When Life Gives You Lemons…

You know  you’ve had a weird week/month/time when you can recognize your car a mile away. Yeah, the one with 400 white droplets on it. The one that’s parked under a bamboo tree in your spot behind the house that the birds just love. Or sleep in. Or just shit in, and that you’ve had zero time or inclination to wash. That is only second to my house which I don’t recognize anymore. It looks like 6 teenage boys moved in for a month. I love my house. And car. I’m not sure why I’ve been treating them so badly lately. They just ‘are’. Like Buddha. Having said that,  my house was an assailant a few times in the last while.

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The Art of Fencing and Other Home Improvements

broken fenceAbout a year ago, I decided if the falling down crummy looking little bungalow on the next street got over $600K, I would sell my house. Well, it did, and I didn’t.

The picture I had in my mind of what I needed to do and how long it would take to get my house ready for sale, was fantastical. Which, suprised even me. After all, I am a real estate agent and I should know, from watching my clients readying their homes for sale, what it takes to get a house ready for the day that ‘For Sale’ sign gets hammered into the ground.

 

I do remember the first thing I did was run off to Canadian Tire to buy some plastic storage units and bubble wrap, and hired a painter and someone to refinish the wood flooring.  That much I accomplished. The fresh coat of paint looks great, the floor is fantastic, but the plastic storage units are still empty, and the bubble wrap is still in its own….bubble wrap.

I can’t remember what stopped me. I think it was life. I had no idea that selling my OWN house was something that I hadn’t really committed to. The idea was great, buying the storage units and cleaning supplies was fun, but the ACTUAL work and organization around it is something completely other worldly.

So, here we are, a year down the track and well, no, I haven’t sold. The crummy little bungalow on the next street not only sold last year, but was re-listed this year for $150K more and sold in a week. THIS time I thought, okay, I’m selling.

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Entering and…Cleaning?

I recently listed a new property for sale. It seems to be one of those funny experiences that I hope goes well for my client.
He’s an old favorite – even though he’s young – but is one of my first clients and has become a friend since we started wheelín’ and dealín’ together back in 2003. READ MORE

The Day it Rained … Forever

Recently I had the pleasure of joining my friends Linda and Al at their cottage up in Killarney Provincial Park. Yep, they are two of the few lucky peeps that are allowed to own a cottage inside the park. I believe they stopped the building of private cottages inside Parks over ten years ago.

They bought it from a trusty old nun who was giving the place up; age et al, and via word of mouth they heard and competed with several other interested parties to buy the cottage and got it. Must’ve been their history at the park. I think Al is one of the ‘veteran’ Friends of Killarney members and has been canoeing and camping there for 3+ decades.READ MORE