Monday, May 16, 2005

Everything In It’s Place

Anyone that knows me well, like Nancy (Scrappyknees) knows that I am at time very Anal about things. And in my previous life (before retirement I was a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force) I knew just how to “square away” items, and clean for “white glove” inspections. Did a few of them myself, and I have high standards, and higher ones for myself!

We are MOVING! It is official and yes, orders are in hand, can anyone shout FIGMO for us? (“Fudge-it,” got my orders!)

This means we are selling our first house. This means Sandy (that's me) is getting really anal about keeping an IMMACULATE house. “Wipe the sink, don’t leave water spots.” “Take ALL your stuff upstairs, and PUT IT AWAY, not leave it on the floor.” And other less endearing orders to the household.

And I am freaking out between the things we must do to SELL a house, (Staging anyone? Open House?) to panic over getting a mortgage approved before we can even LOOK at another house at the other end. It’s is a VERY HOT sellers market in the Baltimore-D.C. area, multiple offers and prospective buyers waiving inspections, paying much more than the advertised asking price and other things. We just got a fact sheet from a Real Estate Agent there about “How to Win the Bidding Game.”

Am I scrapping? No, I’m afraid that if I pull anything out there will be a call that someone wants to see our house and please clear out. I have boxes and covered totes ready for the flurry of “clean and go.” And I’m considering keeping “Princess” stuff in the car so she can join me in these mini exiles.

Every spot on the floor MUST be wiped and every mark on the walls painted over. I am freaking out over the fact that the old blinds have lost their control rods (we still have them, but the little metal connectors long ago before we bought the house gave up the ghost). Our “fixes” are not working anymore, so… Will that keep someone from buying???

There are “burn” spots in the backyard, we have a dog, and yes she does pee and make doggie droppings, and that’s a good thing. We can pick up the poop, but the urine burns… Will that keep someone else from buying???

And the kicker – I have this nagging belief that NO ONE on the other end, the people we will be buying from, whomever they are, are not doing the same for us. They are not scrubbing every speck of dirt, vacuuming every pet hair, or even repainting, it’s a HOT market for them, it’s enough that they are selling. I hope they are at least cleaning the stove/range and refrigerator.

It has taken a toll to get the things done here, and to face “doing that again” but with a drastically reduced budget is not making me happy about this move. I have moved over 16 times during 22 years of military service, not once was it to someplace that was ever cleaner than where I last left.

And so it goes…

1 Comments:

At May 20, 2005 4:11 PM, Blogger Mimi said...

Good luck, Sandy! We have clients going into the DC area, and I'm hearing what you're hearing - very, very hot market!

Keep me posted!

 

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