Exhaustion Sets In

Last week I spent 3 whirlwind days in Alabama looking at houses. Frank came along some of the time, but he also had to go into work. Those 3 days were exhausting. I spent 2 of the days with an agent and must have looked at 12-15 homes. Only a couple were on our list of possibilities, and we finally made an offer on one that we are still negotiating. 

Just before we left we signed a listing agreement for our house in Michigan. It didn't go into the MLS until today because I wanted to be home when the photographer came. In the meantime, we had 5 showings before it even went in the MLS!!  So as soon as we got back from our trip, I had to ready the house for 3 showings less than 24 hours later. Then host a birthday party the next day for my daughter, niece and nephew that I already had postponed once. By the time Memorial Day got here, I was spent. 

Yesterday was no less of a busy day: photographer, agents from the listing agency came to walk through, and my normal everyday routine stuff. 

Today, I am not able to form a coherent sentence. Or if I am, it's usually something nagging like, "Don't splash the mirror when you wash your hands" or "Please make sure you put ALL your dirty clothes in the hamper". Blah, blah, blah. 

My kids are going to have all the skills to grow up and be real estate agents. Or at least be skilled in buying and selling homes. 

I realized today that when we are selling our home, I like it to look like it's "lived in" but that we don't actually "live there". I know, it doesn't make sense. But it does. I want it to look warm and cozy where someone would want to live with their family, but I don't want them to really think about the fact that we live there now. I want the kitchen to look untouched, the floors to have perfect vacuum marks and no footprints. No sign of sleeping in our beds. Ever. 

Yes, I am at the point of irrational exhaustion. And it's completely normal for me. Nothing anyone says will change my ways. I think my agent thinks I am a little crazy because almost every time she calls I am vacuuming. 

It's an obsession now. Until we get an offer. Then I will have this giant weight off me. And we can "live" in our house for the last few weeks we will have. 

In the meantime, my kids know the routine. They know mom is high on demands, low on patience. 

And when there is a showing around dinner time, they know mom will opt for taking them out to dinner so that the kitchen will appear to never be used. 

And there's a good chance, they'll even get ice cream after. :)

I am going to sleep now. So I can wake up refreshed, to prep the house for another showing tomorrow!!

Good night, all!!

Showing Our House

We are getting ready for our home to go in the MLS system and hopefully get tons of showings!  I am very picky about how my house looks when people come to see it. We still live there, so we use the bathrooms and the kitchen. But, I really want it to "look" like we don't. That is not an easy task. Especially with a teenager and a pre-teen living there as well. 

Of course I have some tips and tricks that I use to help.  I am going to share some of these tips with you today. First, before we even get it listed, there is a LOT of organizing and purging. Lots of things get donated, and lots gets thrown away. 

And those pesky projects that we put off now have to happen. Oh yeah, and while we are running around spending all our time getting the house ready, we still have to get the kids to all their activities, do laundry, grocery shop, cook, and maybe even sleep. 

So on to some of my actual tips. I have gained this knowledge not only from selling my own house, but from the many, many houses I have viewed over the years during all our moves. 

First, please do the easy things. Like, maybe, I don't know....clean!!??  I have walked through homes that look like for the many years the people have lived there, they never washed their hands and touched every wall, door, light switch, etc. That's fine if someone wants to do that. But, really, clean it before you sell. No one wants to clean that up. Especially me. I've done it. Crying. It's not pretty. (Thanks to my mom, and my friend Tara who have helped me in the past and seen my tears!! )

Next, I know people still live in their homes, just like I do, but if I see trash laying around in rooms it shouldn't be....like food waste in bedrooms, or even overflowing trash cans in bathrooms, that gives me a clear message. You. Don't. Care. And when I've found homes with those little things, they usually have big things they didn't take care of either. So, if you really want to sell your house for top dollar and soon, clean and maintained is the way to go. And if you think that's a given, I can tell you it's not. 

Have a list of things that you need to do RIGHT before a showing. There is nothing worse than leaving and remembering that you left some undergarments hanging in the laundry room. My list also includes things like, put a towel over the dirty laundry basket in the closet, put my cats in crates, and pick up any dog toys laying around. 

My best and favorite tip, though, is this. I am not a big fan of candles. But lots of people use them when showing their home. And they actually leave them burning when they aren't there, which completely freaks me out. But, anyway, sometimes when I see a house and there are a ton of candles burning, I wonder what smells they are trying to cover up. My recommendation is to get some refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, and bake 1/2 dozen or so right before a showing. Leave them out on a plate with some napkins in the kitchen island. Now your house smells like fresh baked goods, and you've fed the hungry, tired buyers. And later when they are thinking about houses, they will remember yours as the "cookie house". That can never be a bad thing, right?  

We also have a this plate/sign that can be written on with dry erase markers. I like to leave a nice, subtle message on it. Right now, it says "Welcome to Your New Home!"  And I put it right with the cookies. :) A little bribery never hurts, right??

I'm always happy to help if you are going to be buying or selling. I am not a professional agent or inspector or mover, but I do have a lot of experience with these things!

More tips to come at a later date!!

Where does one start?

So, maybe you are wondering where you start when you find out you are moving.  Well, that's different for everyone.  For me, a very high anxiety person, I start right out with worrying about the most insignificant things.  And panicking.  Yep.  Every time.  Even though I know we will get through it, and everything will get from one house to another, I go through the same things.  At least I know the pattern now!

So, when I stop panicking, the first thing I do is get a notebook.  Preferably one with several "subject" sections.  This helps me write down whatever pops in my head that I have to do.  I have a section for things at my current location I need to do, one for my new location, a section for my kids and things related to them, and one for my pets (because we have a few!).  I also usually have a section where I just keep a running daily to-do list because it helps me focus.

