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Cleaning up for Home Showings is Fun (Not!)
Since we’re selling our home, we’ve got a daily routine for cleaning up for home showings. This routine takes about an hour and consists of the following: all garbage removed, windows opened, cushions and linens fluffed up and sprayed with Febreze, toilets cleaned, counter tops and all surfaces wiped, floors swept, bath towels and all personal hygiene items tucked away, and all kitchen accouterments stashed out of sight except for a few decorative touches. The dish drainer, dish mat, towels, napkin holders, yucky every-day place mats, etc., all get tossed into a basket and placed in the garage. And that’s just for maintenance. Twice a week we do a deep clean.
This past Saturday morning we took our daily constitutional walk in Crooked Creek Park a little earlier than usual. A potential buyer for our home was scheduled for a showing and we left the house at 8:45. At the start of our walk, Mr. Groovy began bemoaning the fact that I insist on hiding his Lysol bathroom spray for showings (and for that matter, when anyone visits). I think most folks are smart enough to look for bathroom spray in the bottom cabinet if needed, and it’s disgusting to leave it out—especially, for a potential buyer. I realize potential buyers are not idiots and they know bathrooms are used for pooping, among other things. But do they need to be reminded of it? (What is it with us Groovies, anyway? Do we have poop affliction—between odors and dingleberries?)
Mr. Groovy thinks I’m crazy. Maybe he’s right.
In the midst of this discussion about poop, he blurted out, “Oh, happy anniversary, by the way.”
Yeah, happy anniversary to me.
Celebrating our Anniversary
Saturday was our Sweet Sixteen. Sixteen years of wedded bliss.
Mod Pizza
A few weeks ago, prior to listing our home, we agreed that if our house was under contract by the time our anniversary rolled around, we’d go to a nice restaurant for dinner. Otherwise, we’d go to Mod Pizza.
Mod Pizza, it was.
If you’re not familiar with Mod Pizza they’ve got a pretty cool concept. They offer three individual-sized pizzas priced at $5.97, $7.97, and $9.97. You can order one of several pre-chosen combinations, or create your own pizza. The price remains the same no matter how many meats, sauces, or toppings you choose. Mr. Groovy went for the Mad Dog which is a combo of pepperoni, sausage, and beef, while I created my own pizza with grilled chicken and roasted vegetables.
The one thing that takes getting used to at Mod Pizza is constantly hearing half a dozen staff members shouting “Helooooo” and “Goodbyyyyyyeee” to every customer entering and leaving. But the employees at Mod are nice kids, and the company does good community work, so I’m happy to put up with a little extra noise while I consume lots of salt and calories.
The Thirsty Beaver
Prior to our jaunt to Mod Pizza, we took a drive into Charlotte to check out a dive-bar called The Thirsty Beaver. Months ago we made our first attempt to go to the Beaver but it was closed. We’d gone too early in the day. FYI, whenever we try a dive-bar for the first time, we prefer going during the afternoon just in case the crowd is rough. This crowd was so meek that a few children were running around while their parents drank beer. One precocious little girl decided to hop up to the stool next to me and check out the zipper compartments of my purse. “What’s this?” she asked about the little pink bottle of hand sanitizer. Then she exclaimed, “Ooooh, lemme see your phone!” I was about to let her scroll through all the dog photos taken at Crooked Creek Park, but then her brother came to collect her.
Still, the Thirsty Beaver is indeed a dive-bar. Check out the lovely decor.
I hear it doesn’t take much provoking to get a gal to add her bra to the mix of ones already hanging from the rafters. (However, this gal was not subject to such provocation.)
And check out the view from the street.
I’m a sucker for brick buildings, even if the windows and doors are covered by gates. But the sign with a duck rather than a beaver is the jewel of the neighborhood.
Speaking of the neighborhood, the Thirsty Beaver is located in the Plaza-Midwood section of Charlotte. The area has seen a lot of gentrification in the last ten years. You might notice the high-rise building behind the Beaver—it’s actually surrounded on three sides by McPartments. I give the landlord and bar owners a lot of credit for staying committed to the neighborhood. They could easily sell out like so many other local bars and restaurants have.
