It's Tuesday

Jstump2

Happy Tuesday! The appraisal came back on our new house, a grand over our offer price. So no issues there with securing our loan. *sigh of relief* Our realtor is stopping by tonight for a walkthrough and to give some suggestions for staging. The photographer might be coming as early as next week. Cue mini-freak-out. We are actually in pretty good shape, the biggest thing that we need to do is a deep clean and that needs to be done right before they come I think. I want to pack up some of the kids toys too, I’ve been putting it off because they are toddlers and will inevitably want some specific toy as soon as I pack it away, lol.

Any other tips for last minute things we can do to make an impact? I just want to make sure we get top dollar for our current house.

Casadena

@Jstump2 Clean and tidy!!!!  It's amazing how many people can't see the potential in a house if there's too much stuff or not super clean.  Sounds like you're planning to do that anyway, but I could not believe the state of some of the homes we walked through a couple years ago when we were looking.  It definitely makes a huge difference I think!

Still no baby.  Working a bit this morning then taking a couple hours to prep for my interview that I am terrified about.  This is the first big interview I've really ever had where i'm actually expected to KNOW how to do my job.  I do, but it's nerve wracking.  Other times i've been fresh out of school or moved around at the same company to different/new departments. 

MissKittyDanger

@Jstump2 I'm guessing you already have, but declutter and show as much "space" as possible. So if you can move things back towards walls so it shows the spacious areas.
And declutter.
But these are probably items I'm sure you already did.

STARMOON44

Clean and tidy way way more than you think you need to them keep going. Pack winter clothes. Donate anything you don’t plan to move. Pack photos/trinkets/etc away. Clear your counters. Wash the windows, clean the baseboards. 

MissKittyDanger

I'll upload it later, but BK got herself dressed last night without help and she was so proud that she was PRANCING around.

Katie on Instagram: “Sheer delight and pride in herself 🥰”

The top and shorts are H&M 3T, which are baggy but not impossible. Shorts are also sans diaper.
M was having a shower, and BK stripped down thinking it was bath night - then got very upset when she realized it was not.
And she dislikes the shower - it freaks her out. No idea why. Loves sprinkler, loves rain. We figure sound and small area, but no idea.

Anyways as I pulled out a top, BK saw the shorts underneath {and shoes} and basically pulled them on lol
Why does she look older!?


Fun times is now that M is in office things are a bit busier. Making both lunches. M can't shower during the day. Etc.
We need to figure out the process all over again

CharmedPam

Speaking of house selling, join the FB group “zillow gone wild”, you’ll see some houses across the country that make you think “why did they think THAT was the best picture to represent?” It’s a crazy world out there!  GL with the sell.

ssdd for me.  I’m going to try to see “hitman’s wife’s bodyguard” after work.  I had tickets for yesterday but had to work late and I love the “right after work” timeslot. So no one better come at me 1/2 hour before I should be getting off with work to do!  

short+sassy

@Jstump2, Yeah, congrats!  Only a grand over the offer price?  Phew!  Though with a down payment there is always more wiggle room than that.  I've heard the sudden spike in housing prices is causing more problems with appraisals sometimes not meeting the offer price.  Where I live, appraisers usually ask what my offer price is.  Which, I'm not going to complain, but has always made me suspicious that they'll lean it higher if it's a close call.

These may/may not be needed, but I've heard one of the biggest bang for your buck in selling a house is replacing the front door or freshly painting it.  But if your front door is already in great condition, no need to do that.  I've found a cheap way to spruce up a kitchen is replace the cabinet hardware/pulls/knobs, if the current ones are basic or dated looking.

The rest of my advice is the usual stuff.  You'll have the deep cleaning covered.  Take down anything personalized, like pictures, trophies, specific knick-knacks, etc.  Make the closets and kitchen/bathroom drawers look spacious.  Even if that means taking out half the stuff in them, lol.

Wandering thoughts about closets.  My H and I took our closet doors down because they were those crappy folding ones that always come off track.  So now we just have no doors at all on any of our closets, lol.  We still have the doors.  Hmmm.  We should have thrown them away a long time ago but, since we didn't, maybe we should continue to keep them.  We've been talking about moving away in 2-3 years and we could re-install them for staging.  I should talk to him about that.  

MyNameIsNot

That's great news, @Jstump2! For selling, I would try to go ahead and box up at least half of your clothes. If your closets are half full, it gives the illusion of lots of storage. Take down the majority of your family and personal photos. When the photographer comes, open all the window coverings and turn on all the lights. 

SSDD here. Blerg Tuesday. I'm wrapping up a project that I'm kind of setting up as a favor for my former team that turned into a much bigger project than I'd anticipated. I will be so excited to mark this one complete. It's raining, so good day to put my head down and focus. 

