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We’re in our final countdown to listing our home for sale. We’re going live tomorrow!
Last week, our realtor Hailey brought her photographer to our home to take the listing photos for our sale. Have you seen the magnificent photo montages along with the homes for sale on Multiple Listing Service (MLS)? I’ll bet our house is going to appear even better than it actually is—and it’s in quite good shape, if I do say so myself.
Mr. Groovy is making up-to-the-last-minute home repairs. He’s done with bathroom caulking, touch up interior painting, and fixing a curtain rod I dislodged when we prepped for the photo shoot. Today it’s finally warm enough for him to do the exterior painting. He’s excited about turning the two-tone area on our front porch back into one color. Home Depot did an excellent job of color matching.
I purchased several items for showing our home that make a big difference. For our bathrooms I bought:
- 2 cheap hand soap dispensers from Walmart
- 1 white lavender in metal tin floral arrangement from Kirkland’s
And the following from Bed Bath and Beyond:
- 2 Martex Suprima hand towels
- 2 wicker guest towel trays
- 1 package of disposable guest towels
The latter two purchases are to dissuade potential buyers from using the hand towels. Hopefully they won’t use our bathrooms at all but people are weird.
Total price for the eight items was under $60. The floral arrangement was the most expensive thing at $13. What do you think?
What We’ve Missed by Not Having Cable TV
We visited with Mr. Groovy’s parents during our trip to meet the builders. We watched a lot of TV together and were slightly amused by all the commercials we’ve lived without over the last few years. Clothing, electronics, and cars galore filled the screen. It seemed every other commercial depicted someone taking a selfie. OMG!!! Mr. Groovy and I are NOT living the high life!
I can’t help but wonder whether TV is an extension of FaceBook or whether FaceBook is an extension of TV. We’re bombarded by consumerism on all fronts. The messages are conditioning our brain waves to tell us “I want, I want, I want, I want.”
And then there’s HGTV. I gotta hand it to those magicians, Jonathan and Drew, of the Property Brothers. Who else could remodel an entire kitchen, add top of the line stainless steel appliances, remove walls, reconfigure a room, and transform a backyard into a paradise—all for $30K. And kudos to Tarek and Christina for making money on every Flip or Flop deal, even the ones where they never saw the inside of the home before purchasing it. But let’s not forget the “Mr. and Mrs. Shiplap Couple of the Year” from Fixer Upper, Chip and Joanna Gaines. To my great relief, Mr. Groovy calmed down a bit and only wants shiplap around the fireplace in our new home. At one point he wanted it throughout the entire house.
Update on Meeting with Two Builders
About a week and a half ago we sent the Groovy Ranch floor plan to three builders, Chuck, Russell, and Terry. We asked them for feedback—that is, we wanted to know if they had any issues with the design, and we wanted to get a general idea of what Groovy Ranch will cost. No sense getting an engineering stamp and producing final plans if we can’t afford to build it.
Last Friday we met with the two builders I had only talked to on the phone. Well, that’s incorrect. We actually met with three builders because Russell is part of a team with Ray (R&R). Terry is the other builder.
We met R&R Friday morning at the Louisburg Fire Station. How cool is that? When they found out who listed and sold the property we bought, Russell pointed to the break room and said, “his brother’s inside.” Is this a small town or what? R&R also know the folks who purchased the property adjacent to us and confirmed what Terry told me on the phone—that we couldn’t have picked nicer neighbors ourselves.
We pored over our floor plan with R&R, which we printed out on 18 x 24 paper to make it easier to see. We all took notes as we went over several of the big ticket construction items such as roof, crawlspace, porches, windows, doors, and cabinets. Afterwards, Ray followed Mr. Groovy and me over to our property to view it. Then he showed us two homes he and Russell are currently building in the area.
Terry met us Friday afternoon directly at our property where we walked the land discussing our floor plan. He gave us his ideas on roof, crawlspace, porches, etc., and had a few questions about the design. He also identified the grass that is growing on our property for us. It’s called winter wheat. Too bad Mr. Groovy hardly eats bread anymore. I think he has put aside his idea of building a pizza oven and baking bread for the needy
Both R&R and Terry have been building in the area for years. They each have their own set of subcontractors and showrooms they regularly work with. The guy who put in our neighbor’s septic system is the same guy Terry uses. This really is small town America. None of the following is in Louisburg: Starbucks, Panera, Trader Joe’s, Publix, Harris Teeter, Aldi, or Lowes Foods (the last four are some of the most popular supermarket chains in North and South Carolina). We hear there may be a Starbucks counter inside of the local community college, but that is yet to be verified.
