Last spring in between call weekends and call weekends and Phoebe's birth and call weekends Simon trotted off to nine different fellowship interviews and I really am so sad that spring is over.
Smile.
And this spring's ongoing "thing" in between call weekends and call weekends and call weekends is a lot easier on the family and I'm holding my breath but (switches to whisper) the weather has been so much more cooperative and pleasant, so far. 2015 > 2014, 100%. Also .... aside from a month of nights - Simon only has four more call weekends to go. Fancy THAT.
But ... back to the Camp's spring fling. We're in the thick of getting ready to list our house in a couple of weeks and I'm trying really hard not to have nightmares about an interested party needing to see it during nap time ... the nap time that starts in six minutes. It's totally going to happen and it will be fine! And! I've been comforted by tips from house selling veterans like, "throw everything in the washing machine or dishwasher! no one looks there!" ... GENIUS.
But before that three ring circus of fun begins we are in semi-frantic mode trying to get the 80 year old house to "sparkle" as our realtor says. It's funny how many things we totally ignore until looking at the situation through a fresh set of eyes and ... commence minor freak out. Sort of. We got the ball rolling early but with many, many, many walls covered in Crayola murals ... we've got some work to do.
Or ... more work. As lots is already done! Thankfully. Simon has been working on the house as much as his work schedule allows while I've been going about my regular purging business. We make a great team.
Magic Erasers will easily get crayon off of walls but not pen. So - a lot of rooms are getting touched up or repainted entirely. Julia did a number on the attic walls that only took five new coats of paint to cover.
Not pictured:
bye bye beige-bombed basement - we painted it white and super light grey {new carpet to come this week ... we were those sucker first time buyers that were totally cool with their pet stained carpet ... and are now the ones replacing it ... we learned, I hope!}
hasta la never to the outdated bathroom - Simon replaced the sink and the toilet in the basement bathroom, painted it white and it looks a million times better.
Aaaand a new walkway out front. Again - the idiots that were fine with crumbling stones leading up to the house when we bought it. We left that to the professionals and hopefully it upped the curb appeal a couple of points.
pictured!
adios Aquafresh kitchen ...
... this one I'm genuinely sad about. The kitchen is on the smaller side and was beige (so much beige! everywhere) so we painted it aqua when we first moved in and I've regretted it zero times. Our realtor (rightly so, I'm guessing) doesn't think potential buyers will appreciate the color so ... light grey it is. If the new owners hate light grey as much as I hate beige .... bless them.
And some unexciting but necessary touch-ups in the boys rooms ...
{stellar lighting because this was taken very early in the morning}
this too.
Also ... Theo is expecting a baby named, "baby" sometime this summer. Admire his bump and glow, thanks.
The kids have been super helpful ...
no, it's probably a minor - nay! a major miracle that a gallon paint hasn't been tipped over because you can only accomplish so much during naps.
Odds are real good that I'll force feed you the final photos once the house is up ... I just like to keep you posted on every little mundane detail around here.
I'm sorry. Sort of.
Smile.
And this spring's ongoing "thing" in between call weekends and call weekends and call weekends is a lot easier on the family and I'm holding my breath but (switches to whisper) the weather has been so much more cooperative and pleasant, so far. 2015 > 2014, 100%. Also .... aside from a month of nights - Simon only has four more call weekends to go. Fancy THAT.
But ... back to the Camp's spring fling. We're in the thick of getting ready to list our house in a couple of weeks and I'm trying really hard not to have nightmares about an interested party needing to see it during nap time ... the nap time that starts in six minutes. It's totally going to happen and it will be fine! And! I've been comforted by tips from house selling veterans like, "throw everything in the washing machine or dishwasher! no one looks there!" ... GENIUS.
But before that three ring circus of fun begins we are in semi-frantic mode trying to get the 80 year old house to "sparkle" as our realtor says. It's funny how many things we totally ignore until looking at the situation through a fresh set of eyes and ... commence minor freak out. Sort of. We got the ball rolling early but with many, many, many walls covered in Crayola murals ... we've got some work to do.
Or ... more work. As lots is already done! Thankfully. Simon has been working on the house as much as his work schedule allows while I've been going about my regular purging business. We make a great team.
Magic Erasers will easily get crayon off of walls but not pen. So - a lot of rooms are getting touched up or repainted entirely. Julia did a number on the attic walls that only took five new coats of paint to cover.
