroom are PIG STY's and should not be viewed by anyone, much less someone looking to buy the house. That's a deal-breaker right there.
"The living room is a tad small, but lovely. I like the fireplace. The bedrooms are OK-sized - cute paint in the girls room. The kitchen works - nice cabinets. I like the colors... very neutral but warm. Bathroom is functional. But holy hell - did you SEE that master bedroom? A disgrace. The shit-brown carpet made me want to gag, but not nearly as much as the disgusting dust-ball collection growing in the corners. And did you see the bathroom? Oh, you didn't make it that far? Well, I did and I was repulsed. I think I might have even thrown up a little into my mouth. Don't these people know what a cleaning sponge is for?? Clearly not. There is more hair on the floor than on my dad's entire head! We're outta here!"
Obviously, I don't clean up my bedroom and bathroom as often as I should. It's the last place I tackle, and usually I run out of steam before I get to it. Now, I HAVE to get to it. PEOPLE are coming over to SEE it specifically. I'm so screwed. Mr. Chick and I already agreed to not worry about totally cleaning out closets and under sinks and such. Believe it or not, those are already pretty organized and not horrible. I'm going to de-clutter a bit, of course. Stuff like remove all the unnecessary items off the kitchen counters (all about the illusion of space, baby!), and off the top of the refridgerator (WHERE am I going to put that crap??) I'm going to clean away the baskets on top of our entertainment center that hold most of our movies and DVD's (which now number more than said baskets can handle and are therefore stacking up and spilling over. Hence the need to address the area) I'm going to wash some windows but not worry about the touch-up paint the baseboards so desperately need. I'm going to do my best to tidy my laundry area (located in the garage - gak!) but you can only do so much in this heat. Maybe, just maybe, I'll even have something baking when they arrive (at 12:30, after their church) so the house smells good and homey. But probably not, because I'll still be running around de-cluttering, cleaning, and pulling my hair out.
All this and the house isn't even officially on the market yet!
But, on the bright side, it will be good and clean for our friends who are coming for dinner tomorrow. It won't all have been for naught. Maybe I'll even let them finally see our master bedroom! Most people have never laid eyes on it and have no idea we have a whole other half-bath.
PS - At this point I've decided to put the larger diamond into my wedding/engagement ring as originally planned. We'll save the smaller diamond for another ring, purchased at another time. Of the two rings, I'd like my wedding ring to be the stand-out, most beautiful and impressive. So the bigger diamond goes there, and my smaller-yet-still-really-pretty diamond will be set in a fun, right-hand ring down the road. Mr. Chick is negotiating with the store so see if there is any wiggle room on the price and/or getting a new appraisal thrown into the deal. He's good at stuff like that - after 3 years of law school he better be! Negotiations, unless with a small child, are not my specialty and make me nervous and uncomfortable. So we'll see where we come out after he talks with the manager tomorrow. We're told it will essentially be a entirely new ring - same design and diamonds, but completely rebuilt. Hence the high-ass cost. That's what I get for choosing a rather intricate design in the first place, huh? Serves me right. Nothing is ever easy.
// posted by MP @ 2:33 PM 
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Good luck with the house showing tomorrow! I'll be thinking of you.
My SIL and her family live in Vancouver, WA. It's reasonably close to Portland and I can't believe how they got ass-raped on their house. So expensive!
Move to Utah! You can get a huge house for $250,000. (Huge= 4 or 5 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, and a full basement!)
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My SIL and her family live in Vancouver, WA. It's reasonably close to Portland and I can't believe how they got ass-raped on their house. So expensive!
Move to Utah! You can get a huge house for $250,000. (Huge= 4 or 5 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, and a full basement!)
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