A joint decision has been made, our country house is going up for sale, soon but not yet. We have to do the usual spring clean up before we allow anyone in to see it. Right now we are waiting for the snow to melt, and the heating season to be over, so we can tuck in and get the job done. The list is short, but since Attila will be attending to most of it, and he is short of time, the short list will get short shrift.
I am going to attend a seminar meant for people who sell their own properties, without a realtor. The last time we put this house up for sale through a realtor it wasn’t marketed properly, so that the only people who viewed it wanted waterfront property, which it is not. So no offers and no sale and a lot of intrusion was suffered to no practical end. The real estate people in this area are more focused on the half to multi-million dollar properties, and who can blame them when you think about those commissions. However, it leaves us little people to fend for ourselves. The task will fall to me, to do all the leg work in the selling process. It will be three to four weeks before we get the house onto the market.
Wish us luck!
We will not be moving to the little house in the city though, because Attila has a good job here in the country. We have not yet decided what we will do about a place to live near Attila’s place of work, not yet. In my mind there are factors to consider; thermostat heating, ploughed parking, accessible grocery store, to name a few. First we have to sell the country house, then we worry about what to do next. If the country house does not sell, there will be nothing to decide!
The snow is melting fast now, but will not be gone until well into May. There is some flooding in the bay, I watch with interest as the ice goes out, glad that our property is high and dry. Already Attila has noticed black flies. That means that this year the biting bugs are starting before the snow melts. What a “spring”!
Terra sent me pictures of their new siding, it looks wonderful! They have completed two sides of the house now, and will tackle the remaining sides over the next few weeks. The original siding is in wonderful condition, but would take a lot of work to restore. Still, there is always the possibility of restoration at a future date, as the new siding will protect the original from the weather and deterioration.
I am sitting in front of a flickering fire, listening to rain dripping from the roof, sipping my coffee, contemplating the nature of change; the risks, the joys, the inevitability.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
1°C
Date: 7:17 AM EDT Saturday 26 April 2014
Condition: Light Rain
Pressure: 100.8 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 1.4°C
Dewpoint: 1.3°C
Humidity: 99%
Wind: NW 4 km/h
Quote
“Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.”
Carl Zwanzig
Maggie, I wish you all the best in this new venture. Big changes are always so complicated, aren’t they? So many factors to consider.
Fie on black flies! It’s just wrong that they should appear before the snow is gone.
Luck is wished!
But I believe that success will come not because of luck, although my Paul is always saying “better to be lucky than good!” – but because of due diligence and hard work and attention to the task at hand.
I watch on tv a lot of real estate buying/selling shows and the two things they all emphasize are 1) Have your home looking generic and not like “you’ve” been living in it; and 2) price the house reasonably, what the market will stand and not what the seller wishes they could get for it. Pricing a house too high at first is a fatal flaw. It’s hard to bring the price down (in the seller’s psyche) after that although it’s usually necessary, and the public always wonders why the price has been dropped? What’s wrong with it? So it’s a slippery slope and a lot of realistic ideas must be put into play.
I was surprise to read that you won’t be moving to the city, though, and thereby cutting your expenses in half or more… but you must go where the work is – we couldn’t move away from the ocean because of obvious reasons – (lobsterman = near ocean) so I totally get that. But your wish to have a few “luxuries” (to you anyway) like a thermostat/heat and plowing, and an important one, shopping within close reach, will be the guiding factors for finding a new home and I do wish you luck in those areas. xxxxx
Thanks Wendy! Change always brings challenges, and learning how to sell a house is a huge challenge, at least it is for me. I have relegated the “what do we do after the sale” to the land of no consideration at this time. There are already so many emotional issues to balance in letting go of the country house.
LOL, we are ready for the black flies; we have our long sleeved clothing, hats and nets ready!
Two good pieces of advice Bex, something to keep in mind as we prepare to move forward. Pricing is very complicated here, as the majority of properties are on the water and worth more than a million dollars or are on small landlocked lots and worth much less. We do not fit in either category, we are not on the water, and have a beautiful large chunk of land, and so face trying to sell a relatively unique property, there are no comparables in the area at the moment.
Sounds like a new round of adventures going forward. Maybe include the black flies in the sale of the house?
LOL, Tom, it is too bad that black flies aren’t an asset!!! The bug season will be well under way by the time we get this house on the market. However, every rural home that a prospective buyer considers, in this area, will have the same issue with black flies and mosquitoes, it truly goes with the territory. By the end of June bug conditions will improve. I think the screened in porch will help, someplace to stand outside, away from the bugs.
I’m not surprised to hear this news. There should be some part year resident who would love the house, mosquitoes and all. May all good forces be with you during this time, and unexpected good luck.
I concur with all the other comments. Are your black flies the horrible huge stinging types? Gah! I think your thinking is good – and I wish you the very best. Keep us posted each step of the way. xo
Joan, I am hoping that we happen upon the person or family that was truly meant for this house. Thank you for the good wishes!
Reenie, black flies in Ontario are fierce biters! When I was a child they did not bother me at all, some days I would return from playing in the bush with a ring of dried blood all the way around my neck, from the hairline down. Now though, I swell up in large welts, and seldom bleed when they bite me. They are only really bad for about two weeks, and they head for the windows when they come indoors, which is what makes them bearable.
http://youtu.be/qjLBXb1kgMo