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Thursday 3 May 2012

Sentiment vs Selling

There have been some really tough decisions to make in putting my rental into shape for selling it.  I have to set aside my feelings about this property having been my parents beloved home.  I have to set aside my love of history and the preservation of old buildings.  I have to forget that this was the general store in the village that I call home.  If I don't retrofit and stage this place, with the goal of appealing to the largest market of buyers, it may not sell.  If it doesn't sell, it may well take me down financially.

I'm a certified and experienced staging professional, but that doesn't make it any easier when you are the owner!  Letting go is hard to do!  (I feel a Neil Sedaka song coming on here.)

The decision to remove the big, black and gold fan my parents installed was easy.  I always hated that huge spider  in the middle of the ceiling!  But, what about the tongue and groove ceiling itself? ~

 
Heresy to cover it up in my books!  My brother argued that it had been badly patched many times, over the years, where holes had been cut for stove pipes. ~


It showed obvious signs of the roof leaking and, although we did replace the roof last year, that's a turn off to buyers.  It would need to be sanded before repainting and we would need to try to match the wood to redo the old patches.  Worst of all, it didn't go all the way to the walls.

Three layers of wood made a messy and weird cove moulding around the room.  Big box store cove isn't deep enough to cover the gap. ~


The old squirrel nest is a nice touch, don't you think?

Here's were I lose my shabby chic blogging credentials but keep my Canadian Staging Professional ones.  We left the ceiling there and it is strapped, ready for drywall.  (That's Sheetrock for my American friends) ~


If, at some time in the future, someone undertakes a restoration of the building, they only have a few extra screw holes to deal with.

If you are keeping a tally, that's one for me (reopening the old staircase door), one for my sister-in-law  (removing the fake brick wall) and one for my brother (covering the ceiling) and one for my sister (pulling the sub floor up in the second story to expose the wood floors).

18 comments:

  1. Those are tough decisions! I have no idea how your market is there, but I think you are doing the right things as far as the remodel goes. (I'm no stager, but I do have a real estate license.) I'm with you on the ceiling fan too! We have one downstairs and it was black when we bought the house. It always reminded me of a spider! I took it down, dismantled it and spray painted it a friendlier color. (Sam wanted to keep it!) Is the end in sight for you on this project?

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  2. The market is better here than it was last time we tried to sell it. It's an odd property - country, store in the front, century building - so, very difficult to evaluate. I think all we can do is show it to it's best advantage. That and say a lot of prayers. We need to be ready to list by the end of May!

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  3. Oh- I hear you- It is such a big job-one easier undertaken when you are not emotionally attached to the building. I did staging for several real estate agents when the market was good. It took the monkey off their back (having to tell the owners what to do) and gave me a creative outlet that paid pretty well...and then the bottom fell out of the market.

    That made perfect sense to cover the ceiling rather than repair it. It will look fresh and clean for selling.

    You are all doing a good job working as a team there. xo Diana ps...we call it drywall here, too.

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    1. Why am I not surprised to hear you did staging? We have oddly similar lives! I stand corrected on the drywall. :)

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  4. Hello Maureen:
    This really does seem to be turning into something of a major project. However, as clearly you are aware, it is so important to present a house for sale in the best possible way, particularly in today's uncertain market.

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    1. Everything in an old house seems to lead to something else, when you work on them. You are so right about the uncertainty in today's market!

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  5. Wow, those are some hard decisions. I rather like the bead board and it looks pretty good with the wood..I might have just put wood where it needed it, painted it and left it bead board. It's like painting base board...it never seems to end!

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    1. You're right about the painting never ending! Stair spindles seem to multiply while you are painting them.

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  6. I don't envy you these tough decisions my friend. Sentiment is a powerful force!

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  7. At first blush I thought...No don't cover the ceiling, but on closer inspection I think you made the right choice, not everyone....In fact most people are not DIYers like us. You have to appeal to the masses to get the sale, I think you made the right decision

    Carol

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  8. Another vote for You're Doing Everything Right.

    My opinion is that shabby chic and home staging seldom go together.

    Keep up the good work.

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    1. An unbiased vote from a staging pro! I've been using your site as a refresher course as I make decisions. Thanks!

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  9. That is tough Maureen. It is hard to let go of a family home and yet financially it is the thing to do. Sounds like all of you are working it out. Every time I drive by my grandaddy's house I wince because I do not know who owns it any more. But could I live there? Nope.

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  10. Good morning Maureen. "Challenges met with courage, build endurance and strengthen faith". This saying was on the Church bulletin in January and I have kept it in front of my keyboard as a daily reminder when decisions are hard. You and your family are making some tough decisions now and I am wishing the best for you.
    Blessings ..
    Hugs,
    Audrey Z.

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    1. I relayed this quote to my sister today. It's such a positive thought! Thanks for your kind, good wishes!

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  11. Oh I deeply feel for you. This cannot be easy.

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    1. Thanks, Laura. Did I tell you I only said one prayer on National Prayer Day? I said the same one many times and it was for your son. My problems are small compared to what he handles with such grace!

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