Update on the First Builder we Met
We met Chuck back in December before we purchased our land. Chuck referred us to our designer, Michael. Did we mention in an earlier update that it was our soil engineer Sarah who recommended Chuck?
We caught up with Chuck by phone earlier this week. He gave us a lot to think about regarding building materials and detailing all the specs and options we need to specify for a bid. I’m very glad we spoke with Chuck again because after meeting the other builders last week, we felt they had a bit of an advantage. We had no design concept when we met Chuck and could only speak in broad terms about the house build. And that meeting feels so long ago—we didn’t want to be swayed by recency bias.
Just as we suspected, we’re in the same position with the three builders as we were with the three realtors we met. They’re all good! It’s going to be a tough decision. We’ll have to see their actual bids once we submit final plans to them, but I have a feeling all three will be within $10K or 15K of one another.
Fight-O-Meter
Again, no fights! Mr. Groovy thought I’d put up a fuss when he mentioned he’d like to give $150 checks to the two builders we do not choose to build our home. That’s not because I’m tight with money—Mr. Groovy knows I get concerned about whether it’s appropriate to give money under certain circumstances. I worry whether the person involved might feel awkward and I wonder if we’re going overboard. Some people are very uncomfortable about accepting money for something that’s part of their job (or search for business) for which they don’t ordinarily get paid. But in this case I have no objection. These are good men who’ve already spent hours of time and energy on us in person and through email and follow-up calls. And they’ll likely spend many more hours on the bidding process. It’s the right thing to do.
Final Thoughts
We’re mentally and physically preparing for a move. Everyone from the Klingon-speaking plumber we spoke of in Building Groovy Ranch Update 9 to the builders 200 miles away are telling us to get ready to close on the sale of our home quickly. I hope we won’t need it, but wish us luck!
Your blog was more fun when you fought… I’m outta here…
🙂
As for the commercials, I’m with ya. Every time I go to see my Mom I stare in fascination at the crazy assortment of commercials streaming through her cable. When I do I feel like a recovered alcoholic watching others drink at a bar through a window from the outside. That was a former life….
Groovyland has been more like Dullsville for our readers. Tomorrow’s post should shake things up a bit (but no fights).
If I watch TV for too long, the desire for things I never knew existed starts to creep back in. Then I give myself a good talkin’.
OMG!!! That floral arrangement is stunning! You’re right, people are weird.
In addition to price, I would check references on all three builders and ask how good/bad they were at dealing with punch list items and honoring any builder’s warranty.
Also think about who you feel more comfortable communicating with because you’ll be doing a lot of it.
I forgot I had a 20% off coupon for the floral arrangement and it was under eleven bucks! They’ve got a cotton stem in a pretty white jar for $8.
All 3 builders said they’d give references to homeowners and to local businesses that can vouch for them. That’s a great suggestion about the warranty and the punch list. You’re right about communication. It’s high on the list. Thanks!
I love the part near the end of the post where you say “it’s the right thing to do”.
You know, Dave, we’ve heard many tips about watching out for price gouging and all that. But for many, their experiences are with tract builders, design centers, and larger building companies. These are small builders/general contractors who have families to feed and subcontractors to pay. Two out of three of them don’t even ask for money up front. They complete a portion of work, sign off on it with you, then bill you. The one that does require money up front asks for 10%. That’s not a lot. I don’t know for sure, but I believe when smaller builders do either spec or custom homes, their profit margin is under 10%. Also, some of them get stiffed by the home owner over things like upgrades, where the homeowner may have asked for something and then denied it later. (It works both ways to get everything in writing.) Anyway, this is a long winded explanation of why we feel strongly it’s the right thing to do.
100% agree. As my parents’ taught me, treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself. It’s just a nice way to live – you’ve put a smile on my face.
2 thoughts pop up. It is amazing what a good photos can do for a home. We toured so many that were crap, but the photos made them look awesome ( not that I am implying that is your case). And, not a big consumer here, but you can get some pretty decent stuff at bed, bath beyond to spruce up a place at not to high a cost. We did it when we sold and then found some items for our new home after the move that worked well at reasonable cost. And of course, good luck. Tom
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Our photos look very good but I have to say, not much better than our house. The real difference is in the lighting. For the shoot we had all curtains and blinds open which is not the norm for us. We’re surrounded by homes within 6 feet on either side. You can stand between them with your arms spread and touch two at a time.
Yes, those wicker trays, guest towels and hand towels were from BBB. Kirkland has very low prices on some amazing looking items. Some of it’s not that best quality, i.e. I’d never buy furniture pieces from them, but their ornamental stuff is great.
It is very nice that you have good contractors to select from. But — realistically, you may have to add them to the Fight-O-Meter. So, when you select, think about how you will resolve your first problem or negotiate some change that will inevitably be needed. Those relationships really matter on something this big.
