Journal – July 15 2024
A Week in My Life – July 15 2024
Creating a list and checking it twice.
Sounds like something Father Christmas does but in reality when you are preparing to sell your TO DO list tends to get more added to it each time you check it.
You want to paint, you need to take down all the artwork. You want to tidy up a garden and need to fix a retaining wall.
Your list will multiply – if you let it. Sometimes we need to make a judgement call. Will this action improve the value of my home, is it necessary because it looks bad if I don’t fix it. Check the motivation for adding it to your list.
There are a number of things I have always wanted to do at home project wise. Are they worth doing? Or should we not do them and keep the money to spend on our new home (when we find it)?
It’s a cold and blustery day in Olinda today. It’s not a day to be outside painting that is for sure.
Would you create a rainy day column to your checklist? For all those things that you could be doing inside whilst the weather outside is cold and bleak?
I love the Hills in this weather when I am wrapped up warmly inside. I hope the power stays on and the trees stay up! This is a fairly universal request in rainy, windy times I would imagine.
It is great weather for the ducks that visit, chomping up snails and other creatures. The rabbits stay in their burrows and the horses in our paddocks stand miserably.
We visited Zach for his birthday and went to a brewery in Hastings for an early dinner. It was 6 at home and 12 degrees down there. It was still freezing and we still sought shelter that had a fire and a good heater.
Perhaps the degree of cold is irrelevant when we are warm in our homes?
This is a good lesson to check the airconditioning in any home that you are thinking of buying. In Winter we notice if the heating is working and forget about the heat of summer and the same in reverse in Summer.
It sounds slightly insane to test the heating units when you are viewing a home in Summer. I would ask the agent to turn it on during your second inspection. It’s a simple thing, like checking the hotplates and the oven (oh, and the fridge space). These are the convenience things that you want to be working when you move in.
Replacing hotplates and ovens can be tricky as the cavity spaces may not match the sizings of modern appliances. If you intend replacing the kitchen immediately then it may not be a big deal for you. In my next home, I want a wall oven and a dishwasher that is not at floor level. I would also like power points that are higher on the wall – like they do in retirement villages. It’s not important now but we don’t intend making another move any time soon and I want to be prepared for aging and possible mobility issues.
No stairs or minimal floor level changes would also be good. Realestate.com.au has a filter that you can add these days that includes accessibility features. The filters are only as good as the data entered by the agent or the admin person. It may appear that there are no stairs but they accidentally forget about the three stairs in the middle of the house.
I have had clients seeking no stairs who have immediately turned around and left an inspection on encountering stairs. From their point of view, mark the stairs clearly on your floorplans and consider the impact on the less able.
A Home for All Seasons, For All People
Paying attention to the features of your home and how it benefits a buyer.
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A feature is a fact about your home, the benefit gives buyers a reason to buy your home.
For example: the kitchen features a brand new wall oven which means you shouldn’t have any working problems like you might with an old oven plus you wont have to bend down all the time to check whether your cake is cooked.
A bit longwinded but hopefully makes the point.
A feature about my home. It sits on five acres of open land which gives the buyer great scope and usability.
It features four bedrooms, a study and three bathrooms which makes it great for guests as they can have their own private space.
Would your home appeal to a buyer with mobility or visual issues? Make it known to the agent if you are selling. They should realise but may miss how wonderful this is.
It surprises me as an advocate, that many agents don’t know the answers to the questions that my buyers ask. The really important things to my buyer that an agent will fob off. I get it, I understand, I was an agent for over two decades. Each buyer question should have an honest answer. If its a reasonable question about the home, a common question, then the agent should know the answer, even if they are the assistant to the main agent.
