House hunting, and showing your home are very stressful times in peoples lives, I can vouch for that personally. After having our condo on the market for seven months, I can tell you, it’s hard to live “clean, and shiny, no dust bunnies hiding anywhere allowed.” Every time we had a showing I would clean for hours. Air out the place, organize any drawer that might be slightly messy, wash walls, get fresh flowers, all of those little tips to help sell in a saturated market. We lived on the West Coast and the competition was fierce, add to that another suite in our building up for sale. Within a 4 block radius of our place, I once counted over 19 suites for sale. It had to be beyond clean, shiny, and presentable to just hold it ‘s own.
Not all of the places we have seen are presentation ready. For instance the “Ice house,” granted we found out later that the owner was out of town for extended periods of time, so that might account for the freezing cold temperatures in the house. And I mean freezing, it was the kind of cold that seeped into your bones, soaked through your socks, and made hair stand on end. Deep cold, perfect for a hot summer’s day, not good for the middle of winter.
A beautiful house, located on a winding road up the mountain, the property was just a little to remote for our tastes. High ceilings, lovely decor, a kitchen to die for, and I still shiver when I think of the place now. Somehow the cold stays in my mind, overriding any assets the house had. Along with the upended truck in a ditch we saw on the way up the hill, one driver taking the curve of the road a little to fast… not a good thing.
The search continues, we are starting to realize which areas appeal to us, and what style of house meets our needs. This way we are eliminating the “not quite right’s”, and zoning in on the “this works for us.” Stay tuned.