Casadena

@Jstump2
Also, smell.  I remember a few houses we walked in that seemed really clean and well-kept but smelled like pets, or strong food odors, or were blasting so much glade plug-in stuff it was hard to focus on anything else.  Your realtor will probably have some suggestions, but fresh smelling is always great!!  I've read things like: boiling oranges or lemons with a cinnamon stick, put bleach or vinegar in a sink full of water and drain it right before people come over, peppermint spray (diluted peppermint oil) around door jams -bonus, it helps keep bugs away.  Little things like that!  

Jstump2

Thanks for the tips everyone! Luckily I am kind of a minimalist so my counters/dresser tops are pretty much always clean. We have a game plan together for some bigger items that we are going to remove for showings. Luckily we have an angel of a next door neighbor who is going to let us stash them in her garage! Things like cat towers, bigger kid items, etc. Speaking of our cats she is also going to watch them at her house for the weekend it goes on the market. She really is the BEST neighbor and we are going to miss her dearly.  

I think packing away winter coats/cloths might be the next task I tackle!

@shortandsassy we did a complete update on our bathroom and half-update on our kitchen. Original cabinets that we painted and updated hardware. We have a concrete countertop and Husband did tile backsplash. Our front door is actually freshly painted too!

 

Jstump2

As far as closets go my husband did these amazing built ins that I am going to miss! He already knows he has to Install them at the new house! Lol

MissKittyDanger

Casadena said:

@Jstump2
Also, smell.  I remember a few houses we walked in that seemed really clean and well-kept but smelled like pets, or strong food odors, or were blasting so much glade plug-in stuff it was hard to focus on anything else.  Your realtor will probably have some suggestions, but fresh smelling is always great!!  I've read things like: boiling oranges or lemons with a cinnamon stick, put bleach or vinegar in a sink full of water and drain it right before people come over, peppermint spray (diluted peppermint oil) around door jams -bonus, it helps keep bugs away.  Little things like that!  

We dealt with smells when showing - my mum was working so it was my dad and my job to clean - he would do litter box and I'd grab the trash and change it. Then we'd spray febreeze around - not too much so it wasn't over powering, but enough that it could hide lingering odors by trash and litter box.

Also peppermint oil mixed with water in a spray bottle - I use it by my doorway/windows around spring/fall time to reduce bugs that want in.

charlotte989875

I missed y’all yesterday because work was crazy busy. We had a great weekend. Baby M took his first steps! He looked so proud and surprised. Then he did it again at my sisters & everyone cheered. Then he cried because it scared him. 

short+sassy

Casadena said:

@Jstump2 Clean and tidy!!!!  It's amazing how many people can't see the potential in a house if there's too much stuff or not super clean.  Sounds like you're planning to do that anyway, but I could not believe the state of some of the homes we walked through a couple years ago when we were looking.  It definitely makes a huge difference I think!

Still no baby.  Working a bit this morning then taking a couple hours to prep for my interview that I am terrified about.  This is the first big interview I've really ever had where i'm actually expected to KNOW how to do my job.  I do, but it's nerve wracking.  Other times i've been fresh out of school or moved around at the same company to different/new departments. 

While I know that is true for single-family homes, it always makes me laugh at how different that is for multi-family homes which are usually going to be investors buying them.  Unless they are vacant, I have never seen a multi that was deep cleaned.  They usually aren't cleaned at all and almost always have clutter.  But investors need to look past that because it's easily remedied, so it doesn't matter.

I DO sometimes run into that issue if I'm showing a rental, while the tenants are still living there.  I'm always up front about that and I usually have a lease signed before the old tenants move out, which is why I don't wait.  I also preface the showings that the home will be deep cleaned when the current tenants move out.  But moving is a clutter-y time, when boxes and stuff are strewn everywhere and there are always a few people put off by that.

short+sassy

@charlotte989875, yeah Baby M and his first steps!!!!  That's so exciting!

@Jstump2, I am inspired by your closet built-ins!  I will speak for my H that he will jokingly side-eye you, for putting another home improvement project on his list.  Those look amazing.  If you all get any buyers even half as interested in storage as I am, they will definitely be a selling point, lol.

MissKittyDanger

Casadena said:

@Jstump2 Clean and tidy!!!!  It's amazing how many people can't see the potential in a house if there's too much stuff or not super clean.  Sounds like you're planning to do that anyway, but I could not believe the state of some of the homes we walked through a couple years ago when we were looking.  It definitely makes a huge difference I think!

Still no baby.  Working a bit this morning then taking a couple hours to prep for my interview that I am terrified about.  This is the first big interview I've really ever had where i'm actually expected to KNOW how to do my job.  I do, but it's nerve wracking.  Other times i've been fresh out of school or moved around at the same company to different/new departments. 

