A Few Thoughts on Selling Our House

...or what we learned from this reno:

1. No one notices that the main floor (or the house overall for that matter) is lacking one fireplace. It is hilarious when people realize there IS NO fireplace; some can’t even believe we had the guts to remove it (in a good way). My take-away from this is that the original location of the fireplace was all wrong and removing it didn’t detract from the house, but enhanced the open feel we wanted to achieve.

2. Our current playroom, which I was going to turn into a piano room down the road, is PERFECT size for a concert piano. Who would have known?

3. It is infinitely gratifying to see the house being appreciated by visitors. Me, as the unofficial “designer”, and hubby as the official handyman LOVE all the positive responses we’re getting. We had early on decided to be true to our style and esthetic and NOT reno for resale, so it is so lovely to see that people get “us” and our take on living. There was so much thought put into practicality of things, I’m so glad it is appreciated.

4. My biggest concern was that we went against the grain and did natural oak floors (vs. dark stain) and a white kitchen (vs. a dark kitchen). People seem to really like the colour scheme, and I”m so relieved.

5. Little details are definitely paying off. Like the extra tile on walls in bathrooms and ceilings is the little cherry on top. It was an inexpensive (but labour intensive) detail that everyone is noticing.

6. Mixing appliance finishes (white and stainless steel) is not a problem at all when done strategically. I chose white dishwasher and fridge to feel “integrated” with the high gloss cabinet doors. Again, a small detail that is paying off large.

7. Keeping the house spotless is a headache. On the other hand, if we can totally manage doing it right now (with all the other things going on) what’s keeping us from doing it at any other time?

8. Hubby and I make a great team.

PS. The photo I took last spring in our back yard. In a way I feel it is so appropriate here. We are looking for a fresh start. It is a tentative, first step. Vulnerable and precious as baby sprouts. But give it time, sun and water and it will become a mighty plant. My hope is our plans follow the same pattern. I've got lots of things I want to talk about on here. About home ownership, square footage, living with kids, lifestyle, etc. So so so many things flying around my head that need room on paper or screen. As much as I'm doing this for me, I hope you will find the next few months of the blog interesting too!