After renting the home out for several years in its original state, the time came for me to finally move in. I had spent months day dreaming about all of the improvements I'd hoped to make, and the time had arrived. Time, equity and a home equity loan!!
I was pretty much decided on all things cream. Not that I'm not much more exciting than my chosen colour scheme would suggest... but.. well... I figured that if I wanted to rent or sell it in the future, cream was a better choice then 'apricot'.. (just as an example).
I chose some beautiful tiles in 'almond' (much more titillating than cream...yet....basically...cream). The colour of the walls was.. ummnn... well.... "White Secret". I think the secret was that it was kind of a cream colour. No surprises which colour I chose for the kitchen doors.... do I have to embarrass myself more?? Yes?? OK.... they were cream. But hey, I think the bench tops were decidedly stimulating.. and practical. They were imitation granite, with flecks of....cream. The bathroom? Again, I won't spend too much time painting a picture... it was in 'neutral' tones. Gotta love erring on the side of caution... or am I just heinously dull?
So who did all the work? Well... I am very lucky to have had a wonderful father figure named "Dave" enter my life... in the capacity of my mums 'significant other'. Dave is about the most likable and energetic man I've ever known. He's a great tiler, all round 'mister fixit', and his talents extend to just about everything in the realm of renovation. Dave spent weeks and weeks, possibly months renovating that home. He ripped down the disgusting arch in the lounge room. He put up the cornice work, put in new skirting, helped install the kitchen and did the whole bathroom himself. He painstakingly tiled the entire home in a diamond configuration. With a lot of help from my mum and a little help from me, it was glued and grouted to perfection. What a total transformation.
The kitchen was done by "Original Kitchens" and I have to say that Graham, the guy who came out and quoted me on design and price, made really good use of space. I think the kitchen came in at under $8,000 at the time, including the Italian appliances. They were a generic brand.. but hey... they were "Italian"!!
After the home was completed, I went out and splurged with some new furniture, a new TV and of course a stainless steel fridge. In hindsight, I was a complete IDIOT. I should never have spent good money on depreciating items... but these are the things we discover on our own. Despite my mothers protests, I went out and purchased everything new. I remember justifying this by telling myself that I was going to be tied to a mortgage for the next 25 years, and although I'd have bugger all to spend on a life... at least I'd be miserable in the comfort of some pretty 'trappings'.
Well... what can I say... many years on, and many moves later... most of the furniture is no longer in pristine condition. The fridge eventually got a bad scratch. One of the cushions on the new couch fell off in transit and was gouged by the car that ran over it. The white imitation leather chairs are now grubby and scratched. And the gorgeous puppy which was never quite house trained to perfection did some things on the expensive leather rug which I could just never get out. Furniture depreciates quickly, and glass furniture is no good with babies. Umm... yes... the lessons of life!
But I loved that home. I loved that my parents, (my mum and my 'new' father figure Dave) cared for me enough to expend their time and effort in making the home a livable place. I don't have any pictures of it when I first moved in.... but I think you'll agree that the more recent photos are a vast improvement.
I moved out of the home around six months after the original move into it. I basically got excited and wanted to buy my next property... but that'll have to wait for another post. The more recent history is that the last time I moved into the home, it was with my then fiance' Glen. He's now my husband. (Yay).
Glen did heaps to the home. He improved the garden with some tropical shrubs and palm trees, he put in some much needed concrete pads, and was the driving force behind getting it rendered. Glen, together with Dave and a great guy named Jim rendered the home. Then we painted it a very cool colour called "Fox Hunt". It completely altered the look of the house, and helped to reflect the personality of the the home.
Rendering a home has got to be one of the most rewarding jobs. The work involved in preparing the home was not that difficult, but I myself would never have the strength to do the actual rendering. Jim had been doing this as a trade for maybe 20 years, and he made it look like a piece of cake. Glen reckons he'd like to tackle a rendering project himself some time. He's more courageous than me!
Well, several months ago, Glen and I decided to place this much loved home on the market. It was again rented, as we had upgraded to a bigger family home together. I have to say, it was a very stressful emotional experience. Despite it being a small and modest home, it had been a very important part of my life. To me, it was proof, that a single, middle income girl, with no boyfriend, no future (OK.. I can be melodramatic), could have something tangible.. something secure. In a world where love seemed elusive, and relationships were something that 'other' people were successful in... I had my home. My house was the first thing which really gave me a feeling of self worth and self esteem.
Again, the tenants in place were just wonderful. This home had always been charmed when it came to the people who lived there. I've honestly never encountered a problem with any of the people who've lived there over the years. There were two contracts on the home, but they both fell over. In both cases I was unhappy with the price which was agreed to, so when the buyers tried to use the building and pest inspections as a price bargaining tool, I did what any self respecting seller would do. I dug my heels in. I really felt it was worth more. So, realising that the listing had probably gone 'stale' as well, I removed it from the market, and gave the tenants notice. I would have more control over the presentation of the home, moreover, my tenants were so great... I hated them being put through the open homes and didn't feel it was fair to them either.
When it comes to selling a home, the old adage that less is more, truly applies. Less clutter, less 'stuff', less distraction. When the tenants moved out, the house was listed empty for the first several weeks. This was not ideal either, so after a lot of umming and ahhing, my husband Glen and I bit the bullet and moved some of our furniture in. It was a vast improvement to having it viewed completely empty. We were both really happy with the results, and it didn't take too long to do it at all.
The house looked more like a home once we were done. I also knew that by making the effort, I would also be saving myself the useless feelings of regret I would be sure to have, had we done nothing at all. Hey, it made me happy. And the house went under contract for an additional $13,000. Not bad for a bit of a delay plus a full days work. Can I pat myself on the back now or what!!??