So it depends on the mess/stuff.
For me, I'm not a fixer so I don't want all the crap to be hiding flooring I have to replace.
That's the main issue.

When we were house hunting, one place was literally full of junk. They didn't prep anything, they didn't clean anything, etc.
Even our realtor was pissed - it was hard to see and you could see damages that needed to be refixed. It was not even close to "show ready" and apparently the other realtor had to pull it from market.

Also it's hard to see what the space looks like for your current stuff with too much around.

levioosa

Yay for first steps! @charlotte989875

I am sad today. My Aunt’s diagnosis is rough and it’s not at a great stage. I called my Mom last night to check on her too and that was really hard. My Aunt wants me to go to her next surgery so I can hear what the surgeon says afterwards. I need to talk to my manager about it in case that falls on a work day. I’m just sad and wish I didn’t have to be at work today.

Otherwise, SSDD. We are having some big staff issues and there needs to be a meeting about it and I’m just so annoyed with that in general. I just don’t have it in me to deal with pettiness and drama right now. We’re still being asked to take on so much extra work and nothing is secure with the “restructuring.” Also I paid $400 for the car repair shop to be like “we couldn’t find anything but there’s probably something wrong. Wow crazy we couldn’t find anything even though this is covered under warranty for another 15K miles. You’ll just have to bring it back after when it becomes worse.” 

missJeanLouise

Places are never cleaned before showings here. They will generally be empty but dirty. It is so aggravating. I mean, you can easily see what you are getting but people pay NYC prices for housing and you would at least expect them to be clean. They will generally have cleaners come the day before and do a "light clean" but I am still not impressed. 

I have been feeling pretty shitty the last few days. Part, I am sure, is pregnancy related, but part I think is because I ate too much candy on Friday and I have a sugar hangover from it. I had really cut out a lot of candy and sugar from my diet and I guess I really over did it. Getting old is stupid, lol.

DS took a bite of red pepper at dinner tonight and that is the most exciting thing that happened today. 

MissKittyDanger

charlotte989875 said:

I missed y’all yesterday because work was crazy busy. We had a great weekend. Baby M took his first steps! He looked so proud and surprised. Then he did it again at my sisters & everyone cheered. Then he cried because it scared him. 

YASSS BABY M!!

Forget, how old?

charlotte989875

MissKittyDanger said:

charlotte989875 said:

I missed y’all yesterday because work was crazy busy. We had a great weekend. Baby M took his first steps! He looked so proud and surprised. Then he did it again at my sisters & everyone cheered. Then he cried because it scared him. 

YASSS BABY M!!

Forget, how old?

10.5 months! 

short+sassy

levioosa said:

Yay for first steps! @charlotte989875

I am sad today. My Aunt’s diagnosis is rough and it’s not at a great stage. I called my Mom last night to check on her too and that was really hard. My Aunt wants me to go to her next surgery so I can hear what the surgeon says afterwards. I need to talk to my manager about it in case that falls on a work day. I’m just sad and wish I didn’t have to be at work today.

Otherwise, SSDD. We are having some big staff issues and there needs to be a meeting about it and I’m just so annoyed with that in general. I just don’t have it in me to deal with pettiness and drama right now. We’re still being asked to take on so much extra work and nothing is secure with the “restructuring.” Also I paid $400 for the car repair shop to be like “we couldn’t find anything but there’s probably something wrong. Wow crazy we couldn’t find anything even though this is covered under warranty for another 15K miles. You’ll just have to bring it back after when it becomes worse.” 

I'm sorry it's been bad news about your Aunt.  I hope you can get the time off work for her surgery day.  Do you live near her or would you have to travel?

That seems to have become the eternal fate of my MINI Cooper.  I had constant, slightly different problems for months.  Some of them were correctly diagnosed and fixed.  I took it to 3 different mechanics.  But the main problem has always been that the car randomly shuts off when I come to a stop or am making a turn.  It will come right back on again when I push the ignition button, but that's not very safe!  The problem is, no problems come up when they run it through their diagnostic software.  And the mechanic needs to have the problem HAPPEN while it's in the shop.  My car would be better.  For a little while, 1-4 weeks.  And then it would start up again.

They swore the last time they got it fixed, that they had figured it out.  Except I had it happen twice within the first few months after the last repair, which I think was about two years ago.  So the problem hasn't happened in over a year, but then I also don't drive the car that much since I don't trust it anymore, sigh.

MissKittyDanger

charlotte989875 said:

MissKittyDanger said:

charlotte989875 said:

I missed y’all yesterday because work was crazy busy. We had a great weekend. Baby M took his first steps! He looked so proud and surprised. Then he did it again at my sisters & everyone cheered. Then he cried because it scared him. 

YASSS BABY M!!

Forget, how old?

