Author: Shirleyjdietz

I'm still finding out what I'm about but I think it has something to do with writing and connecting with people and serving God. I don't believe I have to understand it all in order to do it and am pretty content with what comes my way, day by day. I believe there is a God who created all of us, the world we live in, the science we think disproves Him, well, everything. I know my natural tendency is to think I don't need God and I need to be saved from that. I know I need a savior and I'm thankful I have one. The small glimpses I get from the here and now of what my real home is going to be like when God restores it all - that's what fuels me, stirs my sense of adventure, and keeps me going. Until then, I write about what is.

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter O)

Shirleyjdietz6 Comments
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The letter O is featured prominently in this compelling, informative, and well lit sign. Hats off to the Irish for this one.

Still feeling under the weather so this will be short.

The sign went up. “Open House today 10 am – 2 pm”  The listing had run for several days with a fair amount of interest. The realtor and assistant were manning the event and were optimistic. The place looked great, and well it should have after the month of preparation, and thousands of dollars of love and care. The owners had opted to be out of town which was fine with the realtor. It was always easier that way.

Although it doesn’t often happen like this, except in movies (or on HGTV), the first couple in the door spent a long time looking things over, looking at the house from different angles and wandering the shady yard. They were interested and planning.

The third party came 45 minutes later and were clearly investors looking for income property. They were setting up an offer, unofficially, when the first couple came back in and overheard their conversation. By this time, the planners had already envisioned themselves living in the upper story of the loft house. Their kids were happily taking over the bedrooms on the ground floor and their parents were living next door in the second house. The investors were a threat to the plan. There was nothing to do but offer full price, immediately. Or maybe over the asking price just to make sure.

And so it was that the house elicited an offer on the first open house, having only been on the market for four days. The couple was pre-approved with a credible loan. Since the house was empty and waiting, had been inspected and certified, there was nothing to delay the sale. The closing was set in two weeks and went off without a hitch. The Oneacrewoods passed to new ownership, and it was bittersweet.

 

Disclaimer: This account  is entirely fictional and is the product of the letter O. The house has not yet listed or had an Open House. But, it is possible something like this could happen, just sayin’…

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter N)

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I came across this charming sign, starting with N, painted on what was clearly a door with steps outside, but also, clearly, not an exit.

N Networking

Networking is a fancy term for “who do you know who can help you?” or “who might need your help?” with the presupposition that both parties will benefit sooner or later. The more people you know, the larger the network, the more things get done.

Selling the house has been made immeasurably easier by the networks developed by my realtor and by me as well. I don’t want to give everything away about my realtor until we get to letter R, but I will tell you here that in getting houses ready for the market, he drums up a lot of business for tradespeople. He becomes familiar with companies that will work to his standards and treat his clients nicely.

We wanted to know what work the house needed. He knew a good inspector.

A section of roof had a leak. He knew a roofer who came out and gave a bid right away.

The rental house needed a lot of cosmetic repair. He knew a good painter.

Electrical work needed to be done. He knew an electrician who was reasonable in price and did good work.

I needed an extra handyman. He found one.

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I do not mind giving these guys some free advertising and a good reference.

I have done pretty well for not being in the business of fixing houses. I have Joe, who is a super networker among his friends. Joe and his crews have done cement work, lawn work, pressure washing, tree removal, appliance repair, and today they took away all my recyclable metal, and old sheets of plywood. What a relief.

Through years of being hospitable to my daughter’s friends (who have grown up and now have jobs) I have a supplier of packing boxes, and a great plumber.

Best of all, my own networking has supplied me with a great number of good friends who are praying me through this whole ordeal, bit by bit.  God alone knows how many times he has stepped in and helped us along because of them.  Y’all know who you are – thank you so very much!

The husband and I are suddenly sick with headaches and colds, making it difficult to think and work. Nevertheless, the busiest Monday so far was today. Painter, electricians (2 of them), handyman were all at work. I took some Excedrin and starting painting in my house. I can hardly wait until letter P to tell how much I hate painting.

 

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter M)

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We had discovered a big time delay in our schedule when planning the electrical upgrade on the rental house. The electric company (FPL) could not schedule the power cut off until May 7th! The best we could do was to get on a cancellation list. When there’s nothing I can do, I’m pretty good at saying I’m leaving it in God’s hands, it’s his timeline I want to follow.

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A sudden change of plans. This is getting interesting.

 

Suddenly, there’s been a cancellation and the electrical work is getting done this Monday. I’m overwhelmed with the speed at which this house could go on the market, overwhelmed with all that I have yet to do. I’m finding that it actually requires more trust in God’s timing when there are things I can and should do. Will he equip me in necessary ways? Will he bless my time management?

