POST MOVE...PRE LISTING

I knew I didn’t like coming back to the house you have moved from.  Its depressing and always so much work.  I can’t believe how much there is to deal with.

Yesterday I:  arranged with hydro for the new house, arranged with telus to get a phone, paid so many bills that had built up while we were gone, added new bills (like water, sewer etc) to my bank bill paying thingy, arranged for cleaners to come in on Monday, arranged for window cleaners, arranged for an electrician to fix one of the breaker boxes (over 1,000 bucks),  did all my internet/email stuff cuz I had a good wifi connection and on and on and on.

I went to my doctor and got myself one years worth of prescriptions!  I love my dr.  He isn’t invasive like some (like taking blood pressure or ordering blood sugar lab work)  In other words I can push him around.  My kind of doctor.   We met with the real estate agent.  Now that was funny.

He is a very very good looking, very well turned out, extremely well dressed, natty young man.  He is married to a very beautiful woman and has two of the most perfect beautiful babies you ever saw.  I am pretty sure he lives in the perfect house, completely organized and always always sparkly clean.  And then this lovely man, whom I like very much, comes to our house.  Sigh.

And this brings me to another point.  We have dealt with a number of well turned out real estate agents over the years.  They all, every one, are never happy with how uncluttered your house is, or how clean, or how fixed up.  I am of the opinion that even if the house were actually perfect they would find something that isn’t quite right.

Our house right now is basically empty, at least compared to houses where the seller is still living in it.  There is an exercise bike in the living room.  Thats it.  There is a small stack of April’s paintings on the floor in Monte’s old bedroom.  There is NOTHING in our bedroom.  ETc....So Dane is looking around and we go into Monte’s old room and he freezes, stares at the offending tiny pile of pics and lifts his brows and goes “These?”  “They are April’s.  There isn’t anywhere for them to go.”  He says nothing.  I am thinking...”Holy Crap, one month ago there was a giant sagging bed, a huge filing cabinet and a whole cheap ass wall unit from Ikea.”  We go into our bedroom and he spies a broken baseboard and freezes...”This?”  “Yeah Yeah...its going to be fixed when the painters come.”  Never mind that the room was spectacularly empty, uncluttered and echoey.  Into Purple Room, where April actually has moved into, the only room plus kitchen that she is using.  She moved the couch and dresser into the middle of the room so the painters can cover them.  “These will be taken out and gone, yes?”  “No Dane, April is LIVING here.  For a house with someone LIVING here, do you not think it is in pretty empty uncluttered shape? Yes?”  What the hell!

But then we hit the garage, which I had warned him there was some stuff to still be taken out by us...today.  Aprils animals are in there.  A guinea pig in a cage, on top of that is a rabbit in a cage, and on top of that is a hamster in a cage.  

He walks in there, spies the animals, freezes, looks at me, raises eyebrows, and “These?”  “They are April’s.  They will be here until she moves..so yes, these will be here.”  Sad little imperceptible shake of head.

I reminded him that if someone wants the house they will not care if there is a couch in ONE room of this whole house!  When we first looked at the house we wanted in Victoria, it was full to the gills with furniture, wall units full of crap,  shitty awful floors and a bearded dragon and iguana sitting there.  I didn’t care.  I loved the house and bought it.  I think once we get the house painted and cleaned it will all be fine.  Maybe.

Last night I met with one of Monte’s friend’s mom.  I have known Allison since our boys became friends when they were four years old.  We don’t see each other nearly often enough and we spent three hours catching up last night at JJ Bean.  So good to see her and find out all the doings of our boys and our families.  I shall be putting her on my list of things to do when we come back to North Vancouver for all our appointments etc!  Really really enjoyed it.

So now its time to hit the ground running.  I have a hair appointment at 11 and there is still so much to be done.  TTYL