Building towards a complete life overhaul....might take a while but determined to do it

triple_choc_chip

Oh definitely get those decorations up! I’m in a similar position this year, just me and my son whereas I usually have between 6 and 9 people staying. I forced myself to do it last week and it’s definitely made the house in December look ‘normal’. Now only the week from Xmas eve to NYE will be different. 

southern_chick

Hi MT with the estate agents makes sure you go with one who will only charge you if they actually sell your house!  There are a few who charge whether they sell or not but most only charge when they do sell so something to look out for.  Good luck with it all. It isn’t the easiest thing to do but will be worth it in the end. 

I’d definitely put the decorations up, it might just be you at home but you’re worth decorating for 🎅🏻☃️ 🎄 xx

mumblingtaff

joedenise said:

I'd say get in at least 3 estate agents for a valuation.  When we sold our house I wanted to go for the middle valuation but DH decided it would be best to go for the highest as we could drop the price if necessary.  The problem with that is you just don't get the people through the door; so I would say definitely don't go with the highest estimate!

You may be lucky and they all value at around the same level in which case you can just go with the agency with the lowest charges or the person you think is the friendliest.

Thank you!
Definitely food for thought - there's a lot to consider.....
Going to do the house walk around and make a list this afternoon and see how many things need doing and what can be done by me. I don't want to spend too much on the house as I'm leaving it but there are a few bits that need sorting.

Had a busy morning - have walked the dog between monsoon downpours and got nicely wet (will have to go again this afternoon but its chucking it down at the moment), have done all my school work, sorted out the dry washing, wrapped the presents for posting using paper left over from last year, been in the attic to get the tree down and put it up and then had to hoover the whole house again - tinsel gets everywhere! Putting the tree up did make me feel a bit more festive after talking to mum again - will just have to make the best of it and get on with it this year. Started me thinking about Xmas day and food etc - I normally have a houseful and the fridge and cupboards are bulging at the seams and it all costs a fortune. Will just do a normal shop with a few extra bits as treats for me and the dog. There's no point in cooking Xmas dinner just for me and I'm not really a fan anyway so will have something that I actually enjoy for a change. Going to try to exercise every day over the holidays- either gym or run - I did it last year and felt so much better for it. Counteracting the indulgences.....I actually lost weight over Xmas last year!

Just had a mince pie for dessert after lunch - need to walk that off later - nice though!

mumblingtaff

Thank you Triplechoc and Southernchick - you were hiding on the next page!
Your thoughts are very much appreciated!

Sarahwithlove

Hello, I agree with others, get more than one valuation, make sure you only get charged if sell the property, see what companies houses in your area are up with and start there. Negotiate as well. If one offers a better fee but isn't as friendly or doesn't seem as convincing go back to other company as often they can price match it. 
You'll be surprised the things people overlook when looking around a property so don't do anything that's gonna cost too much as its unlikely to make much of a difference. 

mumblingtaff

Thank you Sarah! Great advice.
I've made a list of things that need doing and the vast majority of them are small jobs that I can do myself. There are a couple of jobs like changing plug sockets and the external light that are beyond me but everything else is either cosmetic (quick coat of emulsion) or fiddly little tasks that I've ignored. When I did a proper stock take of the house and tried to view it through someone else's eyes it was actually quite interesting - there's no clutter at all, everything is clean, it's modern (but could do with a new kitchen, but I'm not going to do that) and looks generally well looked after.

I'll tackle one room at a time - I've divided all the jobs into rooms - some have one small thing to do, others a few more but nothing too taxing. Then there's the spare room to emulsion (already have the paint, new bedding, light shade etc) and the lower half of the hall and stairs to paint. I was going to get the decorator to do it (above and below the rail that runs about half way up the wall) but having had a good look at it, the top half, ceilings and doors are absolutely fine and the bottom half (which is a different colour) is grubby from the dog - I can do that! It will freshen it all up and give that clean and new good first impression.

I'll try to get the following done before the new year....

• emulsion hall and stairs (bottom half)
• decorate spare room
• 3 little living room jobs (probably 1 hour max)
• 1 bedroom job (1 hour max)
• study - get rid of the last of the ages old school stuff I won't need, give paintwork a wash down (couple of hours)
• downstairs loo - new light fitting as cheap as possible
• reseal the kitchen sink - might need help with this one - wash down paintwork, clean the oven
• bathroom - light fitting, new plug for the bath, fix towel holder dowel
• gravel for thinning outside small patch in corner of the garden(1 bag should do it)
• power wash the drive (borrowing next door's washer)
• clean the outside downstairs windows and sills

I'll ask locally if there's a handy man that can do the few jobs that I can't - there's usually someone on the estate that's helpful with contacts.

Lots to do but I'm motivated to get it done and it will help pass the Xmas holidays when I'm home alone

mumblingtaff

Forgot to add that the shower room and conservatory need a bit more attention but I'm going to do the bare minimum necessary - not spending any considerable amounts of cash on them,

Sarahwithlove

Wow that's lots of little jobs. Don't go too crazy. Generally estate agents say not to bother too much as most people will want to go in a pit their own stamp on the place and you can't guarantee that the colour scheme you choose will be what they want. 

southern_chick

It certainly sounds like a good use of your time over the Christmas holidays and definitely a good idea not to spend too much money.  Just spend what you need to to get it sold xx

Honeysucklelou2

I find that with my house too, the bottom parts of the walls get painted much more often due to the dogs brushing past and making it grubby. Good idea to get the tasks listed.