Day 73- May 24, 2020

Day 73- May 24, 2020

I woke up this morning, looked at my phone, and practically flew out of the bed.  It was 9:55, and one of R's good friends from school is moving back to Japan, and there was a drive-by parade for her at 10.  Thankfully, it was around the corner, but I still had to get my contact lenses in, grab Riley (shoes were not to be), and since I didn't see my keys right away, jump into Jeff's pick up truck and drive the half mile to the line up of cars.  Fortunately, there was a l-o-n-g line, and we pulled off arriving at exactly 9:59, one minute to spare.  Jeff's truck has a sun roof, so I allowed R. to carefully stand up and stick her head out as we turned the corner by her friend's house.  I know this is likely the last time we're going to see her- this move to Japan is permanent, and her living here was a temporary thing.  I'm hoping the girls can stay connected through Facebook Messenger for Kids, but I know that's not the same as in-person time, and it's sad to see her go.

My mom is officially putting her house on the market.  It's been bittersweet, knowing that we have been helping her prep for this, but also coming to terms with my childhood home being sold.  Many of my best memories are in that house- my first kiss with my husband was on the front porch, right after he asked me to be his girlfriend.  My parents brought home two different puppies to that house, Greta and Allison, and my sister and I staged more skits, shenanigans and half-brained ideas than most children could even dream about.  My best friend lived next door, and our dads created a path from my yard to hers through the woods that we spent every free moment in.  We hosted epic Memorial Day parties in our 20's (responsibly- we always informed the neighbors, checked ID's and made sure no one drove drunk).  There were bands who played on the back deck, friends I snuck into the house at all hours, and my sweet sixteen that transformed the garage into a twinkle-lit fantasyland.

The living room- home to countless Christmas mornings

And now, it's just too much house for my mom to handle.  I can't afford to buy it from her, so we are in the final weeks of prep before it hits the market.  A friend of mine, who lives down the street, mentioned on Facebook that she was looking for a new home, and I sent her a description of mom's.  She's driven by a million times (she literally lives a block away, and once helped save my mom's dog by stopping before she could reach the busy intersection a few doors down),  and I offered to let her through today if she wanted (wearing all the precautions necessary, like gloves and a mask).  Our daughters are on the same soccer team, and we were able to organize an impromptu playdate while I showed her around.

The back porch, site of several late-night
gatherings with my friends

It's interesting to see your home through someone else's eyes.  It made me proud that she loved the house so much (she's trying to figure out if they can swing the asking price), and it was fun to tell the stories behind some of the rooms, like the time my sister and I tried to create a hole between our bedroom closets in order to create one big closet.  Little did we know that plaster was not easy to remove.  Somewhere around age 37, I got a rather testy call from my mother, where she began the conversation with "What were you and Nicole thinking when you made this hole in the wall?!".  I'm rather happy it took her a solid 25+ years to figure out the hole was even there.

After she left, I went around the house, taking some preliminary photos and creating video tours of the rooms, in case we want to go in that direction.  We'll likely get a professional, but I was curious what I could put together, just in case.

The girls and I also stopped by the house Jeff is working on, and I put the finishing touches on the ceiling in the master bedroom while he began cleaning the cabinets and sanding them down (the first steps for painting them).  The girls were allowed inside the home for the first time, since the carpeting is totally done and the paint is finally dry.  They took off their shoes, and rolled around, exclaiming "it's soooo soft!".  The lawn was also mowed this week, and so when they tired of the carpet, they were able to run around outside and play soccer.

In looking at the comps, I think she's going to do very well on this sale (way better than we initially thought), and that makes me really happy for her.  Jeff and I have also been planning how to make the best usage of this time for his growing business.  Real estate is largely based upon referrals and word of mouth, but we're thinking we can also advertise him as someone who can help get the most bang for your buck for people looking to sell homes that need a little bit of work.  He can help with the labor (or has an arsenal of contractors and subcontractors that we trust) and can make some small tweaks go a long way towards increasing the sales price of the house.  He's also worked with a few people from out of town, going out of his way to make videos of walking through homes, creating detailed notes about towns and their offerings to send (along with internet links, descriptions, and photos).  In one case, he actually had me come with him to do a Skype call, so he could walk around showing features in a house, and then walking through town, while I held the camera.  I don't know too many people who would do that in freezing temperatures.  He's really good at what he does, and I'm really proud of him for finding a profession that suites his personality and means he's helping others.  There's nothing quite like helping someone find a home.