House Preparation

Things my house needs before we can put it on the market:

• Finish the kitchenette downstairs. Rex has the tile laid for the counter tops but there are a few places where they need to have some more grout added. Once that is done, Amy and I can finish staining the cabinets and Rex can hook up the plumbing to the sink.
• Clean the fridge. This has dust from the tile saw and just needs a good wipe-down.
• Finish painting the downstairs ceiling. Most of this is finished but there are still some places in the middle that are not finished.
• Clean up the floors downstairs so carpet can be laid. Carpet needs to be ordered and paid for, first. Hmmm… That presents a tiny bit of a problem but not terrible – just need some extra funds.
• Hang the curtain at the other family room window. It’s bought – just needs to be hung. Me on a ladder doesn’t go over so well, unless I’m speaking “over” in a completely literal sense.
• Add caulking to Isaiah’s window. For some reason, there’s breeze blowing in there. Got the caulk; just need to get it added.
• Replace light bulbs. This sounds like a no-brainer, but let me repeat… Me on a ladder doesn’t go over so well.
• Clean and organize the garage. Get things ready for the garage sale. Sort through Ron’s tools and figure out which ones are going and which ones are staying. The first pile should be the biggest. I hope. Trying to part a man from his tools is like trying to part a man from his tools.
• Stretch and clean carpet. Doesn’t sound like that big of a deal to get this done; just need to find who does it and how much it will cost.
• Outside beautification. The ducks probably don’t count as beautification. Mama duck is pretty adamant that I’m not getting in that flower bed anytime soon. So, will see what can be done on the other side of the sidewalk. Would like some stuff done in back, especially around the utility stuff but not sure what.
• Clean stuff off the deck. Only thing I want left on there is the grill. Need to get a little table for 2 and a couple of chairs. Not sure that is in my budget, though. Wait… I don’t have a budget. I’m “stealing from Peter to pay Paul” as it is.
• Touch up painting and wall repair on the inside. You know how wheelchairs can scuff up walls and doors? You don’t? Well, come on over to my house and let me show you. While you’re there, don’t be surprised if I put you to work.
• Replace the sink and faucet in the kitchen. These are purchased (thank you, Amy) and ready; just need to be installed.
• Paint Isaiah’s room a lighter color. Great color for a kid and it’s decorated so cutely with Cars-themed things. We love it, but as they say in the business sometimes you have to impersonalize something to make it attractive to others.

Who wants to be my knight(s) in shining armor and take care of these “little” things for me??? LOL!

Amy also has to decide on what she’s actually moving up to Rex’s. The light in Isaiah’s room needs to be replaced. It’s adorable, but not suitable for a basement bedroom. Need to get that swapped out so it can go in the garage sale pile. I know Amy has a buffet/china hutch that she’s going to sell. We have a coffee table, 2 end tables, and a sofa table set that I want to sell. I may also put my dining room and hutch set up for sale. We don’t need that big of a table and I don’t want to pay to move it. I also have a bedroom set – solid Oak – for sale. It’s a four poster bed (big headboard and foot board), triple dresser, mirror, and nightstand. It had two nightstands but Ron spilled water on the top of one so it’s not worth anything to sell. The mattress is nearly new (pillow top) and it cost $800 just by itself. I hope I can get $1,000 for the set. Amy thinks it’s too old to get that much money, but something made like that is pretty timeless and it’s still in perfect condition (I am a very careful person). We bought it in 1996 and, although we had two other pieces (a wardrobe and a tall dresser) that we have since sold, we paid almost $5,000 for the whole set. That was also without a mattress.

The garage sale should have a ton of household stuff in it. I am totally downsizing and only keeping things that really mean something to me and would be too hard to replace.

Like Ron.