Also, I love the compensation for the losing bidder. You and Mr. G are class acts!
We’re thinking if the bids are close to one another our decision will be based on personality and communication style — and who we trust to be the most honorable.
Thanks for your kind words.
Woah, 3 weeks without fights! Under that stress too!
Jonathan and Drew makes me want to get cable..it’s tempting, they’re such eye candy…well Jonathan is my bias. I like his hair…<3
*back on topic*
…..can't believe you guys are done with photos. I'm still waiting on the gardener to schedule me for this week. Arughhh.
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Jonathan and Drew do nothing for me. Those HGTV guys are too pretty. I like more rugged.
Our HOA here takes care of the front lawn. We had our shrubbery redone a few years ago but it’s looks good enough. We just bought two cute potted plants from Lowe’s — orange daisies in silver buckets — to frame the doorway.
Nice touches in the bathroom. Glad to hear everything went well with the builder meetings. And while you probably don’t need it, Good Luck! May the home sale go smoothly.
Thanks, Amy. With Passover and Easter being this weekend we’re hoping some neighbors have family visiting that might be interested. In particular, I’m thinking about a new neighbor from Florida whose relatives may also want to relocate.
Great choices! I guess I was bad “hostess” because I didn’t put out hand towels for use. I You-tubed how to roll spa style towels and even staged the linen closets with them 🙂
Flowers are always a hit! We used fake succulents in the bathroom and roses in the bedroom. The single regret I have is that my realtor talked me into buying $60 in fresh limes from Publix for a huge pottery bowl in the kitchen. In retrospect, the dumbest purchase ever (although they kept the disposal smelling good for a while) since I didn’t get under contract till 7 days later when they were turning. Fake ones would have been fine. Oh well.
The photos are quite amazing once you get the listing up….I couldn’t quit gazing at them because the staging transformed my place. House hunting is so different than when I bought house 1 and house 2. Tons of showings and grainy photographs on an MLS page – you had no clue what was what until you saw it in person.
These are exciting times for you. I’m practically holding my breath on which builder you’ll pick!
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I’ve got some towels stacked up in my linen closet a la spa towels, too! Maybe we watched the same video.
I had fake lemons and limes for a long time in a glass bowl which looked just fine. I finally threw them out because I got tired tired of them. Hailey is very sensible about staging.
I experimented with baking pumpkin spice, apple spice, and cinnamon on a baking sheet at 250 with the oven door cracked open. If we have time I’ll continue doing that. It makes the house smell amazing for about an hour.
It’s great that you keep finding well-qualified people and you’re spoiled for choice. I think a check or gift card for the builders you don’t use is a very fine gesture.
And I’m glad to see the fight-o-meter has slowed down. Could it be a “summer of love” in the Groovy household?
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Thanks, Gary!
Summer lovin had me a blast….
Could be a summer of love!
You’re not kidding about houses looking better on the MLS than they actualy are. We’ve been watching our to buy potential investment properties and several of them look terrible in person compared to the pictures.
Of course, it’s really no different than airbrushed supermodels and celebrities for their photo shoots.
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I mentioned your comment to our realtor Hailey who was just here. She said it’s hard to believe the state some people leave their homes in when potential buyers are walking through.
I’d suggest gift cards for the builders you didn’t go with instead of cash, but I agree with Mr. Groovy that it’s a good idea. They did produce value for you, and you never know when you might want to reach out to them in the future (construction is crazy sometimes and you never know when you have to scramble to find a new framer, plumber, electrician, etc).
You’re so right about the future. In selling our house we’re learning how difficult it can be to find contractors, or even a handy man.
and if you use gift cards….there’s points potential for future travel. I concur!
Yes please, do give some money to the folks you don’t end up hiring! You have gotten value from their time and expertise. And you will create a lot of goodwill in your community for that small gesture. If you don’t want to hand them money you could always do gift cards to nice restaurants or something like that.
Yes, we will do gift cards or checks for sure. It’s going to be hard to reject any of them but I hope that will lessen the blow a tiny bit.
Y’all I live for these updates!! I am so on the edge of my seat, I’m gonna fall off before you actually move here. If you need somewhere to crash because your house sells in like 5 seconds and while they put the finishing touches on the new house… we have an air mattress 😉
And that’s so sweet of you to want to compensate the other 2 for their time. I’m sure not too many people sweat it over the “losers” but yeah, working for yourself is tough and I’m sure they spend a lot of “unpaid” time trying to secure business.
You guys are just the best. (But no ALDI in town?? Quel tragique.)
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Thank you! You’re so sweet.