 M for Management

Being a general contractor is a complex job. When a house is being built, it’s not easy to get all the specialists on the site at the right time, with the right supplies and equipment. I think I’m getting a small taste of what that is like as we orchestrate this sale and this move. It’s a little like reverse house building.

Some days I have two or three workmen stopping by either to do work or to look and give proposals. I take them around and go over our lists with them. Sometimes I watch them work, or pitch in and help. Our houses are not brand new. As we “peel off layers” of furniture, dirt, etc… we find new things to fix or clean up. The plumber, bless his heart, has been back three times for small things that have come to light.

It’s almost looking like the rental house could be ready before my own house. I haven’t finished a couple of paint projects on my side, and then there is the packing… The packing, yes. The rental house is empty, our house is definitely not. Realizing that we could actually leave, once the pictures are taken and the house is listed, I am trying to figure out what should be stored long term, and what should be available for our use until we have another house. When should I order the storage container? How long will it take to pack it? Should we leave any furniture in the house? If we pack it all, how will we manage ourselves and for how long? How will all this coincide with the husband’s plans to give notice and stop working?

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Raggedy Ann, which box would you like to rest in? And could you please fix your skirt – there’s a scary clown sitting next to you, Thank you.

Even today, as I struggle to rest and restore, I am trying to figure things out. I am answering calls about the furniture listed on Marketplace. I am thinking about which box to put my daughter’s keepsake Raggedy Ann in. I am wishing I had mowed the lawn yesterday. I am wondering who might want our grandfather clock.  I am thinking, thinking, thinking, and not resting, resting, resting.  I struggle to be still.

Big changes require a lot of physical work and maybe more importantly, for me, a good deal of spiritual work. I am discovering what God’s plan for us is, by seeing what he makes possible. He is an excellent manager and he will thoroughly equip us to do what needs to be done.  I am comforted by that… just sayin’.

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter L)

Shirleyjdietz10 Comments
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I confess, I ate this.

Had an “angst day” today. While researching moving and storage options online, I ate a whole pint of Brookie Dough ice cream (which I found when I cleaned out the renter’s freezer). It was good.

“Lower the Price” starts with L

I’m getting so tired of the suggestion to lower the price for my things I want to get rid of, when the price is going higher for everything I need to get. How does that happen?

Today I posted some furniture for sale on Facebook Marketplace. I really like that option for selling things – it’s like having a garage sale without a lot of uninterested people involved. I often start getting responses in minutes.

But, just like at yard sales, online swap shops are full of bargain hunters that will usually offer half or less than my advertised price. (sad face) Sometimes I go with whatever is being offered because the objective is only to get the item out the door. Anything I get is a bonus. To be honest, some of the things I’ve sold were free to me and I had no idea what they would cost if I’d bought them. I list them as free items and they go pretty fast. The frustrating times happen when I have something nice to sell, something which I had to wait to afford, and paid for dearly.

As soon as I list it, Facebook Marketplace has an option for me to lower the price! It also gives me the prices of similar listed items for comparison, which is helpful, I guess. However, it gives me the same feeling as when I trade in a vehicle and the salesman starts telling me how little my car is really worth.

The really scary price lowering is probably going to happen when we start bargaining with a prospective house buyer. Deciding what to ask in the first place has to take in account that someone will offer a lower amount, almost assuredly. It also has to take into account that we are spending somewhere around $15K just to make the houses nicer for someone else. It is a bit of a numbers game and depends so much on the market, and the individual buyer’s love for a particular place.

I want to come away from this experience with the feeling that we have been fairly rewarded for the care and attention to this beautiful property. I also want to feel that we have passed on the blessing to the next owner and been fair to them. I am praying for this to happen and am confident that it will, even if we have to lower the price.

 

 

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter K)

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Kilz Is Not A Scary Word  ( a poem of a different kind )

 

Kilz is a homeowner’s friend.

It is an amazing paint product, not an evil act.

Actually I think it is a play on words, being similar to Kills,

Which is an evil act most of the time. Kilz was probably fashioned after Kills

Because it does “do away with” some undesirables, like stains, like mold.

It covers and traps resins and penetrating colors and hides them, so

You could say, Kilz kills them.

 

Kilz can make your walls lovable again.

The handprints, the crayon pictures, the pet stains,

When you want them gone, are all hard to cover.

Ordinary paint may allow these stains to bleed through, and then

There they are again, resurrected. Kilz will fix it,

Although I don’t know how.

 

It’s a primer, and that word means it comes first.

Sealing the porous surfaces, creating a base for color.

Hiding the surface underneath, Kilz makes paint colors

Truer, brighter, and helps them stick to

Most any surface, which is very handy.

 

Have you heard of mildewcide?

It’s in Kilz, and mildew can’t abide

The surface primed with this special stuff.

Good to know. Use it where mold might grow.

 

It looks like paint, it comes in a can.