Not pictured:
bye bye beige-bombed basement - we painted it white and super light grey {new carpet to come this week ... we were those sucker first time buyers that were totally cool with their pet stained carpet ... and are now the ones replacing it ... we learned, I hope!}
hasta la never to the outdated bathroom - Simon replaced the sink and the toilet in the basement bathroom, painted it white and it looks a million times better.
Aaaand a new walkway out front. Again - the idiots that were fine with crumbling stones leading up to the house when we bought it. We left that to the professionals and hopefully it upped the curb appeal a couple of points.
pictured!
adios Aquafresh kitchen ...
... this one I'm genuinely sad about. The kitchen is on the smaller side and was beige (so much beige! everywhere) so we painted it aqua when we first moved in and I've regretted it zero times. Our realtor (rightly so, I'm guessing) doesn't think potential buyers will appreciate the color so ... light grey it is. If the new owners hate light grey as much as I hate beige .... bless them.
And some unexciting but necessary touch-ups in the boys rooms ...
{stellar lighting because this was taken very early in the morning}
this too.
Also ... Theo is expecting a baby named, "baby" sometime this summer. Admire his bump and glow, thanks.
The kids have been super helpful ...
no, it's probably a minor - nay! a major miracle that a gallon paint hasn't been tipped over because you can only accomplish so much during naps.
Odds are real good that I'll force feed you the final photos once the house is up ... I just like to keep you posted on every little mundane detail around here.
I'm sorry. Sort of.
I love to see what people go through when they put their houses up for sale! We're only renters, but we are moving in a couple of months, and we are getting our friend's house (that we are renting) ready for the next tenants. Thankfully the only main painting that we have to do is the basement, which we promised them we would do when we moved in...two years ago. But we will keep that promise! (Even if we are still painting on the day we move out....) However, I know we do have a LOT of touch up painting to do.
ReplyDeleteIf you get really bored of painting, you should post more pictures :)
haha - I will! I PROMISE :)
DeleteI have vivid memories of my mom putting all the toys/clothes/junk in laundry baskets and sticking them in the trunk of the van.... and forcing us all to sit in the van (with carseats BUCKLED. No touching your sister!) while she frantically cleaned the house before a showing. Good times.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh - I'm dying. I love your mom and I've never met her!
DeleteIf it makes you feel any better, the inside of our entire (recently purchased) home is light grey and I LOVE IT!!! But I am also a little sad about your aqua kitchen. It was so cute!
ReplyDeleteNot the aqua kitchen....I love that color in there! I am a sucker for before and afters so post away! Oh and Theo's bump, well tell him congrats on "baby"!!!!
ReplyDeleteFirst time commentor here! Love your blog. We sold our house aroundd two years ago with three kids under 5. My biggest piece of advice is to go away that first week if you can. Whether it be somewhere fun or just to see family. You will have most of your showings that week and not having to constantly get everything "show" ready multiple times a day was wonderful! Plus we lucked out and we were under contract that week! Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha Theo's baby. That was good. And so was the carpet planking.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I feel your pain. We just listed our house this week and it has not been the slightest bit fun, trying to get everything ready and then keep it looking sparkly for showings. But those touch-ups will make a HUGE difference and hopefully people will love it!
ReplyDeleteOh....the nap time showings. Ugh. You can actually request certain hours to be blocked off....not that I would EVER do something so controlling as that! Another awesome cheap pick up? Fresh caulk around tubs. Wow. Someone told us your house will never be as clean or fixed as when you are selling it. Too true. Just throw everything in the van!
ReplyDeleteYour realtor's probably right about the kitchen, but dang. I'd buy it *because* of the color. No accounting for (boring people's) taste.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna look in the washing machine and dryer ;) :-P
ReplyDeleteWhen my parents sold the house I grew up in, the realtor told them to paint all the rooms a neutral color (my dad is not afraid of color... our living room was teal and peach, and that's just one example)... he said he was not going to spend all that time painting for someone to buy the house and come in and repaint it anyway. The realtors tried to get him to reconsider, saying it would show better, but he refused! And... the house sold to THE FIRST PEOPLE WHO WALKED THROUGH IT. So. I feel like smart people look past paint color... and people who don't, they aren't worthy of your formerly beautiful kitchen color anyway, are they? :)
Also, for picking up random clutter before a showing - buy a few cheap plastic laundry baskets and keep one in each of the major rooms. 15 minutes before a showing, you can throw all the clutter in there and either put the basket in a closet or sit it in the corner (at least it's organized out of the way then!).