Selling and Building
Our home has been on the market just shy of three weeks and we’ve had more than a dozen showings. No offers. Still, the feedback has been good, and the lack of offers is due to elements we can’t control—whether it’s the buyer wanting a different floor plan, a fenced in yard, or a master bedroom downstairs. We’re facing more competition with new and similar homes listing on MLS (Multiple Listing Service). But Hailey, our realtor, still thinks we’re competitively priced and our home offers more value than some of the others. We’ll hang tight another week.
We’re still awaiting the engineer’s approval on Groovy Ranch. We should receive a digital file with the engineer’s stamp within the week. Then we can submit it, along with final house plans from Michael, our designer, and a list of specs, to the builders.
We mentioned in Groovy Ranch Update 10 one of the builders, Terry, spoke highly of another contractor who builds accessory metal buildings with a rustic, barn-like look. I spoke with the contractor, James, and Mr. Groovy and I plan to see his showroom on our next trip. We’d like the sight of a quaint, metal building—maybe even colored red like a barn, to house our car, tractor (Mr. Groovy really wants to buy one just to see me drive it around), and a workshop for Mr. Groovy. James described the type of foundation needed for erecting the metal structure. Rather than a slab, he’d need a space dug out and filled in a few inches with sandy soil or rocks to anchor the structure to. We’ll know more after meeting with James.
I finally conquered another item that’s been on my to-do list for weeks—investigating storage facilities. I found three in the immediate area of Groovy Ranch. Two of them are fully occupied and no one is expected to be relinquishing a unit anytime soon. A third facility, which is quite larger than the other two, usually has turn-over at the end of each month. As soon as we set a moving date I’ll call to make arrangements. Should nothing be available when we need it, we can find a facility closer to the Groovy In-Laws. There are more to choose from where they live although it would be easier to store furniture closer to our new home.
Fight-O-Meter
Mr. Groovy finally had his way this week and gets a point on the Fight-O-Meter! There was no argument. I conceded right away, but he just kept on hammering me (something he accuses me of doing all the time; he’ll say “I agreed already, WHY do you keep arguing?”)
When we put our house on the market we were going through a rainy spell. Even though our listing on MLS instructs visitors to park on a nearby street from which they can easily access our front door, I was concerned they would park in our garage driveway behind our house, and trek through the mud to the back door. I discussed putting a sign out back on the garage door with Hailey reiterating where to park, and she agreed it was a good idea. There’s no street parking in front of our house at all.
One morning earlier this week, Mr. Groovy proclaimed that we should take the sign down. He said it was pointing out the fact that parking is a problem. Since one piece of feedback from a showing was that the buyer had concerns about guest parking, Mr. G thought we shouldn’t highlight the issue. I agreed to take the sign down immediately (although I didn’t exactly agree with his reasoning, but I could see his point of view). So he gets to score this week. And I’m not taking a point for winning the Lysol spray argument since there was no argument there either. He had no choice.
Rambo
Finally, I leave you with a photo of a dog named Rambo. We’ve seen Rambo and his mommy, Diana, many times in Crooked Creek Park. But this past Sunday we stopped and chatted for quite some time. Diana is a fellow native New Yorker, although she hails from Jamestown (where Lucille Ball was born), which is quite a distance from NYC or Long Island. She’s a sweetheart and we hope to get the opportunity to go for a cup of coffee with her (and a biscuit for Rambo) before we move.
Rambo is just the opposite of what you would imagine a dog with that name might be like. He’s a mush ball! When I petted him under his chin he crooked his neck and leaned in. When I continued scratching his chin, he put all his weight against me just like Groovy Cat used to do. And the craziest thing is that he likes to sleep on Diana’s pillow, behind her head. That was another of Groovy Cat’s favorite habits.