Put it on with a brush.

I’m a big fan.

 

Another handy feature,

It cleans up with soap and water.

 

Kilz is a homeowner’s friend.

 

This is an awful poem, if a poem at all, but it does have decreasing number of lines in each stanza. There may be a name for this form, or I may have made it up. It does give it some distinction, I think.  

 

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A sign featuring the letter K in a prominent spot, but having nothing to do with the poem above.

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter J)

Shirleyjdietz13 Comments

Tomorrow will be another busy day, scrubbing grout in between grocery shopping and a trip to the airport to pick up my cousin. I’m posting early so I won’t forget and be late. 

Junk is a J word

As I consider PAYING to store things during our move, I look at my possessions with a different perspective. I cannot afford to box up and store anything that I consider junk. But the definition of junk is very subjective – kind of like beauty being in the eye of the beholder.  You’ve heard it before, one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. There is a reason almost every house has a junk drawer – true?

I may not be in my next home, one that I will be required to furnish, for months. When that time comes will I have a place for the collections, knick knacks, throw pillows, books, etc… that I have now? I can’t count on that. It might be much better to wait and see, and furnish a new place with things that fit in its spaces. So having adopted this sane way of looking at paring down, why does it all fall apart when I go up in the attic and find this…

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Look at those precious little pig faces, and the rooster and hen. I love the little clear glass pitcher too. I love it all.
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That white vase is so unusual, and the blue and brass Delft vases could be valuable, couldn’t they?
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This vase has always made me happy. I have to keep it. It won’t take up much space in storage (rationalize much? yes).

I just can’t help hanging on to precious, unique things, even if all I ever do is look at them. Like my chickens (or maybe they are roosters), whose heads are salt and pepper shakers and bodies are cream and sugar servers. Or my funny little vases that have a Delft label. They are either things I’ve had passed down from family or things I’ve miraculously come across in a garage sale for almost nothing! Definitely meant to have a forever home with me, I’m thinking.

Then there is my blue glass collection. I love blue. And my John Deere collection which bears witness to my farm girl soul – it’s all boxed up, ready for transport. It’s not junk when I see it and think about giving it away. So then, how is it that some of these things have been put away in the attic for years and I didn’t even remember I had them? Would that be the definition of “junk”, stuff you don’t miss enough to know that you miss it? Maybe.

I have found things that I hope will be someone else’s treasure. In fact, I make such frequent trips to the donation center that I drive to one farther away where they won’t recognize me. But I’m hoping that someday I’ll enjoy unpacking the things I’ve kept and finding just the right place for them.

This moving process is useful in that it has helped me limit those collections to a reasonable number. Best of all, I think I’m really going to avoid that last-minute frustration of throwing all those left over things in a box because I don’t have time to thoughtfully sort through them.

Do you have precious junk? Would you put it in a box and pay to store it?

 

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter I)

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I for Inspection

There is often a misconception that homeowners know all about their houses and that buyers will be told everything they need to know to decide on the purchase. What often happens is that a buyer who is applying for a loan will be required to have the house inspected by a certified professional. The lending agency wants to make sure it’s a good purchase. The careful buyer can request an inspection on their own as well, and it’s a good idea especially if the house is aged.

Lastly, the seller can decide to ask for an inspection if they want to ensure a quick sale that won’t be held up by needed repairs. Since it is optional in many cases, and is an extra expense, many sellers sell their homes “as is” and wait for a buyer who doesn’t mind finding things out on their own. I’ve heard sad stories of people buying houses and finding out the foundation is cracked, or the roof leaks, or the plumbing or electric is outdated and dangerous. A certified inspector should be able to discover these faults and give the buyer a chance to address them in the contract – if they still like the house enough to buy it.

Because we want this sale to go as seamlessly as possible, our realtor thought it would be a good idea to get an inspection. Mr. Owens was the recommended specialist. He gave me a prompt proposal for the two houses and came out the same week. He is a building contractor himself and has years of experience. His son, also experienced, took one of our houses and he took the other. A few days later I was emailed a report with the findings. The report has detailed pictures of their findings and a written summary of their recommendations. It’s very helpful.

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Yes, olive green tile from the 70’s. Today the plumber replaced the sink stopper. Cross that one off. See how easy this report is to follow?

Of course, we are living in our house right now without much notice of the faults that were called out. Most of them were not serious. The rental house is a little more problematic, but now we know and can fix it up. Having that list gives us direction and a way to measure our progress. At the end there will be a few things that we have chosen not to fix, which is always our prerogative. Since we do know our house much better after the report we can be sure we are making the sale with full disclosure. That feels like peace of mind to me.

I’m glad we had the inspection.

How would an inspection of  your house, right now, make you feel? Nervous? Confident?

