Flexibility is key when working on an effort this large. When the weather was hot we worked indoors painting and when the weather cooled off nicely we went back outside for more yard work. Now as the weather turns cold we will head back inside.
As I write this I am sitting in the garage running our second garage sale in two weeks. I cannot believe how much "stuff" two people can jam into all the nooks that exist in a house. The office/bedroom is a perfect example. We were going to clean it out and move everything out so we could paint. When finished painting just the stuff for staging would be moved back in. In the office we had two bookcases, a loveseat sofa sleeper with ottoman, filing cabinet, computer desk, rolltop desk and of course the closet. It took us a week and a 1/2 just to get the stuff out of the ottoman, filing cabinet, computer desk, rolltop desk and the closet.. By that time it had cooled off so we went back outside.
Neglected maintenance accounts for most of the work that is being done, especially in the back yard. Whenever we had the gumption to do work outside we invariably concentrated on the front yard and then pooped out when that was finished so the back yard suffered. For the longest time we needed to clean the concrete in both the front and the back so the cooler weather allowed that opportunity. The powerwasher and a neat attachment for cleaning flat surfaces got a work out on the driveway, sidewalk and stoop in front, the patio and deck in the back.
After patching some of the concrete in front that had been eaten away by salt and after the concrete and the deck were cleaned we then sealed them. We may decide in the spring to paint the concrete in the front for better curb appeal but at least now we won't have to clean them again.
While it was still hot we cleared out the coat closet in the foyer and the linen closet in the hallway. All the wall hangings were removed and the furniture (hall tree, welcome posts, etc.) were moved out. The hall tree was in the country style so we chose a paint color in the same family but a lot darker and painted the hall tree. The walls were patched and painted and the closets were painted white. The bare minimum of stuff was returned to the closets so that we don't have to do that again.
In addition to garage sales we have attempted to sell some items on craigslist or ebay. For the longest time nothing sold but here recently things are picking up. We put things on craigslist and ebay that would be hard to sell at a reasonable price at a garage sale since everybody is bargain hunting.
We also found some time to visit our local RV dealership since they just got in a brand new floorplan that is appealing. We were able to see our favorite from this brand and the new floorplan and compare them side by side. Later this month we are driving to Chanute KS to visit the factory of our other favorite brand and see three floorplans we like there.
As more and more stuff heads out the door we can begin to see how big the place really is without too much stuff we had in it. We can also start to see the end of the trail, that is getting the house on the market, happening in early Spring. We did not waste an opportunity for marketing and hung signs in our garage sale stating house would be on the market in Spring 2009. We got a couple of nibbles because of the marketing so we are encouraged by that. Both nibbles are a couple of months away from seriously looking so our timing just might mesh with theirs.
I hope my next blog post will be travel related; I am hoping to do my historical review of Albuquerque in the very near future so stay tuned.
Till next time,
Bob & Jo
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NOTE: See our photos from places we have visited at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobandjotravel/sets/