Final Thoughts
No one said selling a house would be fun. The routine gets tiresome. Fortunately, Mr. Groovy and I are not super emotional about the process. We don’t wait for the phone to ring after every showing and we take the feedback with a grain of salt. Although we’re looking forward to closing this chapter of our lives and moving up to Wake Forest, we must be patient. The right person or couple will come along. In the meantime, there are more dogs to meet in Crooked Creek Park.
thanks for sharing such an amazing content
Now that really is a dive bar! I bet it was so interesting, probably even more so in the evenings. Happy Anniversary! Nice of you to give Mr. G a point.
Maybe this will be the weekend, come on buyers!
We’re a bit hesitant to go to any of the dive bars at night.
Thanks for your anniversary thoughts and good wishes on selling our house. I’m a bit late in answering these. I know you know — but for anyone who doesn’t — our house is under contract!
Lysol bathroom spray? What about Poo-Pourri? 🙂 That dive bar looks cool; I haven’t been to one in years. Though I’ve become overly cautious in life, and the bars on the windows would probably scare me off…
I’ve never sold a house, but I’ve bought one, and it was the 31st house Lily and I saw. It’s probably a long process on both sides (buyers and sellers), but I’m sure it’ll happen 🙂
Cheers,
Miguel
I’ve seen that Poo-Pourri stuff. I like the concept!
C’mone! The bars on the windows add panache!
The 31st house! After 6 I could barely remember what they looked like when we searched for a home.
I think you know we’re in contract? Thanks for the good wishes!
Happy Anniversary to you both! I wish you many more. Gotta love dive bars. They are usually way more fun than the cookie cutter bar/grills.
Thanks for the anniversary wishes!
Dive bars are way more fun! Plus, since we go during the afternoon there’s usually a bartender who’s not too busy that we talk to. We pick their brains about the neighborhood, good restaurants, etc. We’re right next to Charlotte but we mostly stay more local.
Free bras! JK, I feel they might be a bit dirty.
We have a similar pizza here, it’s called &pizza.
I just love the unlimited toppings. Like seriously pizza people, why is it $1 or $2 for every single topping?! What if I’m a weird person and want a tiny bit of every topping? I know what your margins are guys, don’t try to hide it!
Mr. G and a co-worker at his last job were once on line at Subway and the guy ahead of them kept asking for “More pickles, please.” Finally, the worker had enough and called a manager to the front, who said they’d have to charge him more for any additional pickles. The guy abruptly left. His sandwich was already made so they offered it to Mr. G and his co-worker, who quickly said “I’ll take it!” (The co-worker, not Mr. G.)
So I guess sometimes customers take advantage although I agree with you because mostly, they don’t. (And from the sound of Mr. G’s story, I think the guy at Subway was a bit off.)
LOL, that is so weird/funny. That guy does sound a bit off.
I think they do the same thing as subway though, like you can ask for each type of topping you want, but if you want extra of that singular topping, you’ll get charged double or whatever.
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More poop talk, and Thirsty Beavers. Your blog is turning into the kind of a cultish fan-zine type of thing that I used to find in seedy bars in Baltimore back in the day. I like the new direction.
And happy anniversary! You guys have us waiting eagerly to see where it goes next!
I love it! Cultish and fan-zine!
I just recently read about a comedian who went to dive bars late at night and did a TV show about it. The piece I read didn’t give names, but Mr. Google brought up Insomniac with Dave Attell. There are some episodes on YouTube I plan to check out.
Thanks for your good wishes!
The daily pre cleaning is quite something. We had a similar process last year when are house was up. I loved how clean and nice the house was, but it’s just not reality otherwise. Tom
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Now that we’ve been able to put a halt to the daily clean-up routine, I sometimes get the feeling we’re happier about that than actually selling our house! Not really, of course. We’re very grateful and pleased about the sale.
Happy anniversary! I think you’ve adopted a good perspective on selling the house. I’m sure a good offer will come rolling in soon though. The Thirsty Beaver looks like an interesting diversion. I just can’t imagine so many women leaving their bras behind…those things can be expensive! And Rambo’s a cutie, definitely need to find out how his name came to be.
