August 14th, 2012
Ready to List! A Final House Tour
It’s strange to have gone from a normal summer to Full On Real Estate mode in two weeks flat, but somehow I’ve arrived here and this week our house is being listed! Since this was unplanned I’ve still been working with lots of design clients, but the evenings and weekends have been packed with finishing touches to make sure that the house looks as good as it possibly can.
The backyard set up for showings
The biggest checkmark off the To Do list so far has been having the hardwood floors re-done. Usually this is an incredible hassle, and expensive too. You have to move out of your house for a week while the floors are sanded & sealed with chemicals. And with floors that are old as ours (over 100 years old!) once they’ve been refinished too many times, they can’t be refinished anymore and have to be replaced. We’d been told that ours was in this situation- there was barely anything to sand, and it would be a very delicate job.
Thankfully I was looking into a solution last week and found an amazing company called Mr. Sandless that has a 100% eco friendly process that uses an enzyme (or chemical? I’m unsure about the details) to refresh the wood without sanding, and then uses quick drying sealer that’s dry enough to walk on that same day. It uses no harmful chemicals so you can even stay in your house that same night, and move your furniture back the next morning! And it’s less expensive than refinishing the floors the traditional way.
We just had it done yesterday- check out this before & after, I’m so happy with the results!
Before:
The finish was completely worn off in large areas of the floor
After:
Ta Da! I love the results and am so happy that the house looks its best. It has so much character that it’s great to know that it can really shine because of it, rather than having someone look at the house and feel like there’s still one big thing to do.
While we came a long way from the original bee stencils that were everywhere but we took off my beloved wallpaper so it would be more widely appealing. (Sad face)
Ah, the built in day bed. This was my craft room at home for a very long time, but we’ve made it into a computer/reading room so it’s easier to imagine. I did make a cute little sewing and knitting themed vignette on the book case though, just in case a crafty soul walks through.
So I’m suddenly living in a land of open houses and showings, take out food and wondering. While I’m nervous about what will come, I’m trying to remember that we’re doing everything we can as well as we can, and that I have to trust in that.
The (very sweet) bad little dogs are with Jesse’s parents for the next week, and from Thursday on we’ll be camping out at the studio in the evenings while people start walking through and imagining if it could be their home. We’ve had so many important moments inside and have put so much time into it (remember the Great Shanty Removal of 2010?) that I thought it would be harder to say goodbye, but mostly I’m excited for someone to walk in and fall in love with it so I can start really dreaming about the new house and planning our move.
Offers are next Wednesday- until then I’m going to try to be as cool & calm as I can be.
If you need me I think I’ll be alternately diving into client work with everything I have, pretending to be more calm than I am with the hopes of tricking myself, and holding my head between my knees so I don’t faint. ;)
It’s not fair that I’ve already seen your FB update about your house. But, truly, it looks like you did everything you needed to show off the house and de-personalize it from your effects. Nice job!
So much work to get your house cleaned and ready. Congrats on the finished phase!
Kacie
Your house is so lovely, Kyla! Bright and warm and cheery. I’d buy it! If, of course, I was in the market for a house in Canada… :)
Best of luck in selling!
It looks beautiful!
The floors look great. What a fast alternative!
Good luck; I hope someone falls for this home ASAP. :)
Don’t you wish your house was this clean and nice all the time? Or maybe it is? I feel like if I had to sell my house and fixed it up a bit + cleaned up to make it “sell”, I would fall back in love with it and have second thoughts haha.
Your little house (and yard) are so cute! I can’t wait to see your new house :)
Um, young lady, please tell me about that amazing tattoo.
Your home is cute as ever, but I can’t wait until you show us pics of your new dream home :)
What a lovely home! I’m sure someone will snatch it right up.
It looks amazing! I’m sure someone will fall in love with it in no time! Ps. I love that your arm tattoos & leg tattoos are on opposite sides. Mine are also balanced!
Such a cute little house! I’m sure the new owners will love living in a house that you put time and love in to.
Have you though of leaving a letter to the new owners? My friends when they moved into a new house, the previous owners left a letter explaining the history of the house and the love that they put into it, wishing them many years of love and enjoyment as well. I think it’s cute.
I completely know how exciting it is to find the house from your dreams.. we just moved into ours a few weeks ago! When it was first listed I fell in love but didn’t think we could afford it with bidding wars, but sure enough it was still for sale 3 weeks later, AND we got it for less than list price.. how often does that happen in Winnipeg lately? You’re going to have so much fun settling into the new place, congrats Kyla!!
Oh wow! The house is looking so bright and beautiful! It will def get snapped by some happy, craft soul! We are about to refinish our floors at the moment, so this post couldn’t have come at a better time!! That end result is stunning – and yay for shorter down time! I’ll have to check if they have something like this is Oz for us. Thanks so much for the tip!!
And good luck with it all!
Luvluv,
Sway xx
Your floors look so great. I’ve been thinking of refinishing mine, but it seems like a giant hassle, so I’m glad to see there’s a faster, eco-friendly option out there.
Thank goodness, right? I can’t imagine leaving my house for 4 – 5 days, it would be such a hassle. It’s a US based company and was much less expensive than I thought- if you do take the plunge I totally recommend looking at them :)
Aww babe, so exciting!
You keep teasing that new tattoo… I want to hear stories and see close up pictures!!
Ha! I know, it’s unintentionally shown up in two posts so far! I finally have some beautiful photos though, and I’m definitely sharing them this week or next :)
The house looks awesome. I love the floors! You will get great offers!
I’m excited for you! Especially aince this was an unplanned perfect surprise, it just feels like it was meant to be.
Looks like you have been working so hard to get that baby sold! I am sure someone will fall in love with it soon. You have such good taste.
I reeeeaaally cannot wait to see a tour of the NEW house!! Like, I’m beyond excited. My husband and I know the feeling of living in an outgrown space (all too well!), but we plan on staying in our house for another year while we fix it up and get it ready to sell. So, in the meantime, I will have to live vicariously through your new house adventures. :)
Good luck with the updates, Jenny. That sounds like a big undertaking, but you get so much back for what you put in. Honestly, knowing that we’re selling has made chores start to feel like investments, and they’re a little easier to do with that mindset! My only advice is to buy ice packs before you start. I’ve never been so sore in my LIFE! ;)
The floors looks amazing!! I hope that someone recognized the gem that your house is and snatches it off the market! It really is such a sweet home and I think this is the ideal time to show it, especially with your nice little garden!!
Confession: I’m torn about if I leave my pretty, ripe tomatoes out for the showings, or if I pick them and eat them now! What if someone steals them?? lol
aw your place is so cute and i know some new family will make it home soon! love it.
Thank you Katelin! I’m hoping that’s the case. I’m so curious about who will end up living here, and because we’re moving just a block away I think I’m going to have to walk by, all stealthy and casual once we move out ;)
So pretty! Someone will definitely fall in love with it! “…just in case a crafty soul walks through.” LOVE. (Also, how have I not seen that tattoo on your leg?
It’s such a cute little place, I know someone will snatch it up immediately!
such an amazing transformation Ky!!! Looks sooooo good :)