(no subject)

[msmemory_archive]

So we found this house.... it's pretty, it's very large, it's in move-in shape (though it could stand a few fiddly things like water-seal on the deck, and we would need to make sure the house inspector isn't seeing things we're missing). The catch is, it's in Framingham.

jducoeur posted in his journal that we are dithering. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the comments seem to be non-supportive of our moving out there. Waaaah!

I readily admit, we would already have earnest money on this house if it were closer in. No question, if it were in Waltham, or Watertown, we'd be all over it. (Though in Waltham, I think it would be in the upper 7s or low 8s in price.) Would our friends really not come to Framingham? Don't they already not visit us, and if so, does it matter if they still don't? We want to entertain - will we be refused?

More dither.

Comments

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

It is our strong intent not to have the cat problems in the new home that we have in the present one. I hope the hardwood floors on the first floor would cut down on ambient unvaccumable cat hair.

For those who simply can't visit the home of a cat owner, I'm sorry. For those who have trouble in our current place, we hope it will not be as much of a consideration here.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

You both have jobs which take up a lot of your day -- have you considered a once-a-week maid service? If you start with one at the new place (wherever it is) it will be easy for a service to maintain, and you won't have to waste your leisure time. Particularly if this house is much larger.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

Yes, in fact we've considered it here as well but didn't want to start a service at the serious negative state of our current abode. If they had only to maintain the tidy state of the new one, much better.

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

I pay $65 dollars a week. So so so worth it. They mop, vacuum, dust, straighten a little, change the sheets - and if I ask, will do occasional bigger projects like clean the fridge or if I remind, vacuum the ceiling fans.

[pamelina.livejournal.com]

I pay $65 every two weeks to have my illegal alien houscleaners clean my house. They've been cleaning for me for over a decade, and they do quite a good job, though they don't do laundry or inside appliances, except the microwave oven. I love having my house cleaned for me. I highly recommend it.

Have you put your own house on the market yet? You are planning to have it professionally cleaned before you do, right?

As far as visitors goes, I predict you'll get the same people you do now, plus more people, if you invite them. You will work out a 'standard method' of getting car-less people at the nearest/most convenient public transportation stop, and it'll seem all routine and easy in no time. In my case, I'll pick people up either at Alewife, or at the Concord station of the commuter rail.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

We not only want to have it professionally cleaned, we want to be not living there at the time. The rooms will look bigger (though some spots needing particular TLC will be more visible) if our clutter is not crowding every room.

I figure a couple hundred bucks to have someone wash the woodwork, steam clean the carpet, Windex the windows, and so forth, will be worth it in the selling price.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

My agent recommended a new coat of paint, even though the existing coat was in ok shape. He also strongly suggested brand-new berber-type carpets, but we didn't do that. Probably should have.

[jducoeur]

The paint we've dealt with -- the house paint was in pretty bad shape, so we repainted a couple of months ago. (And we just did the bathroom ourselves, having not really been happy about the state of the paint in there.) Probably won't recarpet, though...

paint/carpets

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

It was the inside paint he recommended, actually. Our outside was stucco. We painted the inside the brightest white possible, and he pronounced it "much better."

If the inside carpet is older than 5 or so years, I would advise recarpeting. It probably has smells that you're long accustomed to, but buyers would notice. Plus wear patterns, etc. But ask your agent about it.

Re: paint/carpets

[jducoeur]

Hmm. Okay, that's useful intelligence. We'll see. The house has *much* bigger problems than a paint job. (The back room is still essentially unliveable, and it isn't clear that it makes sense for us to change that ourselves.) It's going to be a matter of choosing our battles. If we're selling it as essentially a fixer-upper, I'm not going to sweat the paint. There's a real question of attitude: if we're looking for someone who's going to take the house on as a project, the new carpets are largely not a benefit...

Re: paint/carpets

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Quite understandable. After you're out, though, have someone not used to going in your house give it a smell (possibly don't tell them this is what you want them to do! Have them come in first, give an evaluation, then tell them you suspect there might be carpet smell, see what the new reaction is).

If the carpets are smelly (cat and general dust), it will give a general negative impression to a buyer, even if they want to fix everything up themselves -- they probably won't even know *why* the impression is negative. Lots of folks don't pay attention to smells, but are influenced by them anyway.

A professional cleaning & enzyme treatment might solve the issue without replacing, if it is smelly.