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Thank you, Gary. Only a man who’s worked in retail would know how expensive those bras are! Great point.
As you know, we accepted an offer on our house. Thanks for the good wishes.
We saw Rambo again on Friday and asked his mom, Diana, how she came up with that name. She said when he was younger he was very rambunctious — and that’s how Rambo came about.
Happy anniversary!
I’m not sure that counts as a fight but I’ll give the Mr. a congrats anyway. I guess after 16 years, you guys know how to keep the fighting to a minimum!
Selling a home can be annoying. Hang in there. It will work out!
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Thanks, Jason. If this selling/building/moving doesn’t kill us I think we’ve got smooth sailing ahead. So far, since we’ve been under contract (I believe you know that) we’ve been working well together and focusing on emptying out our house. We decided to start from scratch with furniture.
“He had no choice”!!?? How can you NOT give yourself a point for THAT line! Wow, Mrs. G is tough. Stay on her good side, Mr. G!
Sorry you haven’t had an offer yet, but I love the attitude you’re adopting. You can’t change it, so accept it, right? Looking forward to seeing that red barn, and Mrs. G on that tractor! Good luck with the move, don’t kill Mr. G in the process. Love you guys, and Happy Anniversary!!
Thanks for the good wishes. You were one of the first people I emailed about our house being under contract!
This week we’re meeting James, the garage/barn builder and picking up our final plans from the designer. We just got the engineer’s stamp. Interestingly it’s not generally required for residences in NC. However with vaulted ceilings I believe it is.
Love your perspective for getting through the current challenges and chaos … patience is power! And meeting new dogs (and their peeps) at Crooked Creek will keep you happy and grounded.
Rambo is adorable and looks like a non-shedder. What a face!
Love the photo of the Thirsty Beaver, too. What a hoot. :o)
Happy Anniversary!
Thanks for the anniversary wishes! Sorry I’m late with these responses. It all worked out — we’re under contract!
We saw Rambo again a few days ago. This time, he leaned in even more when I scratched his chin. Maybe he knows us now!
Thirsty Beaver sounds like a fun place that’s for sure. I did notice the…did you say McPartments….LOL! Oh my gosh, that should be in the dictionary. Anyway I noticed the contrast before you bought it up. Kudos, it adds color to the mass of gray.
I didn’t know Mod Pizza was a chain…silly me I thought it was a Northwest thing only. Excellent!
We had the exact same issue with our sale. People didn’t like the lack of storage and lots of new competition that came online. We went pending yesterday for less than what we wanted because the lack of interest is making us scared a bit…so we went with the first offer. Apparently in real estate they said the first offer is always the best offer? I looked that up and the sentiments seem pretty uniformed….gosh I thought we could have gotten more…
Oh shoot and of course happy anniversary!!! New chapters await!
Thank you!
It’s hard to tell from photos just how out of place the Thirsty Beaver looks!
I, too, have always heard the first offer is usually your best offer and it’s been the case for us. In NY we got top dollar on the first offer for our condo. And here, when we had a rental property, we turned down a first offer and ended up settling for less later on.
It sounds like you did the right thing! Good luck with the sale!
Happy anniversary!
The dive bar looks very divey. 🙂 I haven’t been to one in ages. We rarely go to bars and they all have the hipster vibe here in Portland.
Good luck with the home sale. Hang in there. Is the market slowing down?
I don’t recall going to any dive bars in Portland but we went to a cool micro-distillery for vodka. I think it might have been the New Deal Distillery.
I don’t see the housing market slowing down. We may have listed a little early. There are more homes coming on the market but sales appear to be brisk.
Congrats… 16 years, that’s a long time, a LOOOOOONG time.
I’m sure your house will sell. And I’m sure your poop fascination isn’t the issue. Just changes the people you’re attracting. HA
Thank you! In some ways it feels longer than 16 years and in other ways it feels like a year! Time is a strange measurement!
