Now, we nervously enter into showing our house. We had two showings yesterday and at least two tonight. No news yet. The biggest challenge will be maintaining the cleanliness of our house. Especially with a newborn whose schedule is erratic, but we knew that going into this. My strategy so far has been to simply clean as I go. If I have a tea, I clean up everything involved immediately. If I take out a toy for Henry, I put it away when he is done. And of course, I buzz around during his naps to tidy anything else I've missed, and to straighten and re-straighten beds, picture frames and the like.
I've had a few people ask why we didn't try to sell privately this time. The truth is, it is too much hassle with a baby. And to add to that, we just wanted to keep the sale impersonal. It will also hopefully make the house sell quicker, too!
With our house for sale, we are also officially looking for a home!
Luckily for us, we have lots of connections in the downtown area where we want to move. That means a lot of people who are keeping their eyes and ears open for any upcoming homes for sale. We are also scouring MLS, although not much has been up this past week.
We have decided that we are going to be veeeery picky when it comes to which home we choose, since we are hoping that whatever home we buy will be a permanent one. Joe and I are still in the process of deciding what exactly we NEED in a home (vs. what we want!) Amazingly, this has changed since we bought this house a year and a half ago (that list can be found here).
Some of the "must-haves" on our list are:
- The perfect location (We have specifically decided where we want to live already. No exceptions!)
- A garage and/or large shed (at least room for our bikes!)
- At least 3 bedrooms
- At least 2 bathrooms (and preferably -almost certainly - a main floor bathroom)
- Adequate storage (more can be added in time!)
- A decently-sized backyard
- Good layout
Some of the things that are the "good-to-haves" would be:
- Finished attic and/or basement
- Fireplace
- Nice flooring (wood/tile preferred!)
Our list is actually much smaller this time around. However, most of the homes in the area we are looking at are older, and often don't have things like a main floor bathroom, or storage (period!). So, we may need to be flexible in some ways in order to get a good house in the location we want. For example, we might let something slide if it is something can be added fairly easily and within a reasonable budget.
Some days we feel like we are up for the challenge of re-doing another house... maybe even a complete overhaul! Other days we dream about buying a house that is perfectly finished. I guess it depends on what comes up.
Send good vibes our way and wish us luck!
Looking for a house that has what you need versus what you want is a good mindset to have when it comes to house hunting. As far as being flexible is concerned, you can factor in the price of the house you’re looking at, the work that needs to be done and then its costs. If that balances out with your price range, there's good reason to consider putting down an offer. Having said all that, I wish you and your family the best with the buying and selling. -Calvin Mordarski@City Block Team
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