We’ll be moving waaaayy before finishing touches. Heck, it may be before we break ground. We’ll be living with Mr. G’s parents in Wake Forest. We’ll have to meet you at that brewery you wrote about — or elsewhere!
No Aldi — Quel tragique effectivement! But we’ll be shopping at the one in Wake Forest. At least we have Walmart and Food Lion. Some people don’t like Food Lion but I’m happy with their produce. They also sell the Badia spices that are like less than half the price of McCormick and other brands.
Good luck with the home sale. It’s the perfect time to put on the market right now. Should move pretty quickly.
No outdoor pizza oven? That’s too bad. I’d love one when we have some space. 🙂
Thank you!
Well we never say never. We could change our mind about the pizza oven. But I think we’re making a pact not to do anything for the first year after we move in.
Sounds like smooth sailing over there. What the heck is going on? 🙂 Amazing what you can do with a little paint and some odds and ends to spruce up a place. I like Jillian’s suggestion of the gift card. I’m sure it will be appreciated.
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Thanks, Brian. Mr. G just finished painting the front of the house and it looks great. We got the seal of approval from Hailey, who just came by.
I think the bathroom looks great! And as to the cash gift, sometimes I find gift cards feel less weird if it’s unexpected. A thank you note and gift card can work for a lot of situations. 🙂 But I don’t fuss too much if people give me cash. 🙂
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Thank you!
I thought of gift cards but we’ll see what restaurants are in the area. The cards can’t be for Lowe’s or Home Depot since they all deal with building suppliers.
We have finally decided to build too. So I think you and I are on the same path. We signed and will be move it forward as soon as we get permitted. Fun times. our fight count is 0 and I hope it stays that way. Then again we are not building a dream home.
Wow, thanks for the update! What kind of property are you building on?
You’ve been through a lot more stress with a fire than you’ll go through building a house. I think your fight count will stay at zero.
We are going to build a spec home. Similar footprint as old house. Give the designer the go ahead to do it all. So hopefully no arguments on our end.
Glad there were no fights. I’m feeling a little stressed over here about decisions and it’s not even my house. When I go anywhere with cable, I LOVE watching HGTV. I can catch some shows on Hulu but they are old and then I have to wait awhile for new episodes. I’m a bit obsessed with any version of House Hunters. It makes me want to own real estate and as I’ve probably mentioned before, not happening as long as I’m in LA. 🙁
I like the international House Hunters. I enjoy seeing what’s available in other countries.
I just got a dose of adrenaline since Hailey came by with her listing sign for our lawn, and the lock box that goes on the door — bright and early tomorrow!
No fights? Come on, guys, it’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve enjoyed a good cage fight between The Groovies! You’re losing your edge!
BTW, the bathroom looks awesome. Only thing that’d make it better is if you’d have taken a selfie in there! (OMG, I just realized how that sounds. SOOO inappropriate!!). Good luck with the house sale, I suspect you’ll find all of those folks warning you about a quick sale to be correct.
Looking forward to the next fight as you figure out where you’re going to move in 27 Days! Love you guys!
We may have to stage a phony fight just for you, Fritz.
I knew what you meant about the selfie — you could never be inappropriate!
We’ll be moving to my Groovy In-laws. That we’ve got figured out. What we’re taking, selling, renting, and storing is another matter.
Exciting stuff! It’s amazing what a difference a couple small purchases can make to spruce up the place for potential homebuyers. I’d be interested to hear about how different your estimates are when they come in. It could be a lot more than a $10-$15k difference. We made one phone call and saved $5,000 by switching framers, and that’s just one piece!
Thanks, Mrs. FF!
You two have a general contractor in the family, I believe? Whoever we hire will act as GC. We’ll be able to have a say in prices on some materials but not others. Certainly not on framing as they have their guys they work with.
Do you know the kind of metal you’re using on your roof? And how it’s fastened?
Good luck! How exciting! Also, I think I am still shuddering at the thought of strangers using my hand towels. (I am so weird.) The disposable ones are really smart!
Thanks, Penny! I think I’m going to keep the disposable hand towels around going forward. I tried using one and it’s quite large when you unfold it.
WOW! It is definitely worth a little money to add some touches to the house to prep it for sale. I bet it is gone within a week or two. But I’m thinking a day or two is more likely! Looking forward to hearing about your builder decision. I bet it feels amazing to know everything you do now – compared to just five or six months ago!
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Yep. We picked up a few plants this morning, too, for the entryway. And Mr. Groovy is outside painting right now!
The learning curve is steep, especially for the specs for the bid. We don’t know all the materials. But Chuck gave us suggestions and shared a basic spec sheet. When I asked if he had one he said “I KNEW you were going to ask that.”