For things at our current location, I make a list of things that will need to be taken care of prior to the move.  Not necessarily any time soon, but by writing it down while it's in my head, I'll be less likely to forget it.  Things like, contacting utilities, changing address,  and contacting our homeowners insurance agent would be items that we would do closer to the actual move.  Things to be done right away would include, finding an agent to sell our house (if we are choosing to use one), getting a move company to come out and do an estimate. We are lucky on this move that Frank's company is moving us, so we have a relocation specialist to help us with a lot of that (yay!).

In the "new location" section, I jot notes about the areas we want to look for a house (after I have done research online).   I research schools online and put my notes here.  I also search real estate listings and write down MLS#s of homes we like. Of course, I save a lot of those searches online, too.  But there is something about writing stuff down and seeing it that is comforting to me.

The "kids" section has notes about things like: talking to the orthodontist so she can help us find a new one, making an appointment with the allergist so we can make a smooth transition for Frankie's allergy shots.  I also need updated copies of immunization records and birth certificates to register them at a new school. 

In the "pets" section I write notes that pertain to our small zoo.  Ok, we only have 1 dog, 2 cats and a frog.  But still, it does pose some difficulties.  Finding temporary living, or even a hotel room is practically impossible with that many four-legged, furry friends.  Unless you are happy paying huge fees.  I start looking for a place in the new location that I can temporarily board the pets when we get to our  new location.  We usually don't need more than a week.  But in order to do that, all the pets' immunizations need to be up to date as well. 

Obviously, for some of the sections I won't need all the pages, so on those I do my "worry" lists or my mindless doodles when I am on hold with the million phone calls I have to make.

Oh - you want to know what a "worry list" is??  It is my most favorite part of my move notebook.  Especially in the future when I can go back and read them.  They are the most insane worries I can come up with that make me lose sleep during this whole process.  Here are some examples:

*What if our entire moving truck falls off a cliff and we lose everything?
*What if we have horrible neighbors?
*What if my kids don't make friends?
*Where will I grocery shop?
*Who will cut my hair?
*Etc., etc.

It's really irrational thoughts.  That is when I finally just have to pray hard and give it to God.  I have already handed this move over to Him.  I can't do it without Him.  And He does have a sense of humor.  He knows I need something to focus on to get the move off my mind.  So last week my entire family ended up with an awful stomach bug.  Yep, we sure were not thinking about a move.  (We are all healthy  now!)

But in all the times we have moved, we have ended up in amazing places, with amazing friends and experiences.  And we wouldn't change a thing.  No regrets.

So, here's to another adventure.  And to all the people that we haven't met yet, that we don't realize we need in our life.  It's exciting to know there are new friends waiting for us.  They don't know it yet.  But God does.  And He will have it perfectly orchestrated!  :)

You're In Shock, I know...

Hello friends and family,

This may be a coming as a shock to you....maybe you are hearing the news for the first time, or maybe you are like me and know the news but are still kind of  in shock and denial, but here it is:

We. Are. Moving. Again.

 

Read it again if you have to.  It's true.  My husband's company has asked him to take over one of their plants in Alabama.  And, we said yes.  I haven't made a big Facebook announcement, because honestly, I have not been emotionally prepared for all the responses.  I know they all come from your heart and I do appreciate them.  But I am still emotionally fragile in all this.  Let me explain...

 

I think everyone thinks because we move so much we must love doing it.  That's not exactly true.  We definitely do NOT love it.  But, we are a one-income family.  So, we don't have a second income to fall back on if something happens and my husband doesn't have a job.  (Been there...not fun)  Also, those of you who know me well know that when I get somewhere, even if I know we may not be there long, I fully invest myself there.  I get involved with school, church, I make friends, and just make our house a home for us. 

 

Anyhow, once I have done that and then find out we are moving, I have to detach myself from that.  And it is VERY hard.  I have to grieve what I saw planned out for my family's life in that place.  Like I said, I am fully invested, and now I have to let it go, and when we first find out we are moving, the future I could actually picture in my mind is now blurry.  I can't picture us in a different house, or the kids going to a different school, or going to a different church.  It's terrifying at times.  Especially at night.  When I can't sleep because of all the thoughts in my mind.  I spend a lot of time praying.  A lot.

 

So hearing your comments, and thoughts even though they are meant well, are something I have to be ready to hear.  And I think I am ready.  I love to hear that you are going to miss us, or that you are going to come visit, or that you are excited we will live closer to you when we are at our new home. 

 

But let me tell you the things that aren't always helpful...."How do you do this all the time?" or "I can't believe you are moving your kids again!" or "How are your parents taking it?".  I understand they are meant well....don't get me wrong.  But I think what is hard about hearing them, is they are the EXACT questions I ask myself that I try to push out of my mind. 

 

That is where this blog is going to come in.  I am going to try to answer all those questions and many more.  I am going to talk about all the aspects of the move.  The emotions, the planning, buying and selling houses, the physical part of getting our stuff from one location to another, and life at the other end. 

 

Feel free to read or not read.  I can't promise it will always be interesting, but it will be a good place for me to get it all out.  And please, feel free to ask me questions!  This will be Frank's and my 8th move in 19 years.  And our 6th move in 9 years....and with our kids.  I have lots of tips and tricks, we've had good experiences and bad experiences, and lots of laughs as well.

 

The last thing I am going to tell you in this post is how I picked the name:  "Cardboard and Sharpies".  I am sure you can figure it out.  But that is the "smell" of a move.  I was packing a few things up the other day that need to be just out of the way to show our house here, and Faith came down and said, "It smells like a move!!"   And she was right.  And now it's real.

 

Looking forward to sharing this with all of you!  Feel free to follow this blog, or to enter your email and you will receive a notification when I post a new entry!

 

Gotta run and get to my very long "to do" list!!!