“Just changes the people you’re attracting”….I sure hope they’re not using our toilets, then. I better do some extra fumigating.
Happy Anniversary! I agree with you on cities retaining their character with places like old brick buildings. You can feel the difference when you go to Europe and “feel” the age and it feels like you’re al little part of history. Cookie-cutter? blah! I’m going to keep sending good thoughts you place sells soon!
My first apartment had exposed brick inside. But the apartment was under 400 sf and if you stood up in the wrong spot you banged your head.
I know what you mean about Europe although we’ve been there only once. I get that feeling about history when I’m in Montana.
Happy Anniversary! So be truthful, hows the pizza outside of NY? What happens in the bathroom, stays in the bathroom, and potential homebuyers even though they know what goes on in there don’t need any reminders or distractions. I’d hide the spray. I remember looking at what seems like a 100 house before we found our current home. It’s a process. Hang in there! I’m sure your buyer is out there. Rambo = not what I was expecting. 🙂
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Mod is totally unlike NY pizza but we’ve found a few “pizza places” (as we called them in Brooklyn, home of the BEST pizza) that are almost as good. We’re not pizza snobs but I’ll tell you the one thing I miss that just cannot be found here — authentic Chinese fried rice! Every Chinese restaurant serves fried rice but it is NOT the fried rice I know and love. It looks and tastes like white rice tainted a yellowish golden color.
I’ve got to remember to ask Diana how/why she came up with Rambo as a name.
A dive bar and Mod Pizza! You and Mr. Groovy really know how to celebrate. Congratulations on your sweet 16.
Last year we were staying over every week at my in-laws as we helped sell their home after their move to Assisted Living. It was SO, SO hard to undo all our crumbs in the kitchen and towels in the bath, pretending we didn’t stay over. And that was just one night! I can totally relate. You are basically pretending not to live there. Even the Lysol pretends! Hang in there. It sounds like you’ll get some action soon. Good luck.
As Mr. Groovy always says, “Let’s LIVE!” Yes, we’re huge on the celebrations.
Those nasty crumbs are awful. Counter tops hide a lot when you look straight down at them but if you glance at them from the side? You see everything!
When I have a hard time parting with the cleaning tools, Mr. Groovy reminds me that potential buyers are not visiting a museum when they tour our house.
OOOPs Happy anniversary sorry I missed it groovy mom
Thanks, GM. No worries — we don’t known anyone’s anniversary date.
Hopefully we’ll see you next week!
Hey guys, happy anniversary! 16 years is impressive and no small feat!
Glad to hear you’re getting showings and positive feedback on the house. Mrs. SSC was despondent ours will never sell because it’s been on the market 5 days and no showings yet. It was storming most of last weekend.
We’ve got a similar house fluffing routine but not quite as in depth. On the plus side were looking to put in an offer on the new SSC Casa this week! It fits us perfectly and had come down $15k in price so fingers crossed it turns out positively for us.
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Thanks, Mr. SSC!
The wait for showings can be very frustrating but bad weather is a big detraction. Keep the faith!
Good luck with the purchase. A 15K reduction! Nice! Usually prices are lowered in $5K increments around here, unless the property was very overpriced or high priced to begin with.
Hey, friend! As soon as I started reading the detailed report of how you get the house ready for showings I knew it was you and not Mr. G that had written this post. 🙂 Hang tough – the house will sell. Feedback all sounds positive. I had to laugh when I saw the pic of Rambo – funny!! Our girl is a tough looking black lab with a heart of gold, but her bark is very scary and keeps us safe. However, if you walk up to her she’ll lean into you like that as well and you’ll be her friend forever. Can’t wait to see pics of the Ranch – I love the idea of the metal!!!
Mr. Groovy has to be coaxed a bit to do his part but he’s very good at dusting! And since he’s done all the repairs, it balances out. But you should see the finale of our get-ready-to-show routine — he’s at the back door barking “Let’s GO!” while I’m sweeping the front door area for the 2nd time.