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Home > House Hunting, Free Lunch, Chicks & Ducks

House Hunting, Free Lunch, Chicks & Ducks

April 30th, 2012 at 12:06 am

So today was a major day for Open Houses for my city. They were doing a thing of some sort. Anyway, we looked at a lot of houses, and it served to reassure me that there are a lot of houses out there that would be right for us, which means when we are really ready there will still be a lot of houses that are right for us. Although almost perfect house is still almost perfect. It was really nice to see it, I really liked it, it had some problems, mostly fixing the paint would fix, but it was nice. But there were a lot of people looking at it and I did not feel bad about that or territorial or anything, so I think I am well over my irrational urges to buy right now.

We did see an absolutely gorgeous house about 3 blocks from my mom's house, too. It was truly exquisite decorating. It was like walking into a piece of art. But a comfortable, liveable piece of art. The fixtures and the floors and the wall paper and the way the walls were painted, it just was such a feast for the eyes, but not in a way you'd ever get tired of. The landscaping was incredible. You could just really tell that the people who owned it adored their home and had put a lot of effort into making it so beautiful.

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What was really funny was I ran into a man that I have not seen since high school (although we were friendly in middle school we had no classes together in high school so it felt more like not having seen him since middle school). He was friends with the realtor showing one of the houses and was waiting for him to finish up. It was so strange, because I almost never run into people like that. DH always does, but almost everyone I knew back then took off for Seattle or Oregon or California. But it was nice once we figured out how we knew each other. 24 years changes you a lot.

The had free Subway sandwiches at the last place we looked at, so I split half a six inch sub with my son and DH had one, so that took care of a late lunch. We were starving by then. I really liked the realtor who was friends with the guy I knew from school. He wasn't pushy but he was interested in helping us when we were ready. He was younger, maybe 30, but he felt honest and I got a good vibe off of him. We might decide to use him.

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The bathroom remodel is almost done. They've put in the vanity cabinet (but not the sink) and the toilet is in. The final coat of paint is on. The sink still needs to go into the vanity. The mirror needs to be put on the wall. The glass door needs to be installed on the tub/shower, the showerhead needs to be put up, and the shelving needs to be put up. We may actually have our bathroom back by mid-week. I hope so. I am tired of not having one. Of course we may have to wait for all the caulking and stuff to finish drying so it may be the weekend before we can use it, but I will just be so glad to not have the workmen in the house.

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The chicks and ducks are now allowed to go outside after they made a great escape yesterday. They tore the mesh netting free so they could get to the layer mash on the other side of the coop and then came outside after they had eaten it all, so Mom decided today to just let them go out now. They are loving it and the weather is nice so they are happy. They are big enough. They are mostly all flopped together in a heap under one of the blueberry bushes but they adventure out a couple at a time. Totally adorable.

3 Responses to “House Hunting, Free Lunch, Chicks & Ducks”

  1. PatientSaver Says:
    1335784778

    how about some duckling photos?

  2. snafu Says:
    1335825954

    If you loved the paint colors in a particular home, ask the listing agent for the paint color names. Painting is the cheapest update for any home.

    It's incredibly important to chose the right agent to list your house. The agent needs to know a lot about your area and be very experienced so that it is correctly priced from the start. You need to know what they will do to market your home and their long term relationships with all the other realtors. Ask at least 3 agents for a written plan showing comparable listing and 'solds.' What target group will buy your house?

  3. patientsaver Says:
    1335874560

    To be honest, as one who has worked in the real estate industry, and with agents, for over 15 years, I can sasy that agents all do the same thing to market your house. They will put it in the MLS listings, of course, and on their website, have a public open house and a realtor-only open house. they might give you some advice for small improvements or staging. some companies list a phone number on the sign they put in front of the house so that passers-by can call it and get an immediate, verbal description. They will also create a simple brochure using photos of your home. Beyond that, and this is all pretty basic, they don't do much else, and they all do the same thing.

    It is important to correctly price the house from the start and have everything ready to go when the house is listed, becus it's always the newest properties that get the most attention from both agents and their customers. There will be a flurry of activity intiially, but once the house lingers on the market for a few months, things will die down, so a seller's best chances to sell come early on.

    I would choose an agent you feel communicates well and whom you personally like, and with whom you can negotiate commission with. I would never pay 6% commission for the marketing efforts described above. Just my opinion.

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