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter H)

Shirleyjdietz3 Comments

This was written ahead, but yesterday was way too full to even sit down and post it. The painter is coming and I only had a partial day to clean before him. We  don’t want to paint over dirt (anymore). 

H for Handyman

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The handyman list was the longest.

There are very few houses that would not benefit from the services of a handyman. The name is so apt. Any smart homeowner should know at least two of them. Over the years we have not always fixed things that were not crucial to daily operations. Now that we are getting ready to sell, we have a lot of catching up to do.

After the home inspection, I ended up with several to-do lists. One of them was for the handyman. The realtor gave me the name of one that he trusted, but this man was booked up for weeks. That’s why I’m saying that you need to know of more than one.

I, fortunately, have a realtor who has done time as a contractor/handyman. And because he like to gets houses on the market as soon as possible, he sometimes steps down and grabs his tools again. I also know a multi-talented Hispanic friend, Joe, who does work for me when he’s not doing cement contracting. On day one of tackling the list,  Joe was working with the caulk gun when Tory, the realtor, showed up. To my surprise, a few seconds later they were chattering away in Spanish and had several list items all figured out. Teamwork is sweet.

Joe often stores his ladders and ropes at our house, probably because our house always needs pressure washing and those are necessary tools. Joe is very good at yard work too. I can ask him to make it look nice, and he figures out how. After seeing “the list” he got busy and worked on places where the siding was loose and where caulking was needed. He cleaned all the gutters and downspouts. A week later Tory spent a whole day doing finishing carpentry and replacing small areas of bad wood. He removed the barrier fence around the second story patio that was going to be re-roofed. These guys have tools and know how to use them. It’s a beautiful thing to see.

What I appreciate about Joe is that if something is broken, he will always try to fix it. He has an optimism and a curiosity about how things work and he is sure he can make that broken thing work fine again. I take advantage of that and give him my broken appliances just for the relief of having them off the premises. Today he took a washer and a stove. Made a nice big empty spot in our garage.

I am a handy woman, and although I’m not quite as handy as a handyman, I got a lot done yesterday. My favorite tool is a drill. My favorite thing to do with it is remove screws. All of our kitchen cabinet fronts are getting painted white so all the doors, had to be removed and the hardware completely taken off – several hundred screws I would say. And then I had to scrub them all. The whir of the drill and the aroma of bleach… handywoman ambiance.

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This is not the first time I’ve been photographed with a drill in my hand.

Do you have a handyman? You should. Get one before you have a crisis. Just sayin’…

A to Z: Selling Our House (Letter F)

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Yesterday I breathed a lot of bleach fumes (an F word), scrubbing tile grout in the rental house, so today I mowed and did yard work in the fresh air and sunshine. The renters moved some more things out after work but are now exhausted. They asked if they could come back to clean in the morning. “Well, of course you can,” said I. 

F for Floors

Deciding to sell our house awoke a whole set of fears I didn’t know I had. One of them was the fear of people walking into our house with a critical eye and saying “what on earth were these people trying to do with their floors?” Floor fear.

Although I love things to be visually beautiful and pleasing, I’m not really a fussy person. If you combine that with my other fear of spending too much money, you get a house full of floors that resemble a quilt, with surfaces changing as you pass from room to room.

I pretty much hate carpet, at least for my family’s lifestyle, so we have done away with it. About ten years ago I put cork flooring in the kitchen and dining room. About the same time I went for interlocking bamboo in the living room and hall. The money ran out so I decided to paint the cement in my bedroom and lived with it for years.  I finally put cork down there too, because I love the way it feels, but it wasn’t the same cork as the kitchen floor.

Vinyl sticky back tiles went down in the guest bath and laundry room – that was probably a mistake. The daughter living at  home at the time tried to stop me, but again, the money… I learned my lesson so when we upgraded the master bath we splurged on ceramic tile. The holdouts have been the guest bedroom, which has the original, dark, shiny, sheet vinyl and the lanai which has the original green indoor-outdoor fake turf. Original means 30+ years.

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My flooring “quilt”. At least they are all soothing, woodsy colors – like the forest floor.

I’ve watched those shows on HG TV. Those renovators snobbishly rip out perfectly good floors just so they can have their seamless beauty running consistently throughout. I might do that too if I had a house no one was living in, and $50K to spiff things up a bit. But no, as I said, I’m not fussy. In fact, I’m fairly happy walking on any surface that isn’t slippery, sticky or covered with dangerous objects.

Our rental house has even more ancient flooring, and it’s there that I’m most tempted to put down something new. But suppose I put down something I liked but the new owner did not. What a waste of time and resources! How to make it appealing and contemporary without wasting time and money… that is the question.

My sign for F was taken in Hayward, Wisconsin. The Feed Mill really is a feed mill and has sold animal food  and field/garden seed since I was a small child. 

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