ReplyDeleteI love Theo and his baby!!
ReplyDeleteJust one veteran tip...maybe, just maybe, don't stash all of your hand-wash only kitchen ware in the dishwasher right before the home inspection when they run it to make sure it works...
ReplyDeleteWe just did the same "oh crap house is going on the market" push to update/clean/purge/paint everything with 2 kids under 3, and it did happen to us..my 11mo old dumped a gallon of paint out on himself in the basement. Sweet! We sold in 1 day, but another good tip .. throw random kitchen stuff in the oven, just don't forget before you turn it on! Chucking it all Under the bed works just as great as when you were 11.
ReplyDeleteOh boy, we are going through this same thing right now. A professional stager came today and I took four and a half pages over overwhelming notes...
ReplyDeleteWe would love the name of your relator! We are moving to STL in 2 months for my husbands ENT residency and we don't know the area at all!
ReplyDeletesure! send me an email: grasea@gmail
Delete:)
We had a crazy, last minute showing where our realtor came and helped me clean ultra fast- throwing dirty dishes in the oven, even (which I forgot about later...)! But that potential buyer bought our house, so I think it's safe to say washers/ ovens are good hiding spots in a pinch. ;)
ReplyDeleteI totally get your realtor's point, but am definitely going to miss the aquafresh kitchen as a backdrop on the 'gram
ReplyDeleteOoooh yes. We're 7 months into a 4 year military tour and we bought our first house- a bit of a fixer. And as much as I love color, we've painted almost every room a light gray. Ha! Mostly because our house is so dark, but also because touching up is easier than complete repainting. I can't wait to see your new house and the next Aquafresh kitchen! More pictures please. Many congrats to Theo for the new arrival. ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, you are super brave and awesome! We actually got a decent job offer the other year, and the number one reason we didn't take it was moving. Seriously, I am petrified of finishing all of the started projects around here! And by "we", naturally I mean my husband. Aka, the only one with 'real' income potential in the family.
ReplyDeleteBut I, too will be sad when we have to paint over the bright colors we have in the house!!! There may be real tears.
We are right there with you. We are going to be listing ours in a few months, and are getting going on our restoration Smith over here. We did the SAME thing with the basement carpet, and I don't know why we didn't replace it sooner so I might have actually enjoyed being in our basement during the six years we've lived here. New carpet makes such a big difference. I hope you sell it quickly!
ReplyDeleteWe just purchased a house and the photos online were of the kitchen with aqua walls--swoon. When we went to tour it and eventually buy it, they had painted it primer white. And the beautiful cream cupboards were painted an icky brown. (but it was all done very poorly) I feel your sentiments from a buyer's POV.
ReplyDeleteOh man, moving is the WORST! Plus it's so sad because you are finally doing all the work to your house that you wanted to do the entire time you've lived there, but now you're paying all that money to do it for someone else to enjoy! You guys are making great progress, just keep trucking! I'm sad about your aqua kitchen, too - I love it! I am so not brave when it comes to color, but you are making me reconsider.
ReplyDeleteWe listed our house when our son was one week old (we also have two very hairy dogs) and stipulated that showings were only from 1pm to 7pm. Our real estate agent was a little uneasy about it, but that was what we could do. We allowed some exceptions, but for the 5 days our house was on the market, it worked. The house sold, in 5 days and for more than we asked. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHouses... Looking their best as you leave them... Sigh. :)
ReplyDeleteHahahah your comment about grey/beige haters. I hate beige, I like gray, but I love aqua. We could be friends. PS Theo is just the cutest!!
ReplyDeleteAww an aqua kitchen would be so perfect though! It's so calming and inviting. I loved that color.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I loved it so much!
DeleteI wouldn't worry too much about someone wanting to see the house on super short notice. Maybe things are different where you live, but when we sold our house last year we were always contacted in advance. You can also tell your realtor, "no showings between 10 am and 12 pm." The majority of our showings where during the week after lunch. I always thought we'd see the most action on the weekends, but we didn't Good luck!
ReplyDeleteTheo's baby is absolutely adorable. And he is so glowing. :)
ReplyDelete