10.5 months! 

Whew! Early!
BK stood solo at 10.5m, but never let go to step until 2 weeks shy of her bday

charlotte989875

I’m so sorry @levioosa, how’s your aunt doing with the news? 

VarunaTT

I'm in a rough headspace.  I told my therapist that I had to keep such an iron grip on myself from February 22 through April 29, that I'm not surprised I'm having a rough time right now, but I'd give anything for it to be over.  I admittedly use alcohol to numb things and making the commitment to not do that, kind of sucks, but I still think it's healthy.  I'm just pissed at work all the time.  There was more drama last week and I've just sworn to stay in my office, do my job, and not talk to anyone.  People are noticing and asking if I'm okay.  I just say yes and go on about my business.

I did have a lovely time on Saturday.  One of my very good friends did his show, which is growing up as a queer individual in the Ozarks, with his ukulele.  It's all folk, country, and religious music, intertwined with his story.  I melted at Wildflowers, which I knew I would, I love that song.  We also recently had a friend who died by suicide, so when he hit that part of his story and what he sang, I melted down again.  It was a lovely show and it was really nice to be part of a big queer audience that wasn't centered around the bar or drag again.  I also met a nice woman in the audience when we were all hanging out afterwards, who I did slip my number to, but she hasn't texted, so oh well.  I spent most of Sunday recovering from Saturday b/c we were up late.

Jen4948

@Jstump2 and @charlotte989875 , congrats! Awesome news from you both.

@levioosa and @VarunaTT, I'm sorry to hear that respectively. Varuna, the show sounds like it was really nice.

My weekend went ok. Yesterday I was busy with work so I didn't have a chance to post here. Work is blah, but I am applying for other jobs in the hopes that a good new job will happen or this one will improve. We'll see.

Update: An inept recruiter just wasted my time with a bad interview. She failed to put in her job listing that the job she was recruiting me for (supposedly a remote one) only wanted local candidates and only revealed this after asking me a bunch of questions on the phone while humming between each question. 

MNNEBride

We went to funeral for my BIL yesterday.  It was a beautiful day.  The priest did a nice job (he didn't know BIL or family as they aren't church goers) and the military honors at the cemetery were moving.  Always nice to visit with family.  The funeral was pretty unorganized and I felt the funeral home needed to direct folks more but it went fine.  DH has taken the loss hard.

Back to work today and trying to catch up from being gone.  Found out on Friday that we won't be going back to the office and will work from home permanently.  That's OK as I'm settled in here.  I do miss seeing co-workers regularly so we'll need to work on doing some happy hours and such.

ei34

Yay for the first steps @charlotte989875! @Jstump2 I was going to say make sure that your closets are decluttered and nicely organized, but then saw your photo and you definitely have that under control! 

I’m sorry @levioosa, hugs to you and your aunt, mom and family 
Just trying to get grades in, this is finals/regents week and the last day of the year is Friday. 

ILoveBeachMusic

It is gorgeous here today! After working out, I did a bit of yard work then just sat in the sunshine for a while watching H do so stuff. Then talked with some neighbors. Now I need to start doing some needlework and Italian stuff while sitting on the porch. I know this low humidity perfect weather won't last long so want to take advantage of it!

Yeah for first steps @charlotte989875 -whew that is early though! @levioosa I'm so sorry about your aunt. I'm glad you will be able to be with her. @Jstump2 I'm sure you guys will get a good price on your place - it sounds like you have done all the things necessary and with the market right now it will sell quickly!

levioosa

@charlotte989875 she’s not doing well at all. My mom sent me the full pathology report this morning and it’s not good. The more I read it, the worse the prognosis gets. I feel sick and I can only imagine how my Aunt, her husband, my cousins and my mom and grandparents are feeling. 

short+sassy

Someone...please take The Amazon out of my hands, lol.

I have bought so much stuff over the last couple days and have a few more things I'm probably buying tonight.  

But in my defense, very few things have been "impulse".  It's mostly stuff I've been meaning to buy, so I'm taking the excuse of finding it cheaper during Prime.  Plus I love getting 6% back instead of 5% back on my Amazon card.  Even though I realize logically that it's only a bonus of an extra $1 for every $100 I spend.

I had to pull myself back from ordering a 24-pack of Monster Ultras, because I don't really need them yet.  Here was the devil/angel conversation in my head:

Devil short+sassy:  Buy it, buy it now!  It's not a Prime Deal, but you'll save an extra 1%.

Angel short+sassy:  That's only an extra 34 cent savings. Calm down. It can wait until you need it.

ILoveBeachMusic

I've gotten Christmas stuff bought on Prime Days so I'm counting that as a plus. I also bought some work out clothes that even though I  didn't really "need" them, I will at sometime during the next year - the prices were too good to pass up.